Cab Alert: Beware Logan Fees for East Boston Trips
Local NBC affiliate WHDH had an interesting report on the 11pm news broadcast last night. It was an undercover investigation that confirmed what many taxi-loving commuters probably already knew — some cab drivers like to make more money than they’re due by scamming what they hope are unsuspecting riders.
I personally prefer sticking with mass public transportation rather than cabs for this very reason. It’s appalling what too many cab drivers do just to get a few extra dollars, such as the ever-popular scam of deliberately making unnecessary detours to prolong the ride or avoiding shortcuts on side streets in order to wait longer at the more numerous red lights on major streets.
The WHDH report focuses on a practice I knew nothing about since I don’t frequent the relevant section of town, East Boston. When taking passengers to Logan Airport in East Boston from Downtown Boston, cab drivers are allowed to charge a legitimate so-called Logan Fee of $2.75 in order to recoup half the expense of the large toll they must pay when they return downtown.
Some slick drivers have repurposed the Logan Fee, however, also charging it when customers request a drop-off anywhere in East Boston. As the WHDH report demonstrates, the more blatant offenders even do it when their cab has signage clearly stating that assessing the fee on a trip to any East Boston destination other than Logan Airport is *not* allowed.
Residents and visitors alike, make a note of this ridiculous practice if you prefer to travel by taxi. And if you should encounter a driver who charges you an illegal fee, request a printed metered receipt and then take a few moments to file a formal complaint with the Boston Police Hackney Carriage Unit (617-343-4475 during normal business hours and 617-536-8294 after hours).
Find additional information about Boston taxis at the City of Boston website, including telephone numbers for the six cab companies in the city and the fare structure they must all follow.
A video of Fare Play, the WHDH report on the Logan Fee, is below. If you require closed captions, you can enable that feature on the video player by clicking the CC symbol in the top right-hand corner.
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POSTED IN: Getting Around - Local Transportation
3 opinions for Cab Alert: Beware Logan Fees for East Boston Trips
Heather-The New York City Traveler
May 11, 2008 at 8:16 pm
This is so frustrating! I had this issue with a driver awhile ago when he said he had to take a detour due to “street closures for road construction.” Totally a legit claim, especially in Boston, but he took me waaaay out of the way and $15 later (it should have been a $7 max. ride) I was in my destination. Aaahh!
Jon - The DC Traveler
May 12, 2008 at 11:06 am
Not sure why cabbies take the risk of losing their license. In DC, cabs were recently forced to switch from zones to meter due to consumers getting ripped off. If they won’t police themselves, I guess the government will.
Chandra
May 14, 2008 at 12:24 am
Heather, your experience is exactly why I don’t take cabs anywhere in Boston. For instance, I live a 10-minute walk/$2.50 cab ride away from several popular destinations, but I can’t even count the number of times I’ve taken a taxi that ended up costing $5 or more. You have to work very hard to get the fare to climb that high, so I finally just swore off taxis all together.
Jon, I would have a heart attack if the government here ever came down on cabbies for these deceitful practices. I think that’s why the drivers keep cheating customers — no real oversight and no real threat of punishment, at least none that I’ve noticed over the years.
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