The D.C. Taxicab Commission announced yesterday that it would restore a baggage-handling surcharge that it had originally removed from a fare increase proposal that will likely take effect in the coming months.

Surcharges — riders hate ’em, but drivers say they can’t live without ’em.

Hey, did you realize that taxicab fares “longer than two miles in Washington are the cheapest fares among 40 major U.S. cities”?

As we recently reported, taxicabs in the District may eventually get better, but those improvements may well come at the expense of a surcharge on every fare paid. As that debate moves forward, taxicab drivers will certainly have a say — but many riders won’t. One group seeks to change that.