February 1, 2008
Taxicab Gas Surcharge Extended Through May
The D.C. Taxicab Commission once again quietly extended the gasoline surcharge last month to last through May 28, 2008.
The previous surcharge went into effect in late November, and was set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29. But the Commission voted on Jan. 9 to extend the expiration date to 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, 2008.
A press release dated Jan. 25, 2008 on the commission's web site announced the extension, but confusion about whether the surcharge was still in place was evident this week. One taxicab driver told DCist last night he was under the impression that the surcharge was temporarily not in place earlier this week, but that it was beginning again today. An employee who answered the phone at the D.C. Taxicab Commission this morning told us that the surcharge has in fact been in place without interruption thanks to the extension put in place by the commission in January.
Especially interesting about this extension is that it is set to overlap with the implementation of time and distance meters on April 6. If the commission chooses not to remove the surcharge after the meters are in place, drivers would have to add the $1 charge to their metered fares.
Photo by Oblivious Dude
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It's totally BS that they are keeping at all let alone once the meters kick in. Talk about a grift.
Does the Taxicab Commission not have to publish its decisions in the DC Register? That's how all other agencies and gov't created-entities function and proposed rules aren't final until they are published in the Register.
Shocking...sigh
This can never be won btw. Money does not walk.
I know gas is pricey, but since in a meter, fare is a function of distance, don't we already pay for our share of the gas consumed by our fare?
And the flag drop is still too high for the time and distance meters. I think the per mile charge is also on the high side. Why should DC pay more than other metropolitan areas? I feel discouraged by all of this.
I know gas is pricey, but since in a meter, fare is a function of distance, don't we already pay for our share of the gas consumed by our fare?
Not necessarily. If the fares are calibrated properly, you pay for your share of the gas expended by the cab at the gas prices that prevailed when the fares were set. If gas dropped to $1/gallon, or soared to $6/gallon, fares would no longer reflect the true operating cost and should be adjusted accordingly.
(I'm agnostic on whether that justifies this particular surcharge, and leaning toward "no," but the principle is sound.)
I should be able to forego the fuel surcharge if I bring my own gas in a 20-ounce soda bottle.
so by this logic, if gas ever does drop to below normal price levels (not that i think it ever will), the taxicab commission will surely approve $1 discounts on all cab fares, right??
ha ha!! yeah right, dawg. that's what they'll do!
[going crazy and having conversation with self]
why stop with the schools?? time for my man, fenty, to roll up on the taxicab commission and take that joint over gangsta style too!
get 'em, a.f.!!
I think the per mile charge is also on the high side. Why should DC pay more than other metropolitan areas?
The Mayor's proposal gives DC a higher per mile charge than any large city in America. Well, other than Jacksonville, which charges an unbelievable $3.75 per mile. And Honolulu, which charges a whopping $3.00 per mile. And I suppose it's also lower than San Diego and Orlando ($2.50) and Los Angeles ($2.45). And Boston and Miami ($2.40). And San Francisco ($2.25) and Philadelphia ($2.10). And New York and Atlanta and Seattle and Las Vegas and Denver and Charlotte and St. Louis ($2.00). And Minneapolis ($1.90) and Chicago and Dallas and Houston and Phoenix ($1.80). And New Orleans and Baltimore and Cleveland and Detroit ($1.60). And those all the cities I have numbers for.
But it is the highest locally, except for Fairfax County and Prince George's County ($1.75) and Alexandria and Arlington County and Montgomery County ($1.60). But those jurisdictions all have extra passenger charges, so it's not quite a fair comparison.
so by this logic, if gas ever does drop to below normal price levels (not that i think it ever will), the taxicab commission will surely approve $1 discounts on all cab fares, right?
"Will?" Ha.
"Should?" Yes.
With the lowering of the drop rate to $3, the elimination of most of the surcharges (including the asinine extra passenger fare), and (as cimuns shows) a typically lower per-mile fare, DC's taxi rates are *finally* pretty much in line with the rest of the nation. I've had no fewer than four different cabbie sin the past 3 weeks try to tell me why that's bad, but their arguments are less than coherent.