A taxi ride in the District will cost more starting April 21.
The DC Taxicab Commission on Wednesday raised the rate to $2.16 per mile, up from $1.50 per mile. It also increased the wait-time rates, which kick in any time the cab is going slower than 10 mph, to $25 per hour, up from $15 per hour.
A 5-mile cab ride that now costs $13.15 will cost $16.92 if there are no traffic delays. Fares could be much higher during rush hour.
The commission also changed the way cab drivers can assess surcharges. The driver can charge 50 cents for each piece of luggage only if the driver helps put the bag in the trunk. Drivers can charge $1 for each additional passenger only if they are driving vans.
Cab drivers have been asking for a rate increase for months, though they were generally unhappy with the raise Wednesday. Eliminating and adjusting some of the surcharges will cut into the additional revenue drivers would have earned from the higher fares, they said.
“The fare increase you’re proposing is not really a fare increase,” cab driver Tony Norman told the commission.
Cab driver Dawit Dagnew said eliminating the extra passenger charge was unfair because cabbies in most surrounding jurisdictions charge the fees and riders were now unlikely to take more expensive van cabs.
“Why should a passenger ride a van anymore if they know they have to pay extra?” he said.
The city’s hotels and restaurants opposed the fare increase, saying cab drivers should be required to improve service before they’re allowed to charge more.
The D.C. Council is considering legislation that would force all cabs to make several upgrades, including using GPS guidance, allowing credit card payments and installing panic buttons for passengers. But officials say it could be December before the council votes.
Taxi drivers must pay $50 to get their meters recalibrated to charge the new fares. Officials said they expect all cabs to be charging the higher rates by the end of May.
