Under an amendment added to the taxi laws on Nov. 14, 2005, companies are also allowed to charge a fuel surcharge. According to the law, “the fuel surcharge will be set at levels fixed from time to time by resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Rockville Centre.”

Under Mayor Mary Bossart, there was a 50 cent fuel surcharge imposed, and a second 50 cent surcharge passed by Mayor Francis Murray, bringing the total to $1 per person. But if gas prices drop below $3 per gallon, the fuel surcharge will no longer apply.

According to Village Spokeswoman Julie Grilli, the fuel surcharge was requested by All Island when gas prices were rising sharply.

“All-Island can charge a nominal $1-per-person gas surcharge, not unlike many other companies have instituted when gas prices rose to nearly $4 per gallon,” Grilli said in an email to the Herald. “If a customer feels that they have been charged incorrectly, they have the recourse of asking for a receipt and contacting the dispatcher. Residents can also contact the Nassau County Consumer Affairs Bureau to investigate the matter.”

Village law also denotes how much taxis can charge for rides to local airports from Rockville Centre. Prices are capped at $36 for the first person and $3 per extra adult for rides to LaGuardia Airport, $28 for the first person and $3 per extra adult for rides to John F. Kennedy International Airport and $75 for the first passenger and $5 for each extra adult to Long Island Islip MacArthur Airport.

Taxi drivers are supposed to report all accidents involving a taxi cab to the Rockville Centre Police Department within 24 hours of the accident occurring. But according to Commissioner Charles Gennario, All Island has gone above that need.

“All-Island has served this community for many years,” Gennario said. “The police department seldom receives complaints about them. There are numerous occasions when the drivers have alerted us to police-related issues. The owners are very receptive to the concerns of the community.”