BOSTON (WHDH) - Gov. Charles D. Baker proposed a major rise in rideshare fees to help fund the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
In his annual budget proposal, Baker detailed an 80 cents increase per ride, with the state’s surcharge jumping from 20 cents a trip to $1 a trip.
Baker says this would add $73 million to the MBTA budget.
He added that this proposal is in response to the rapid growth of ridesharing services and their impact on the streets.
“You’re talking about a wear and tear on our roads and bridges that needs to be supported by some other mechanism,” Baker said. “An appropriate way to deal with this is would be to put some sort of significant fee on TNC rides and to apply some of that money to transportation and some of that money to cities and towns.”
Uber released a statement, saying in part, “We share the state’s goals of reducing congestion and investing in mass transit, but we have concerns with any proposal that would result in a substantial tax increase for riders.”
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