April 13, 2005
Cab Fares to Increase
Come May 1, the steadily increasing global price of oil may finally hit home for District residents who cab it to and from home, work and play. Taxi fares are set to increase by up to $1 a trip to offset rising gas prices, reports the Common Denominator. The increases will be implemented for a 120-day trial period, after which the D.C. Taxicab Commission will decide whether to make them permanent.
Global oil prices have gone up steadily in recent months, hovering between $50 and $60 a barrel in recent weeks. National gas prices have risen over 50 cents a gallon in the last year, forecasting an expensive summer travel season.
Locally, the cheapest gas to be found is in Manassas, at $2.13 a gallon, and the most expensive in Bethesda, Northwest Washington and Arlington, where it goes for up to $2.59 a gallon.
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DC has to convert to meters soon--cab prices for short trips outside the central zone are getting ridiculous. We'll see who has the power in this town when this issue flares up again.
DC also has to convert to cab drivers with driving skills better than those of a mentally retarded third grader. And I am automatically granting myself a discount the next time I step into a cab that smells like either the vomit of a Georgetown student or the sweaty nether regions of the driver.
Great. This means the cabbies can make up a higher price when they rip you off. "Why is it that I paid less on the way to my destination then on the way back?" "Well, after 11 we impose a left-hand turn tax, then there's the $2 tax for listening to NPR..."
the rates for district cabs are appalling, and the lobbying power of the cabbies is apparently massive. i have never seen such a pitiful fleet of cabs as here in DC: one cab i've been in had windshield wipers that didn't work (while there was a downpour), one had a HOLE in the floor in the backseat, one had broken seatbelts, one had brakes that didn't like hills, etc. add to this the "right" of the cabbies to pick up an extra fare (as a single woman who often rides alone at night, i am particularly sensitive about this) and to charge extra for two people going to the same destination, and you get an extremely overpriced yet unhelpful/dangerous means of transportation. there seems to be no regulation of the number of cabs here, as they are plentiful and often empty (vs other cities like nyc where the taxi medallions are extremely sought-after and thus high-priced, leading to a somewhat more efficient system of cabs).
does anyone know where complaints can be registered so i can do more than just sit here and whine? thanks.
does anyone know where complaints can be registered...?
See http://dctaxi.dc.gov