Photo by Dave Phillipich.This post has been updated.
The relationship between the District government and taxicab drivers has always been strained. But now, that relationship will be the subject of a lawsuit. Two taxicab driver associations — Dominion of Cab Drivers and the D.C. Professional Taxicab Drivers Association — today filed a complaint against both Mayor Vince Gray and D.C. Taxicab Commission chairman Ron Linton.
The two driver associations, which are being represented on a pro bono basis by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, complain that the city government has “refused to treat the district’s taxi drivers in a manner that is fair and consistent with the law” over “the past several years”:
By unlawfully setting arbitrary rates that are neither fair nor reasonable, nor even conducting a required rate study, the mayor and the commission have placed the livelihoods of many of the district’s taxi drivers in jeopardy. In addition, drivers have been unlawfully shut out of the decision-making process, as none of the nine seats on the commission are held by a proper representative of the taxi industry—even though the law requires that three seats be held by such individuals.
These actions are leading to tremendous financial and personal strain for many middle-class families and small-business owners across the region. This lawsuit seeks to address these and other issues after repeated petitions to the mayor, his representatives, the commission and its chairman have failed.
We’re awaiting an electronic copy of the actual complaint from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, but from the basics of the complaint, it sounds like the hacks are holding firm to their insistence that Gray had about one year to pay them back for their support during his mayoral campaign.
UPDATE (11:55 a.m.): A copy of the complaint can be found below. The basis for the complaint revolves around the fact that the District’s rate schedule has not been updated since the transition from zones to meters was completed in 2008. The complaint argues that — thanks mostly to a “dysfunctional” taxicab commission — the failure to increase rates since that time has led to drivers working longer hours, in turn, endangering driver health and passenger safety. A spokesperson for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld informs us that there will also be an amended complaint filed at some point shortly that will also name the District of Columbia as a defendant.
