Cab drivers struggle with rising temperatures and gas prices

For the 37 years that he has spent behind the wheel of a taxi, Ken Schwartz, supervisor for Quaker City Cab, Inc., has believed that "a rolling cab is always first out," he said.

Even today with gas prices at all-time highs, Schwartz keeps his wheels spinning and air conditioning blowing.

"My philosophy has paid for me," he said. "If you have your AC on . your tips more than offset the cost of gasoline."

But not all Philadelphia taxi drivers agree.

As gas prices continue to rise, "Cab lines get longer and longer," said Schwartz, adding that drivers would rather wait for customers then waste gasoline trying to find them.

During summers, operators of Philadelphia's 1,600 taxis are particularly hard hit. The loss of the majority of the Penn student body and that of other neighboring universities "dramatically affects the income of cab drivers and the city of Philadelphia," said Schwartz.

Drivers "get a steady decline in business every" summer, said Everett Abitbol, manager of PHL Taxi.

During the busier fall and spring semesters, cab drivers refer to Thursday nights - when students crowd the curbs to catch a ride downtown - as "Thirsty Thursdays." This is not the case during the summer months, however, when drivers lose "numerous rides," said Schwartz.

With fewer customers available, frustrated drivers "start to drive more chaotically," make illegal turns and cut off other cabs to beat them to customers waving them down, he added.

"This year in particular, we have felt [the profits decline] more than others," Abitbol confessed, citing gas prices as a primary contributor to sluggish summer profits.

To help alleviate the problem, the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) instituted a 50-cent gas surcharge added onto the $2.70 flat rate, which became effective June 2, to provide what Schwartz described as "emergency temporary relief."

The charge per mile increased 20 cents to $2.30, while the airport flat rate has risen to $28.50 from $26.25, according to the PPA Web site.

But a cab driver for All City Taxi, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions from his employer, said the surcharge hasn't done enough to help drivers struggling with rising fuel prices during the worst season of the year for taxi companies.

The $75 that fills his tank with premium gas is sometimes "spent for nothing," he said. "For half-a-tank, you cannot even get $5 [in fares] . it doesn't make any sense at all."

Abitbol, however, said with "more people working downtown ... more visitors, tourists coming through the city," high gas prices have not lowered drivers' spirits.

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