D.C. cab fares will start $1 lower than originally decided in a plan Mayor Adrian M. Fenty announced at a press conference Jan. 16.
The base fare for District cabs will be $3 instead of $4. Additionally, the rush-hour surcharge and additional passenger fees have been eliminated, and the snow emergency rate has been lowered from double the fare to 25 percent, according to a press release on Fenty's office's Web site. The Taxicab Industry Group, an organization representing drivers in D.C., responded by vowing to strike the lowered fares in February.
The Taxicab Industry Group encourages cab drivers to strike once a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. beginning Feb. 4. The strike will rotate through each day of the week until at least the beginning of baseball season, William J. Wright, president of the Industry Group, told The Washington Post Jan. 16. The strike will be longer than the one held Oct. 31. The first strike followed Fenty's Oct. 17 announcement that all District cabs would switch from a zone system to a meter system by April 6.
The latest changes to the meter system were made after Fenty's office received more than 2,000 comments from individuals and organizations during a 60-day public-comment period ending Jan. 8. Of those who commented, 99 percent said the $4 proposed base fare was too high, according to the Fenty press release.
Fenty only reached out to organizations in charge of the strikes, such as the Taxicab Industry Group, leaving cab companies and cab drivers out of the dialogue, said Roy Spooner, general manager of Yellow Cab Company of D.C. He said he invited Fenty to see the company's unique GPS-navigated zone meters, which provide accurate fare calculations, according to the company's Web site.
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From Here to There on the Meter System
Saving money on the new meter system will depend on the distance traveled and the time spent waiting in traffic. Here is a comparison of fare costs from AU to popular locations in D.C. Adams Morgan (18th Street and Columbia Road N.W.) Meter: Normal traffic with 9 min. wait = $8.00 Meter: Heavy traffic with 15 min. wait = $9.50 3 zones = $11.00 National Gallery of Art (Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue N.W.) Meter: Normal traffic with 15 min. wait = $11.50 Meter: Heavy traffic with 23 min. wait = $13.50 4 zones = $12.60 9:30 club (815 V. St. N.W.) Meter: Normal traffic with 12 min. wait = $9.75 Meter: Heavy traffic with 20 min. wait = $11.75 3 zones = $11.00 SOURCE: Washingtonpost.com |
"He hasn't reached out to [Yellow Cab Company] or the drivers," Spooner said.
Spooner's company supported the striking drivers but that they would keep passengers in mind, he said.
"We respect the driver's right to strike," he said. "We will use whatever resources we have to accommodate passengers."
Fenty's office did not return calls for comment by press time.
One AU student said the upcoming strike was proof the mayor was not addressing the concerns of the cab drivers .
"[Fenty's initiatives] aren't resolving any problems, or else it would prevent the drivers from striking," said LaChelle Amos, a second-year graduate student in the School of International Service.
Helene Lavigueur, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she was pleased with Fenty's decision to lower cab fares but cautioned it would be a good idea to listen to the drivers.
"I just took a cab and it was cheaper," Lavigueur said. "They should consider drivers' needs because that is how they make a living."
Celebrating Fenty's decision is the grassroots campaign DC Residents for Reasonable Taxi Fares, which held a petition on its Web site to encourage Fenty to lower the original meter system base fare of $4. The organization argued the old charge would make cab trips more expensive than under the zone system. Cabs in New York, Philadelphia and even those in Northern Virginia are all less expensive, the group said on its Web site.
