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.

Post from: The Boston Traveler