DCist: Taxi Meter Test Drive

da baklavologist

Sat, 03 May 2008 13:10:07 -0500

ooooooooookay!

AgentFAP

Fri, 02 May 2008 15:45:32 -0500

"da baklavologist" Ummmm, WRONG. Dont speak unless you know what youre talking about. There is no "snip" to make an odometer faster, sorry to disappoint you.

aplested

Fri, 02 May 2008 14:12:29 -0500

"So why should the gods smile on cab drivers, and not, say, McDonalds cashiers?" Sure, but are the gods smiling on anyone who serves the great American public? Taxis were not a rip-off before, they shouldn't be cheap. How much money do you think taxi drivers make! If you're worried about $9.50 or $11 taxi fares, wake up, you're a cheapskate- take the effing bus.

da baklavologist

Fri, 02 May 2008 14:05:09 -0500

Posted by: guest number 10 yeah, I'm almost looking forward to taking a cab because i know that no matter how hard they try, if they have a meter they cant rip me off. suckers. See, a lot of people feel more safe with meters because they don't know that you can cheat, but it's easy to cheat with a meter. You can either get a rigged meter, or you open the hood, make a couple snips, and your odometer suddenly moves faster. It's actually much harder to cheat with the zone system if you know the zone bounds.

ibc

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:43:34 -0500

"Do you work one job for 12 hours then another just to make ends meet? Or do you get your money by direct deposit in big multiples of $1000?" So why should the gods smile on cab drivers, and not, say, McDonalds cashiers?

JonboyDC

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:40:52 -0500

I can see the city not wanting to spend a lot of time and effort going around fining drivers this month, but they would go a long way towards encouraging compliance with the new rules if they made it a requirement that you have a meter installed before you could pick people up in the taxi line at Union Station or National.

OldPosterKnownAsCranky

Fri, 02 May 2008 10:27:18 -0500

The cabbies will have their last zoned hurrah this month. After the Memorial Day tourist rush, it's over for them and the zone system. As this month progresses, I wouldn't be shocked to see cabbies driving around with meters installed but not working. Unless, of course, the trip would result in a higher fare. Then no doubt the meter would magically start working.

DAJ

Fri, 02 May 2008 09:53:22 -0500

If the cabbies break the law can we? Why not just hop out of a cab that doesn't have a meter and just not pay? Is that stooping too low?

DudeLooksLikeALady

Fri, 02 May 2008 09:22:50 -0500

I've been taking an informal poll of the cabs I see driving around town, and it looks like less than 1 in 10 actually have meters. So, that shows you the true honesty of DC cabbies....basically they will break the law until the very last minute, and continue ripping people off as long as they can. I feel bad for those cabbies who are being honest and have installed meters. I wish MPD would set up a 10-officer task force to start giving cabbies "warning" tickets every time they get caught over the next month. As a minimum it would get the dishonest crooks off the roads temporarily and keep a record of habitual offenders.

guest number 10

Fri, 02 May 2008 09:16:10 -0500

#1 reason it will cost them money -trips from dc to close in VA or MD will be charged by distance and not some imaginary made-up formula! yeah, I'm almost looking forward to taking a cab because i know that no matter how hard they try, if they have a meter they cant rip me off. suckers.

aplested

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:08:19 -0500

Well, I hate to be an antagonist, but I don't see many taxi drivers spending their time reading this blog. I don't mind that comment by the driver. It's standard for people to bring the family into everything. Taxi drivers used to make a lot of money, by all accounts, but not these days, and quite many that I have talked to have second jobs. Think about it for a second. Do you work one job for 12 hours then another just to make ends meet? Or do you get your money by direct deposit in big multiples of $1000? And don't BS about being in school or an intern or volunteering at a blog. That's with the future in mind. Cabs in DC were and are cheap. Wait till gas is $10 a gallon like it is in Europe, then take a taxi. Sometimes, you guys just come across like everything should cost $1 flat rate and damn the consequences for the people who actually provide the service. There will be less cabs on the road in a years time. Then moan when you have to wait twice as long for one. Not that meters are a bad idea as such....

OldNameWontWinUsernameOfTheWeek

Thu, 01 May 2008 18:48:28 -0500

Damn, I knew things were getting bad in the whole global economy/food crisis/energy costs (wow, two slashes, could be a Metro stop) area, but I didn't realize the change in fares also included a change to British Pounds! We are sooooo fucked!

3 toed Sloth

Thu, 01 May 2008 18:29:24 -0500

I took this from: http://citizenatlas.dc.gov/atlasapps/taxifare.aspx Note: As of May 1, 2008, District of Columbia taxis have installed and begun using time and distance based meters. Until June 1, 2008 some cabs may be in transition and not have meters available. Those cabs will continue to use the zone fare system. This web site will be taken down on June 1. For more information, please go to http://dctaxi.dc.gov.

UMan

Thu, 01 May 2008 17:31:46 -0500

Is there a gas surcharge? The Post story makes it seem like there is? It should be a $3 drop, $1.50 for each additional rider (bs i say!), and $.25 for distance after the first 1/6 of a mile correct?

trebek26

Thu, 01 May 2008 17:28:11 -0500

1 roundtrip ride? that's it?

Bethesdaist

Thu, 01 May 2008 17:21:13 -0500

You know, I was in favor of the zone/gps compromise originally, but after the actions of the cabbies and their ridiculous comments, I am now in favor of the meters. And the "environmentally friendly" argument that some of the cabbies are making for the zone system is beyond pathetic.

IMGoph

Thu, 01 May 2008 17:11:41 -0500

how many physical altercations are we going to have between cabbies and passengers before the 1st of june rolls around? i won't be surprised to see a few... then again, most people in this town don't read the blogs, don't pay attention to the news. they might not even realize that there are going to be meters in the taxis until they step into one that has them.