The final rules regulating the switch from zone taxi fares to time-and-distance meters are now in effect, leaving cab drivers less than two months to buy and install their meters before the crackdown begins.
The emergency rules, published Friday in the D.C. Register, reintroduce the extra passenger surcharge, which Mayor Adrian Fenty had proposed to eliminate, raising it to $1.50 per additional rider. They also increase the capped cost of an intra-District ride from $18.90 to $19.
“We’ve gone through the exhaustive process of talking to the community and the stakeholders,” Fenty said Friday, “and believe we have arrived with the exact right balance to come into conformity with national standards, but tailored to the unique needs of the District of Columbia.”
All cabs will be required to have a working meter installed and operating as of April 6. The D.C. Taxicab Commission is expected to certify six to 10 meter installers within days. Operating without a meter could cost drivers $1,000 and suspension or revocation of their license.
The move to ditch the decades-old zone fares has left many of the District’s 6,500 cab drivers angry and fearing for their livelihood. But three daylong work stoppages since last October have not convinced Fenty to change course. More strikes are promised.
“It’s going to impact neighborhoods,” said Nathan Price, chairman of the Coalition of Taxi Drivers. “It’s going to impact drivers. It’s going to impact service in its entirety.”
Price said his coalition has retained a law firm and will soon file for a temporary restraining order to stop the April 6 implementation date.
The drop rate under the meter system will be $3, plus 25 cents for each one-sixth of a mile traveled to a maximum of $19 for a trip that starts and ends in D.C. There will be no rush-hour surcharge.
“I don’t think this is going to find much satisfaction among taxicab drivers ,so I think there’s probably more turmoil ahead,” said Ward 1 D.C. Councilman Jim Graham.
Implementing the meter system in early April “will serve the safety and welfare of the public by providing a reliable taxicab fare system that is clear, transparent and that allows for the maximum use of taxis for public transportation,” according to the amended rules, which were adopted Monday and will expire in 120 days.
Taxi fines as of April 6:
– Operating with nonfunctional meter: $1,000
– Refusing to haul: $250
– Failure to charge proper fare: $150
– Failure to display taxi license: $100
– Driving a dirty cab: $50
– Dressing unkempt or improperly: $25
