Mayor Walsh Pushes For Ride-Share Bill Aimed At Reducing Traffic
BOSTON (CBS) -- Boston Mayor Marty Walsh wants to see ride-sharing companies pay more. "TNC's, in my opinion, should be contributing more to the public good given the major impacts they're having on our streets," he said at the State House Tuesday.
According to Walsh, 42 million transportation network company trips started in Boston last year. "That's more than 1 every second."
Ride-share companies have made getting around a lot easier but Walsh said they have also increased traffic. This bill would give incentives for shared trips, reduce congestion and benefit the environment.
The additional revenue would be split between the state and the city or town the ride originated in to improve roadways.
"This bill proposes an assessment of $1 per solo trip or 6.25 percent of the cost of the ride. For shared trips, the assessment is cut in half to three percent," said Walsh. Zero emissions vehicles would also pay three percent.
Last year, the City of Boston took in $3.4 million from TNC assessments.
If this bill is passed, drivers will also face a 20-cent per-mile fee for being on the road without a passenger during rush hour.
In a statement sent to WBZ-TV, UBER said: "We support the Mayor's goal of reducing congestion and want to continue to work with the city on innovative pilots like new pick up and drop off zones. However, rideshare vehicles represent a small fraction of cars in Boston and new taxes targeting rideshare customers punish Bostonians who don't have a car while doing little to invest in much needed improvements to transit."
If passed, the bill would help Mayor Walsh achieve his goal of making the city of Boston carbon-free by 2050.