Tokyo Planning to Increase Taxi Prices

Tokyo is planning to increase taxi prices by about 10%, according to reports in Japan.

The increase will help to improve drivers’ wages and to account for the rise in fuel prices.

Taxi prices in Tokyo are already among the most expensive in the world.

At the moment, passengers in Tokyo’s 23 wards, and in the nearby cities of Musashino and Mitaka, pay a base fare of 500 yen — about $3.15.

After the taxi has traveled 1.096 kilometers, passengers pay 100 yen — $0.65 — for every extra 255 meters of their journey.

Under the new plan, the base fare will stay the same but additional charges will begin after 1 kilometer. Then, an extra 100 yen will be added every 232 meters.

When taxis are traveling at speeds lower than 10 kilometers per hour, passengers are charged an extra 100 yen every 95 seconds. But that will be reduced to every 85 seconds when the fares are increased, although it’s not yet known when that will be.

They are quite small changes but the government hopes they’ll make a difference.

In 2024, the average yearly wage of a Tokyo taxi driver was a little more than 5 million yen — about $31,600.

The average wage of a worker in Tokyo was around 6.44 million yen. That’s about $40,700.

A lot of drivers have also left the profession over the last few years, according to The Japan Times. Some retired and haven’t been replaced while others left during the coronavirus pandemic when people didn’t need to take taxis very often.

But demand for taxis is much higher now, with millions of tourists visiting the Japanese capital every month.