Economy Tokyo taxi fares increased by up 10%

[thomas]

Taxi fares in Tokyo's 23 wards, as well as in Mitaka and Musashino, went up by around 10% on Monday. It is the first rise in central Tokyo in roughly 3.5 years.

Taxi operators moved early in the day to swap out fare charts and update meters to the new rates. Some work was still underway in the morning.
The base fare stays at 500 yen. What changes is the distance covered. That has been cut by about 10%, from 1.096 kilometres to 1 kilometre. After that, the meter now adds 100 yen every 232 metres. It used to be every 255 metres, so the increments come a bit faster now.

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A taxi driver said operating costs, including fuel and parts, have also increased, adding that operators must work hard to prevent customers from turning away because of the higher fares. The government, which approved the fare increase, has instructed operators to allocate 70% of the additional revenue to higher wages for drivers in an effort to address the severe labor shortage. The added income will also be used to offset soaring fuel costs. Last month, taxi fares were also raised in Tokyo's Tama area as well as in Saitama and Chiba prefectures, indicating that fare hikes are spreading nationwide.

Tokyo Taxi Fares Raised 10%

Taxi fares in Tokyo's 23 wards, as well as Mitaka and Musashino, rose by about 10% on Monday, marking the first increase in the central Tokyo area in roughly three and a half years.

newsonjapan.com