D.C. cabbies are dotting the city with fliers on Tuesday in protest of the second anniversary of the city’s switch from zoned to metered fares.
The target of their blame: Mayor Adrian Fenty, who they say is holding their livelihoods hostage.
“Most of us lost around 30 percent of our income when the mayor set the mileage rate at the lowest in the country,” said Nathan Price, president of the D.C. Area Professional Taxicab Drivers Association. “I’m worried that our elderly African American drivers are sliding into poverty. They have rising medical expenses and no retirement savings.”
The mayor’s fare policy changed the billing system for cab rides from an old zone policy. But it also put a $19 cap on fares. The median mileage rate was $2, according to drivers, but now they receive $1.50. The median wait time rate for being stuck in traffic or waiting for a customer to arrive was $21.75 per hour, with the new amount $15.
The cabbies said they are passing out 100,000 fliers. They have not gone so far in their campaign, though, to endorse Fenty’s top mayoral opponent in the fall primary, Council Chairman Vincent Gray.
