City Council decides to permanently allow older taxis at Atlanta airport

The age limit for taxis was 10 years old before the council changed the limit to seven years old in 2017. The change was part of a broader effort to legalize and regulate Uber and Lyft vans at the airport Hartsfield-Jackson International.

In 2020, the city council approved a temporary exemption to allow taxis under 10 years old to pick up at the airport. In 2022, they extended the relief by two years until 2024.

The measure to make the 10-year age limit permanent, which requires full council approval, would only apply to taxis picking up at the airport. Outside the committee meeting room after the vote, taxi drivers applauded.

“Many taxi drivers… don’t have enough money to buy new cars,” said taxi driver VanDyke Howard. With the age limit extended by 10 years, “at least if they can earn more money, they will be able to buy a used car instead of a new car,” he said .

The vote on legislation allowing taxis to be up to 10 years old came after an earlier version of the ordinance proposed to deregulate the taxi industry more broadly by repealing certain requirements for taximeters and the standard appearance of taxis. taxis. However, the idea of ​​removing taxi norms has attracted strong opposition from taxi drivers.

“They want us to change and be under something like Uber. We don’t want that,” Howard said.

Last year, the council voted to raise taxi fares in Atlanta, a move aimed at leveling the playing field as tax drivers compete with Uber and Lyft.

This ordinance set a minimum fare of $10 for each trip. Flat rates for Hartsfield-Jackson to Downtown trips increased to $36, Airport-Midtown trips increased to $38 and Airport-Buckhead trips increased to $48.