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Fenty Announces Rate Plan for Taxi Meters

Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post
IF YOU THOUGHT THAT D.C.'s zone-based fare-calculation system for cab rides was confusing, try to follow D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty's current fare-structure proposal for cabs equipped with meters, which will be required starting April 1, as The Post's Sue Anne Pressley Montes reports.

» The minimum fare, or drop rate, will be $4, with a $1 rush hour surcharge. New York and Atlanta have a $2.50 drop rate.
» The first one-sixth of a mile will be free. The fare will increase 25 cents for every one-sixth of a mile after that. Fares would also jump a quarter every time a cab stops in traffic or goes below 10 miles an hour.
» During snow emergencies, fares will double.

So how does that compare to zones? Writes Montes:

According to a recent report that detailed what happened when 21 D.C. cabs were outfitted with meters from Oct. 1, 2005, to May 30, 2006, meter fares with a $4 drop rate were 97 cents higher on average than zone fares. A trip of less than a mile was $7 with meters, $8.03 with zones. For trips of two miles to just under three miles, the meter fare was $10.33 and the zone fare, $9.70.
Cab drivers will not be allowed to take on additional passengers en route, as they can under the current system. Shared riding will be allowed at Union Station, though.

The rates and regulations covering Fenty's meter mandate are not set in stone yet, though — they're set to go through a 60-day public comment period. You can register your thoughts with the mayor's office or the D.C. Taxicab Commission.

» "Fenty Sets $4 Minimum Fare in Switch to Cab Meters" [WaPo]

Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post

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COMMENTS (6)

  • I'm sure a "pre-arranged shared ride" is okay, even if the Union Station cab chief helps arrange them.

    By Mike Licht , Posted November 2, 2007 9:28 AM

  • So you pay a quarter for every red light, and a quarter for every stop sign, and an extra twenty-five cents when the cabbie drops you off? That's an . . . interesting . . . fare structure.

    By AUA , Posted November 2, 2007 10:58 AM

  • $4 drop fare sounds really high compared to the other cities, but then I realized that DC is very small, and people usually aren't going very far. It sounds like we're going to save money in the long run. I usually only travel one or 2 zones, so the difference + or - is minimal. I do like that the fare is straight-forward. I am sick of being ripped off by cabbies who think I don't know better. That only happens once in a while--it is hardly the norm; I love me some DC cabbies! :)

    By Miss Penny Lane , Posted November 2, 2007 11:10 AM

  • That 97c average is most likely based on what the cabbies are *supposed* to charge, not what they actually charge.

    Given the uncertainty around what you actually pay, it's probably a savings for most people.

    By Rocky , Posted November 2, 2007 1:12 PM

  • How can one calulate what they may spend going from Farragut to Cap Hill (2.3 miles) --not including stops and crawls, of course. Is there a formula? Want to figure what Ii may be spending daily.

    By BadMath , Posted November 2, 2007 1:45 PM

  • Please join us in our fight for rider's rights!

    Sign our petition at:
    http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/DCTaxiRates/index.html

    And email the Mayor using our pre-written letter:
    http://www.caleynet.com/taxi

    By D.C. Residents for Reasonable Taxi Fares , Posted December 5, 2007 3:34 PM
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