Fenty decision on Meters in Cabs was an easy one

DC Mayor Adrian Fenty made a decision on Wednesday that many observers of DC government say should have been made years ago--end the taxicab system of charging fares by geographic zones-- and replace it with a time and distance meter system like every other major US city.

DC's taxicab industry has been broken for decades with passengers being short changed or taken for a ride at every turn. Where to begin? Bogus hacker licenses; fraudulent taxi vehicle inspection stickers; passing up black passengers on the streets, among them this reporter, a DC Councilman and the Chairperson of the Taxi Cab Commission.

The zone system is but the biggest scandal. Everybody gets ripped off by either a dishonest hacker who passes through multiple zones in order to collect the biggest fare; or an honest cabbie who really Doesn't know how to get to where you want to go and ends up charging you whatever he can collect!

The millions of tourists who come to DC will appreciate the same meters they see back home.

Local residents can become more confident about their ride when they actually see the time, distance and fare in front of them. No longer will the majority of good, hardworking cab drivers have to constantly explain the actions of the bad operators.

Fenty will get the credit and deservedly so; but it wasn't really a tough decision for the new young Mayor and there is no political cost. Three fourths of the city's sixty five hundred cabbies live outside the District and can't vote.

The cabbies won't complain about the change because they know they recently caught a break from the City.
The DC Council cut the commuter cab drivers some slack by grandfathering them into a bill that requires all future drivers to live in the city in order to register their cabs and put them on DC streets.

In making the change to meters the Mayor is sending a message to the industry and the taxicab commission.

“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,” said Fenty. “District residents are overwhelmingly in favor of modernizing and simplifying the fare system. By switching to time and distance meters, we meet the needs of the residents and standardize the experience for every taxi passenger.”

The Fenty administration promises to work with the District of Columbia Taxicab Commission to create a timeline and transition plan for all DC taxis.