Because of rising fuel costs, a group representing more than 11,000 New York City taxi drivers is demanding that the Taxi and Limousine Commission implement a $1-a-ride fuel surcharge for riders.

At a press conference outside the commission’s Manhattan headquarters yesterday, drivers said drops in their hourly income — to $12 an hour from $17 an hour since September 2007 — had made supporting their families next to impossible, and they expressed fear about what may happen if gas prices rise even more.

Mayor Bloomberg yesterday said he was not in favor of a fuel surcharge, and instead called on cab drivers to pressure owners to purchase more fuel-efficient taxis.

Much of the taxi fleet in New York City consists of Ford Crown Victorias, which get between 10 and 11 miles a gallon in city driving conditions.

The TLC commissioner, Matthew Daus, released a statement yesterday saying that “under no circumstance” would the agency consider a fuel surcharge at this time.

Eleven other cities, including Miami and Chicago, have already instituted temporary fuel surcharges that average $1.50 a trip.

A New York City cab driver for 15 years, Victor Salazar, banged on empty pots and pans to demonstrate how much trouble he’s had putting food on the table lately. He said the government should give taxi drivers food stamps if it is unwilling to accept a fuel surcharge.

The group is asking the TLC to institute an immediate $1 fuel surcharge while the average cost of gas is between $3.50 and $4.50 a gallon, and an additional 50-cent surcharge for every dollar increase in the price of gas above that.

When cab fares were last raised, in 2004, the average price of gas was $1.80 a gallon.