Ride-Hailing Fee on the Table in Los Angeles

"Transportation officials are considering a tax on Uber and Lyft rides in Los Angeles County, saying the Bay Area tech companies don’t pay their fair share to maintain public streets and exacerbate congestion in a traffic-choked region," reports Laura J. Nelson.

"If designed correctly, Metro’s tax on Uber and Lyft could nudge cost-conscious commuters to carpool or take public transit instead of riding alone with a driver," according to a source at Metro cited in the article.

The ride-hailing fee is still a very speculative idea at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, similar to a congestion pricing proposal discussed earlier this year. Nelson is able to report that Metro's early calculation vary from 20 cents to $2.75 per trips. A 20-cent fee could raise $401 million over a  decade, and a $2.75 fee could raise $5.5 billion, according to Metro's estimates.

According to Nelson, the idea is one of more than a dozen idea intended to mitigate congestion and fund transportation improvements before the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.

"Metro’s board of directors are scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to approve a study of the ride-hailing tax," according to Nelson.