Results tagged “taxicabs”

A few years ago, the answers to the D.C. taxicab licensing test were compromised and passed around all over town. As a result, the city put a freeze on new testing and licensing for cab drivers in 2005, even for individuals who had already paid for and passed the required 60-hour training course offered at UDC (it costs $375). Well today the Examiner is reporting that starting in January, the city will once again start offering the licensing exam. The rewritten exam will only be open to people who have passed the UDC training program, but even under that condition, there are apparently already at least 2,000 people eligible for the exam right now.

This is one of those items that's newsworthy because we can't believe it's news: Last night the mayor's office sent around a release announcing that wheelchair accessible taxicabs are coming to D.C. for the first time.

Those of you who've had April 6 circled on your calendars as the first day you can expect all D.C. cabs will be outfitted with time and distance meters, time to make a little adjustment: the deadline has been pushed back to May 1.

We knew it was just a matter of time, but sure enough, there in our inbox this morning was the first announcement of an online petition begging D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty to change his mind about the $4 taxicab flag drop fee. A group calling themselves D.C. Residents for Reasonable Taxi Fares claim that the fares proposed by Mayor Fenty will mean that taxi fares in D.C. will be the highest in the country--higher than...

Good morning, Washington. Flickr user zenfrisbee went down to the West Lawn yesterday to catch the festivities surrounding the Dalai Lama's visit and acceptance of a Congressional Gold Medal. China, naturally, had "solemnly demanded" the cancellation of the event, which saw President Bush appear with the Dalai Lama in public -- something no sitting U.S. president has done before. Bush dismissed China's concerns over the event, saying he didn't think it would severely damage relations...

Mayor Adrian Fenty has ordered all D.C. taxicabs to switch to time and distance meters, abandoning forever the controversial zone system that has been unique to Washington for decades. “As we work to become a world-class city, it is essential that all aspects of District government are user friendly, fair and efficient for residents and visitors alike,” Fenty said in a statement released to the media. “District residents are overwhelmingly in favor of modernizing...

Imagine this -- the District could have hybrid taxicabs before it even resolves its long-running dispute between meters and the zone system. Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) yesterday introduced legislation that would offer a one-time tax credit to encourage the purchase of hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles for use as taxicabs. The legislation would also establish a set of goals for converting the city's taxicab fleet to hybrid vehicles -- 5 percent by 2009 and...

>> Hundreds of protesters met on the National Mall this morning in support of the Jena 6. [AP / WJLA] >> Voting rights advocates plan to target specific Senators who might be swayed to change their votes. [Free Ride] >> Parking space jockeys: more entrepreneurial than lawn jockeys. [Penn Quarter Living] >> "Now this is some cold-ass eviction." [DC Metblogs] >> Eighty-five hybrid taxicabs to storm Arlington in a fit of environmentally-conscious rage. [WaPo]...

>> "The Smithsonian Institution today replaced Gary M. Beer as chief executive of the museum complex's embattled business unit after an inspector general's report found that he had abused his institution-issued credit card and billed $95,000 in expenditures that were unauthorized or lacked evidence of a business purpose." [WaPo] >> Video of Marion Barry getting measured for his wax statue at the new Madame Tussauds wax museum. [Reliable Source] >> Some Orange Red line...

We've spent plenty of time debating whether or not the District's taxicabs should stick to the zone system or join the rest of the modern world and employ meters. Last year, Congress passed legislation giving the District until this October to switch to meters, and more recently, the D.C. Taxicab Commission released a study that found that on average, meters were cheaper. Of course, cab drivers have long opposed the prospect of a switch, and...

An alert tipster sent us a link to a District of Columbia Taxicab Commission release we missed. The results of the Taxicab Information Project, launched in October 2005 to study fare differences between D.C. taxis outfitted with meters against standard zone charges, were made public on June 19. Time and distance meters were installed in 21 D.C. cabs. At the beginning of each trip, drivers were instructed to drop the meter flag and record...

Does Vienna Really Look Like That?

Announced just the day before, last week's work stoppage by D.C. cabs surprised many. After stories in the W. Times and the Post, things seem back to normal - for now. The cab drivers are upset by a proposal by Mayor Anthony Williams to abolish the 9-member Taxicab Commission, and replace it with a "Taxicab and Limousine Services Administration" under the D.C. Department of Transportation, which would be led by an appointed administrator.