To the Editor:

I am writing this email as a recent visitor from England to the Princeton area. My husband and I stayed at the Inn at Glencairn as our daughter was graduating from Rider University. Our accommodation was delightful but our visit was marred by the unexpected and extortionate cost of taxis. We were charged $28 before tips to travel three miles; an unacceptable round trip cost of over $60 to go into and out of Princeton for the day. Luckily, there was a fairly regular bus service outside of our accommodation so we used that instead.

I have never seen a charging set up for taxis like the one used in the Princeton area; no meter is used but a fixed price, no matter where you are going, appears to be charged.

It seems to me that such extortionate costs must also be detracting from other businesses in the area; for example on at least one day we did not want to wait for buses in the rain so we did not shop in Princeton, as we were not willing to pay the taxi fares. It would certainly be a major consideration for us when deciding where to stay when visiting New Jersey in the future.

Sharon Cottam

England