June 8, 2006
Will Meters be Unfare to Cabbies?
And it was just beginning to look like the hopes and dreams of District bloggers and commenters everywhere were going to come true. Yesterday, the Examiner reported that the D.C. Taxicab Commission would release a report in the next few weeks expected to support ditching D.C.'s zone system in favor of regular old meters. The six-month study was conducted by George Washington University and pulls data from over 30,000 cab rides, comparing metered and zoned fares along similar routes.
Many welcomed this news as long overdue - this debate has been ongoing for more than 75 years, beginning with a list of 20 reasons why meters are better than zones released by city officials in 1931. It is also widely considered to be a no-brainer, since D.C. receives a notably larger number of complaints than other cities, mostly due to overcharging and refusing fares.
We aren't sure about you, but it certainly took us a while to figure the zones out. And we have definitely run into drivers who refuse to take us anywhere outside the city. However, today, the Examiner brings us another side of the story. Turns out some taxi drivers consider this to be the beginning of a brutal coup d'etat that would grab hold of the entire taxicab network and hand it over to The Man. Reads the article:
Emmett Clark, chair of the nearly 500-member D.C. Professional Taxicab Drivers Association, said the current push to switch to meters is the first step toward a government “takeover” in order to hand control of the taxi system to corporate interests...Switching to meters is only a small fraction of an overall effort to end free enterprise in this city."Whoa. Where did this come from (and how do the city's thousands of other hacks feel)? Who knew this was part of a vast takings conspiracy unrivaled since Kelo vs. City of New London? Until we see the tanks rolling over unmetered cabs on 14th Street and cabbies being forcibly relieved of duty, we're willing to give the meters a try.
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I routinely ask cabbies how they feel about the zone system and how they would feel about switching to a meter system.
Of the ten or so cabbies that I've asked, all of which hailed randomly on the street, the response was 100% in favor of the meter system.
My experience in New York has supported this notion. The further you go, the more you pay. The longer it takes, the more you pay. Not "it costs you $6.50 to get in and it'll be another $2.00 in a block and a half."
I heard somewhere that one of the reasons cabs have been stuck on the zone system is because it's actually the congress that approves the taxi cab policy. Can anyone speak to this? For those on the hill, the zoning system guarantees them a nice $5 ride home. Needless to say, if this is in fact the case then I could see why those on the hill would be unwilling to change the status quo.
Personally, I think some/most cabbies might stand to benefit from the switch as more people would use them, so much so that it could result in higher revenues overall. That's just a guess though.
AUA, I've had the same experience. I've spoken to a few cabbies about this and almost every one of them said he would favor a switch to meters if only to cut down on the number of fare disputes, especially with tourists (and who can blame the tourists. If DC residents don't understand the zone system, how can we expect them to as well?).
I believe this link should answer everybody's questions:
www.movieposter.com/ poster/A70-1502/D_C_Cab.html
I can't imagine a meter system being detrimental to cabbies. It certainly doesn't hurt cabbies in Arlington who go on a meter system.
My mistake, I meant this link (Seriously, DCist should have posted this as the picture anyway):
http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/3/A70-1502
My mistake, I meant this link (Seriously, DCist should have posted this as the picture anyway):
http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/3/A70-1502
DR, one of those Examiner links says this about the congressional role:
- The Taxicab Commission is an independent agency that regulates, oversees and enforces laws for taxis.
- Congress banned meters in 1933 despite a city decision and a court ruling that said the zone system is illegal.
- The current system is nearly identical to the zones established then.
- A similar effort failed in 1996 when Congress didn’t fund a D.C. Council-approved plan to phase in meters over a two-year period.
Dammit Same Foo! Where were you BEFORE I put this post up??? I seriously just ordered this from Amazon. Awesomest. You are my hero.
I used to drive a taxi in a small city that had a zone system, which the city mandated to respond to fears that drivers would take the long way and jack up the fare. Naturally, as in DC, arguments over the zone fare system occurred daily. And in fact there were always opportunities to hustle a few bucks from unsuspecting passengers, based on selective enforcement of certain rules -- luggage charges, stops, vomit fees, etc. But in my experience these perks -- unless you were seriously unscrupulous -- did not add up to the value of stress over arguments or better tips from trusting passengers.
I have no idea what this Clark is talking about, though, with government takeover.
"..overall effort to end free enterprise in this city."
Clearly Ann Coulter is running their PR office.
I'm not even touching this discussion. It's more tired, old, wheezy and pathetic than Marion Barry expounding on the importance of ethics in politics.
I once had a cabbie defend the zone system in the starkest of terms...it allows cabbies to cheat on their taxes! Without meters, the only evidence for the DC Govt or the IRS of how much a given cabbie made in a given shift is the log book they are supposed to fill out for each trip. No log entry, no evidence that the ride ever happened and that the fare was ever collected. With meters, all of that would change, there would be a record of exactly how much (except for the tips) each cab collected on each day.
The cabbie who told me this while were sitting in K St traffic told me that he sets a "profit" for himself each day. Once he reaches that point, none of his other fares get logged in and all of that money is essentially tax free.
This is illegal of course, but unless DC sends an inspector into a cab to watch a ride begin and end without a log entry, there is no real way to enforce it.
Okay, I don't claim to be a mind reader, but I can at least make a guess as to what Clark is referring to.
Currently, all it really takes to operate a cab in DC is a car. They're not standardized, they don't have to be outfitted with any significant special equipment, you just pass the inspection, slap a light on the top and some words on the side, and go. Although meters probably aren't the most complicated technology in the world, I'd wager that they cost hundreds of dollars each, and cost several hundred more to install.
By adding this "capital investment" hurdle to the taxicab startup equation, you're making it harder for the small, single-cab entrepreneur and easier for the more established, corporate model. Existing companies with cash on hand will find the transition to meters easier, and individuals who want to get into the business will face new financial obstacles that discourage them. Over time, this very well could lead to greater consolidation in the taxi industry in DC, as formerly independent cabbies switch over to working for companies in order to avoid paying for the new technology themselves and fewer new individual entrepreneurs enter the field.
I'm all for a switch to the zone system, and frankly, consolidation might lead to greater efficiency, but it won't always. Look at Montgomery County, where nearly every single cab is owned by a single company and the standards have slipped accordingly.
Thanks Mike B. Exactly as I've always heard.
Every cab driver I've ever encountered complains about the zone system. Most of their fares are in the Federal Government zone and therefore they don't make much off of those rides.
Then when I need to take a cab East to West it crosses 4 zones and costs $30.
Colin, please take off the rose colored glasses right now.
Emmett Clark is the same douche who led the cabbie "strike" the last time the meter issue seemed to be going anywhere.
I don't count on the DC gov't standing up to an S.O.B. like Clark in my lifetime. Other similar examples include: Logan Street parkers, cab meters, kiddie car thieves, and bike messenger vagrancy in Farragut Square.
As long as those displaying anti-social behaviour are seen as "disenfranchised," the city will continue turn a blind eye....even if the folks aren't from DC (as is the case with most of the city's cabbies).
Does anyone know whether it would be possible to solicit a ballot initiative on cab meters for DC?
This issue has always struck me as one that the people would overwhelming support as opposed to the 70+ years of bureaucratic complaining and and foot-dragging that have prevented meters to date. However, I don't know enough about the DC ballot laws to know whether this issue would qualify.
Anyone have any thoughts? Would it even be a reasonable proposition that could garner widespread support?
I agree completely. Just look at this map of the DC zones http://www.washington.org/UploadedFiles/GettingHere/Zone_Frt.pdf Now I live in Adams Morgan and want to go to Georgetown, how many zones is that? Can't really tell, you almost have to memorize every street in town to know what zones you've crossed into. It's very confusing, and I think they did this for a reason. The Taxi drivers usually don't even speak enough english to answer the question "How many zones will that be?" That is if they get off of their conversations on their cell phones long enough to acknowledge my question.
In the seven months I've lived here, I have been astounded by something new at least once a week.
This meter issue is completely baffling to me. Every single time (EVERY time) I have taken a taxi somewhere, the driver has attempted to overcharge me. Even when I don't understand the zone map, I pretend I do, and say, incredulously, "No, actually the fare for this trip is $8.80." And no one's ever corrected me.
And you're also forced to ALWAYS tip, no matter how crappy an experience the ride was. All the amounts involve change. What cabbie carries change?
On another, equally baffling note, someone told me today that there is only one place in the entire city to get a car inspected! How is that possible? What? No way. I'm only bothering to post it here because other people at work said that it's true.
"But in NYC" you can get your car inspected at almost any gas station. Just drop off your car and pick it up later.
Is everything around here so frustratingly inefficient? I'm not joking; I'm literally astounded beyond words.
I've spoken with cabbies both in favor of and opposed to meters, and those who are opposed use the argument that Nate outlined -- for a job that attracts recent immigrants often living hand-to-mouth, a one-time capital expenditure of several hundred dollars can be a killer. Hell, a lot of them weren't happy about springing for those plexiglass safety screens, which were a lot cheaper than meters.
The argument does have something to recommend it. DC's easy market entry rules -- no meters, no medallions -- has given us more taxicabs per capita than any other city in America. Yes, even New York. (This City Paper article is a decade old, but still a must-read.)
cminus: "Hell, a lot of them weren't happy about springing for those plexiglass safety screens, which were a lot cheaper than meters."
What do you mean? As far as I know that's not a law here in D.C. I don't see them unless they're a cab that used to work in Chicago or New Yawk Shitty.
Frankly I see way too many cabs, but I live in the Morgan so that's really not fair when every three cars is a cab.
Yes there is only one inspection station on Half SW. Privatized inspection is a surefire way to have even more unsafe vehicles on the road. It's legalized bribery/extortion. You can pay them off to overlook errors, or they'll search as hard as possible to fail your car so you can pay them to fix it. I believe taxis have to be inspected every 6 months and yet I still see taxis that aren't fit for use on public roadways.
I have to say, though, Nate's argument doesn't really fly with me. Yeah, you're talking about a conservative $1,000 expense, which is a lot of money. But at the same time, you still need a car to be a taxi. Cars aren't exactly cheap, especially the ones used for taxi service. It costs money to open a business. This would increase that cost slightly, but let's not act like it doesn't cost anything to enter the taxi business.
oh good lord. i just looked at the zone map closely and realized that i had cheaper cab rides when i lived further away from my destination.
i usually only take cab rides when going out. a trip from my mt pleasant home to my other home (the black cat) crosses a zone line, and costs me $10 (that's $8.80 with tip). how long is the cab ride? about 5 minutes.
when i used to live near union station, a trip from there to the cat was only one GIANT zone - unless, of course, the cab took me the extra 2 blocks to my house, which would cross another zone line. how long is that cab ride? about 15 minutes.
no wonder cabbies would sometimes refuse me a ride home. it was only 1 zone! that florida/U st zone line screws me all the time, man. unfair.
Politburo, have you seen some of the cars that are working as cabs in the District? I wouldn't be surprised if a fair percentage of them were purchased for less than $1000. While it's true that the vehicle itself is a necessary "startup cost" for a taxi business, I think many times cabs have just been converted from the personal cars that people already owned and used for commuting, errand running, etc.
I agree that the "startup expense hurdle" isn't an entirely persuasive argument, I was just outlining it in response to the people who seemed to be claiming that Clark was obviously some kind of conspiracy wacko for seeing barriers to entry on the horizon. The "state run" system he's so afraid of is probably not a nutty fantasy of state opppression, but rather something similar to what they have in NYC, where you have to buy a medallion for nearly (or more than) $100,000 for every car before you can even consider starting a taxi business. Meters may not be an insurmountable hurdle, but start adding medallions and greater regulation into the system and that will be another issue entirely.
DC may have more cabs per capita than anywhere, but it also has some of the laxest laws for operating them.
In NYC, if you have a medallion, you have to operate the cab a set number of hours per day (i think its close to 24). In DC, you can be a 'cab', and just drive for rush hour and then go home...so your net cabs available per capita goes way down.
The car inspection process in NYC isn't privatized, though. Service stations need to be licensed with the city, and there's some kind of computerized record system in place that makes it nearly impossible to cheat the system.
I can't even imagine arriving to have a car inspected, thinking I'm all badass by getting there at 4:45 AM, only to find 25 cars in front of me, and that's not even counting the Metro buses. (As told by a coworker.)
Re: cabs and the 6 month inspection. I guess DC doesn't require shock absorbers on cars?
Seriously, what about this ballot initiative idea?
Joclyn, I believe there is some dude in DC who makes his living taking people's cars to and from the inspection station every day, since it's a Royale PITA with Cheese. I believe his going rate was $75 a car, and he averages about two a day. Not a bad way to make a living.
That is very cool and smart of that guy to do that. I can't believe he can only get to the front of the line twice in one day, though.
RE: DC CAB - the movie.
Last time I checked, this serious piece of cinema was avaliable on Comcast on Demand.
Mr. T Rules. Long live Mr. T!
Dental Floss Tycoon: a few years back, one of those "umbrella" agencies of independent cab drivers made every member get a plexiglass screen, which touched off some bitching among the ranks. (A later proposal to require all cabbies to get a screen was briefly floated, but went nowhere.)
Jocyln - If you (or your coworker) are getting in line at 4:45 am, you're there an hour or so before the place opens. Of course there will be a line. I got my car inspected a couple of weeks ago. Got in line about a half hour after it opened and was out in about 20 minutes. The lines have been much saner since they began distributing expiration dates throughout the month rather than having everyone expire at the end of the month.
Yawn. More socialist crap-trap. Instead of trying to bring this 'world class city' up to such standards by at least having a cab system like almost every other system on earth, some are dismayed and worried about the poor hand-to-mouth immigrant being unable to 'buy in' to the system. It's no wonder nothing ever gets accomplished in this town.
dc, you didn't really read the comments, did you? the low barrier to entry was cited as a reason DC has so many cabs. Meaning it supports entrepreneurship. The free market at work. How's that "socialist clap-trap"?
EVER FEEL LIKE EVERY SINGLE CABBIE IS TRYING TO RIP YOU OFF WHEN YOU GET A CAB OUT OF DC?
ITS BECAUSE THEY ARE.
GO METERS!
I live in Bethesda- I would welcome meters so I don't have to bargain my way home if I am ever stuck in DC past the last metro. I have had fares offered from $35 down to $16! Its annoying to stand on the corner and keep flagging them down until I get one that isn't trying to rip me off too badly.