Hamilton Taxi Rates

4/Aug/2006

In early July 2006 the City of Hamilton approved a small increase in taxi fares, namely, a fifty cent increase in the "drop" (the amount the meter starts at) from $2.50 to $3.00.

The rate per kilometer remains unchanged at $1.40. This $1.40 is equivalent to 10 cents for every 71.4 meters or part thereof.

The charge for waiting, or while idling at stoplights remains at 10 cents for every 14 seconds... or about 43 cents per minute, rounded of to the nearest dime.

Should you wish to hire a taxi on an hourly basis, the charge would be $32.10.

Hamilton's politicians are an extremely generous sort, hence they have also mandated that the city's cab drivers individually subsidize transportation for senior citizens (a liberal would give a poor man the shirt off someone else's back). Hence, if you are a senior citizen you have the legal right in Hamilton to force the cab driver to provide you with a 10% rebate (or so called senior's discount) based on the highest FULL dollar registered on the meter.

Many seniors clearly recognize this unfairness of this mandate and accordingly do not ask for this political tribute.

When loading groceries or luggage etc. the driver has the right, under the by-law, to start the meter before loading and to stop the meter after unloading thus a taxi ride can include time (at 43 cents per minute) for this extra work. The vast majority of Hamilton's cab drivers do not charge this small extra amount for loading or unloading unless the passenger wants to transport a very large quantity of goods. Some people, for example, use taxicabs as moving vans.

last modified:Wednesday,March 19, 2008 at 04:40