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FOX 5's Matt Ackland had the smart idea to ask D.C. Taxicab Commission Chairman Leon Swain whether falling gas prices will mean an end to the $1 gas surcharge we've all been paying for such a long time now.
The last time we wrote about the commission reinstating the gas surcharge was in May of this year, but Swain actually approved the most recent surcharge renewal on Sept. 29, extending it through January 31, 2009. This is by no means the first time the commission has quietly renewed the gas surcharge without doing a great job of letting residents know about it. They did the same thing when they first put this "emergency" surcharge in place in November of 2007, and then again in February of 2008.
Swain told FOX 5 that he still wants to wait and see what happens to gas prices, but that he could theoretically reconvene the Taxicab Commission to vote to remove the gas surcharge as early as next week. A couple of cab drivers interviewed for the story predictably argued that they still need the gas surcharge.
When the $1 gas surcharge we're paying right now first began in late 2007 (there was a previous incarnation in 2005), average gas prices were around $3.13 per gallon. Average prices in the city today stand at $2.68, down significantly from prices over the summer that were well over $4. Barring a major refinery disaster, prices are expected to continue to drop over the next month.
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Pretty lame move by Taxicab Commission to re-up the extra fee without letting anyone know.
Equally lame that cab drivers claim to need the fuel surcharge even though gas prices are lower now than when the surcharge was implemented. Let's call it what it is: added revenue for cabdrivers still pissed off about meters.
if you call think you're going to get the taxi folks to do anything that would make rides cheaper, you're just fooling yourselves.
they ain't gonna remove the "surcharge" any time soon. that baby's permanent.
Exactly. Let the fare be the fare, and the fuel surcharge be the fuel surcharge. Fox's taxi cab quotes were about the meters, but that's a different thing. Entirely. Sorry cabbies.
Getting meters was only the first step in what must be an all out effort to get decent cabs in DC.
Next step: the medallion system, with real limits on how old a cab can be, real training for cab drivers (and, like it or not, basic English proficiency should be a requirement), and real oversight and direction, ala NYC.
It's high time DC politicians jumped on this issue. Hatred of DC cabs is almost universal, and the cabbies themselves mostly live in MD, so it's a winning issue for any politician willing to take it on.
I am announcing a 1 dollar annoyance surcharge to any future tips from myself to Washington DC cabbies.
Gasoline prices are at 3-year lows. There's no excuse for this surcharge nonsense. Hell, gas is $2.20 a gallon in Oklahoma. The solution is clear: ship the cabbies to Oklahoma.
just don't tip. that makes up for the dollar surcharge that shouldn't be. $6 to go from Adams Morgan to Dupont Circle? In New York you could go three times as far.
I'm just happy when I get in a cab and the driver a) has his shoes on and b) stops yelling into his hands free device long enough to find out where he needs to take me.
They can have their surcharge if (a) and (b) are met - which rarely happens.
the DC taxicab commission is under the DC government, its not a cab association that self-regulates. Fenty appointed Swain.
this really is total bullshit. while gas prices clearly spiked from last summer, isn't it convenient the tax was added around the same time meters were?
what is swain waiting to see? if prices will swing back up to 140? no energy analyst or investment banker in the world is saying that will happen. maybe swain knows something we all don't.....
we can all complain by emailing dctc3@dc.gov
I'll be protesting by refusing to pay the tax, refusing to use public transit, and refusing to wear pants.
Just kidding. I'll pay the tax.
The fuel surcharge is really only part of the problem. The extra passenger and luggage surcharges are the biggest load of crap. Those have got to go too.
But before those can go, the Commission is going to have to go first. They don't even pretend to be looking out for our best interests, only the cabbies.
Hillman - While we're at it, let's pass a law banning cabbies from yakking on their cell phones through the entire trip, a la New York and Philadelphia. That would be awesome.