Local
D.C. taxi panel endorses increase in fares, improved driver training
By: Michael Neibauer
Examiner Staff Writer
December 2, 2008
 |
The group determined, in a final report released Friday, that existing fares should be raised “to fairly compensate the drivers and to restore their income to a comparative level with other neighboring jurisdictions.”
The District scrapped its zone fare system in June in favor of time and distance meters, but questions have lingered about hastily assembled rules and rates now governing the industry. The 13-member task force, composed of riders, political appointees, and taxi and hospitality industry leaders, has reviewed the District’s taxi trade for about a year.
The District’s $3 “drop rate,” the fee paid at the start of a cab ride, is among the nation’s highest, the task force found. But the $1.50-per-mile charge is among the lowest, as is the $15-per-hour wait charge. Drivers say the fares have led to drastic income reductions.
The report calls for “at least” a $2-per-mile meter rate, a $24-per-hour wait charge and the elimination of the $1 fuel surcharge.
If the recommendations were accepted, the price of a three-mile trip with five minutes of wait time would be about $1 more than the current $9.75 fare.
“If the driver can’t make a return on their investment, how can he keep his investment up?” asked Nathan Price, a task force member and taxicab driver. “We’re small-businessmen. We somehow need to be protected.”
The report also calls for the elimination of the $19 cap on rides that start and end in the District “because it contradicts the concept of true time/distance metering.” The limit was installed to protect low-income residents from the high cost of traveling across town.
There are certain elements in the report, such as rate increases, that “we can take hold of immediately” and place into effect, said Leon Swain, Taxicab Commission chairman, who co-chaired the task force with Ward 1 D.C. Councilman Jim Graham. The commission, which meets again in January, would have to approve any rate changes, and then advertise those changes in the D.C. Register before they are applied.
Among the suggestions in the task force report:
» Train hack inspectors “to be sworn in as law enforcement personnel” so they can conduct traffic stops and issue tickets for traffic and parking violations.
» Overhaul the hacker’s license training course with a greater focus on English proficiency, knowledge of the D.C. area, social customs, cultural sensitivity and servicing disabled customers.
» Mandate retraining for drivers who have been cited for repeat service incidents or customer service complaints.
