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