The Weekly Feed: Experimentation Edition
Morning Roundup: Change Edition
Former Blade Staffers Launch 'DC Agenda'
D.C. Unemployment Rate Reaches 11.9 Percent
D.C. Insurance Dept. Denies Birth Control Coverage Meddling
D.C. taxicab drivers made good on their promise to boycott the busy Adams Morgan nightlife district between the hours of 1 a.m and 4 a.m. on Saturday night. WJLA covers the reaction, and at least one friend of DCist told us he nearly managed to flag down a taxi on Columbia Rd. during that time, but then the driver, apparently suddenly remembering the strike, abruptly pulled away before he could enter the cab.
Those of you who were out in Adams Morgan Saturday night, tell us: how bad was it? Did you spot any cabs making pick-ups, or was the boycott effective? How far did you need to walk to find a taxi?
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
haven't heard about a spike in drunk-driving deaths, so my guess is that any cab drivers that participated in a "strike" just managed to make their own personal financial situation worse, nothing more.
I caught a Red Top (VA) cab at California and 18th at midnight. I'm sure the VA and MD cabs were laughing all the way to the bank.
That's interesting, considering that Virginia cabs aren't generally allowed to search for fares in D.C. I believe there are some exceptions, but I don't know the rules.
Just reporting what I saw/who I paid to take me home.
"It does not matter if the cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice."
I talked to a cabbie during the last "strike" and he told me that D.C. police do not enforce the rules relating to Virginia cabs during strikes.
Figured that had to be the case. The last thing MPD wants is a bunch of drunk folks trying to figure their way home...or in AdMo's case, to the nearest metro, which is a bitch at 2AM.
My roommate and I easily grabbed a cab on 18th street at 3am, as did our friend who went a separate way.
Philosophical question: If a few cabs don't show up for work one day and nobody notices, was there really a strike?
i would say no.
private car service was there to rescue
While MD & VA cabs can't cruise around & pick up passengers on the street in DC, they can pick up customers in DC who've called ahead of time.
How would you like to be Ted Loza trying to catch a cab in Adams Morgan?
It is time to face the reality that taxicab business models are antiquated by advances in liability law and communications. I have a system ready that eliminates taxi system operators, offers customers RELIABLE response from drivers along with measureable remedies for their breaches in standards such as presentation and vehicle performance. For the drivers, they will enjoy a safe work environment and a 60% reduction in operating costs.
Drivers don't need a union or co-op, just and LLC structure. Because my system allows the public a web based self dispatching and new sources of revenue to cover the costs of what little government oversight is necessary for enforcing a franchise agreement with the drivers.
Adams Morgan? Nobody over the age of 18 cares.