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$1 surcharge in effect for all Philadelphia taxi rides

Cab rides in Philadelphia just got a little costlier. In an attempt to make up for fuel prices that have been creeping higher and higher in recent months, the Philadelphia Parking Authority has levied a temporary $1 surcharge on all taxi rides citywide.

Cab rides in Philadelphia just got a little costlier.

In an attempt to make up for fuel prices that have been creeping higher and higher in recent months, the Philadelphia Parking Authority has levied a temporary $1 surcharge on all taxi rides citywide.

The surcharge, which went into effect after midnight Thursday, will remain in force for 90 days.

Linda Miller, deputy executive director of the Parking Authority, said the city had been monitoring the rising cost of gasoline and talking with members of the cab industry for about three months about how to deal with the increase.

Taxi drivers are generally responsible for fueling their cabs.

"As gas goes up, it's eating into money they would make in a normal ride," Miller said.

She said she hoped residents would understand the position cabdrivers are in.

"We hope that it will not affect ridership," she said.

The Parking Authority also announced Thursday that some of the city's parking kiosks were having problems processing credit-card payments.

The authority said it was working to solve the glitch as soon as possible but asked that anyone who had trouble paying with a credit card use cash or a PPA Smart Card instead.