FREE RIDE

Airport Feeds Meter Mania for D.C. Cabs

Katherine Frey/The Washington PostTAXI DRIVERS who are trying to slide past the new requirement that all cabs in D.C. use time-and-distance meters can't catch a break.

Since the May 1 deadline for meter installation has come and gone, they run the risk of getting slapped with a $1,000 fine if they're caught ferrying passengers without a meter. Now, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has set June 1 as a deadline for all taxis servicing Reagan National Airport to hop on the meter bandwagon, WJLA reports.

Why travelers at National would have used a D.C. cab to get into the city from there is a mystery, since the fare to cross the Potomac from Virginia was officially $Arm, plus a $Leg surcharge under the zone system, but whatever. Soon, that, too, will be but an entry in the area's illustrious transit scrapbook.

» "Taxis Required To Use Meters at National Airport" [WJLA]

Photo of a D.C. cab with a meter by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post

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COMMENTS (1)

  • You know, I don't really understand the ending of this article about the $arm and $leg. I usually take a cab home from Reagan just because the prospect of getting on the Metro for a 45 minute ride home after a couple of hours in the air seems like a glum end to my trip.

    What is the surcharge? My understanding is that the trip is simply calculated by mileage, which every cabbie should carry a tabulated list of mile vs. cost.

    BTW: Express captcha is too difficult.

    By Phil , Posted May 9, 2008 1:03 PM
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