Crime & Safety
NYC Ambulance Rides Could Get 50% More Expensive
New Yorkers "will be stuck with this bill" if the city approves proposed hikes in 911 ambulance rides, said an FDNY union leader.
NEW YORK CITY — An ambulance ride in New York City soon could be even more harmful to city dwellers' financial health.
FDNY officials proposed this week to increase the cost of a 911 ambulance ride from $900 to $1,385, according to documents.
The 54 percent hike is necessary because of inflation and higher EMS wages from a recent contract, fire officials argued — an assertion that Oren Barzilay, president of FDNY EMS Local 2507, called "offensive."
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The contract was settled nearly two years ago and raises were already included in the budget, Barzilay said. EMS workers should be up for a 50 percent wage increase, he argued.
"The FDNY is not the one suffering from inflation, it's the men and women in EMS that work for poverty wages," he said in a statement. "My men and women can't afford food, shelter, transportation, and all other means to survive.
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"This increase will hurt the public as well, as they will be stuck with this bill."
The proposal also calls to raise the current $15 additional charge per mile to $20.
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