MA To Raise Uber, Lyft Fees

NEWTON, MA — The cost of a Lyft or Uber ride is set to go up soon as a result of the $16.5 billion transportation funding bill that the Massachusetts House and Senate agreed on early Wednesday morning.

The transportation bill was trimmed from $18 billion to $16.5 billion, mostly because of concerns of lack of state revenue: Enter a new funding source in the form of increased rideshare fees. The current 20-cent fee will grow to 40 cents for shared rides, $1.20 for non-shared rides and an extra $1 for rides in luxury vehicles statewide.

But there’s also a new 20-cent public transit access fee for rides that begin and end in 14 communities in greater Boston served by the MBTA, including Newton.

The communities affected: Arlington, Belmont, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Milton, Newton, Revere, Somerville and Watertown.

Most of the proceeds of that fee will be split between cities and towns and the state’s transportation fund, though the 20-cent fee will go directly to the MBTA.

It's not immediately clear if Lyft and Uber will pass the fees on to the commuters, but according to the bill, they are allowed to.

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.