Town adopts ?at-rate taxi ordinance

The Chapel Hill Town Council voted Monday to unanimously pass an ordinance that will establish a flat-rate fare between $6 and $8 for town taxis.

The fare, which updates the town’s 1986 taxi ordinance and goes into effect Jan. 1, will apply to destinations within one and half miles of downtown Chapel Hill. A rate of $6 or $8 will depend on how far passengers travel.

Outside the flat-rate zone, taxi drivers can either charge the proposed rate of $2.50 per mile or choose to use a meter. In both zones, there will be a $2 charge for each passenger after the first two.

Former Student Body President Mary Cooper petitioned the council in October 2011 to consider an ordinance for a flat-rate taxi program.

Student Body President Will Leimenstoll has continued to support the program.

“It’s not about me. It’s not about Mary. It’s about trying to do something that’s good for the student body,” he said.

Leimenstoll, who spoke at Monday’s council meeting, said his primary concern was student safety and taxi affordability.

“We’re used to Chapel Hill being a very walkable town, but a place can only be so walkable for a student at night,” he said.

“I would hate for a student to decide to walk home from Franklin Street one night for a really long walk just because the taxi system is unpredictable.”

Councilman Gene Pease said he appreciated that the ordinance came about because of a student-driven initiative.

“Anything we can do to make it safer and easier for the students is, frankly, an easy decision,” he said.

UNC senior Lauren Brown said she’s concerned about the frequency of assaults in town, and she thinks a taxi is a safe alternative to walking alone.

“I’m sure that will make students more likely to use a taxi,” she said. “If I lived farther off campus, I would definitely use it.”

But senior Myca San Miguel said she would prefer it if taxis used a meter.

“It’s just more fair charging for how far we go, which is how it should be,” she said.

Lesley Parr, owner of Time To Go Taxi, said he thinks there should be higher fares and fewer regulations.

He is worried he won’t make as much money under the new ordinance.

“Chapel Hill-Carrboro is an exclusive place where people love to walk and ride bikes and don’t take taxicabs, which means there are less taxicabs available,” Parr said.

“I would think a higher rate would be expected because there’s less business.”

But James Mangum, owner of Tar Heel Taxi, said he doesn’t expect the ordinance to impact his business because the new rates are close enough to the rates he already charges.

Pease said he understands that some of the regulations — like a 10 cent cost per grocery bag — are confusing, but he expects they will be simplified in the future.

“If we feel a need to make it simpler based on feedback from people using it, then we’ll do that,” he said.

“But I think it was very well-crafted and well-researched.”

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.