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Article History WASHINGTON (Map, News) - D.C. cab drivers have until June 1 before the city begins fining them $1,000 for not having time-and-distance meters in their vehicles, Mayor Adrian Fenty announced Tuesday.
One day earlier, a ruling handed down by Superior Court Judge Brook Hedge supported the legality of the mayor’s decision to force the switch from a zone-based fare system to meters by May 1.
Fenty said the May 1 deadline for taxis to have the devices stands. Police officers and nine inspectors from D.C.’s Taxicab Commission will begin inspecting cabs that day — but $1,000 fines won’t be levied until June 1.
Instead, drivers will be handed warning citations.
Officials said there’s no limit to the number of times a driver can get a warning so long as they have a required meter in place by June.
“If you look at thousands of laws across the country, there’s always some staggered implementation,” the mayor said. “We think this is the fair way to do it.”
City leaders will “keep track” of the drivers who receive warnings, but those drivers won’t be targeted specifically when the fine period starts, Fenty spokeswoman Leslie Kershaw told The Examiner in an e-mail.
Customers who board a taxi without a meter are being asked to report the name and identification number of the offending driver to the Taxicab Commission at 202-645-6018.
Officials on Tuesday acknowledged that cab drivers were expected to file an appeal of the Superior Court ruling on the mayor’s meter decision, but added they expected that the court would rule on the appeal before June.
Leon Swain, chairman of the cab commission, said 10 companies have been authorized to sell and install the meters.
As of Tuesday morning, he said, seven more had submitted applications for that distinction.
The city hopes to have 15 to 20 companies approved to provide the meters in the very near future, he said.
dlevitz@dcexaminer.com
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Comments from Examiner Readers
7:10 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 2, 2008 re: "Taxi meter enforcement under way in the District"
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8:55 AM MST on Tue., May. 6, 2008
re: "Few D.C. cabs ready as meter deadline looms"
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9:57 AM MST on Mon., May. 5, 2008
re: "Few D.C. cabs ready as meter deadline looms"
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8:02 AM MST on Tue., Apr. 22, 2008
re: "Judge backs taxis’ switch to meters"
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7:53 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 8, 2008
re: "Group: More cabbie strikes ahead"
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10:59 AM MST on Tue., Feb. 5, 2008
re: "Group: More cabbie strikes ahead"
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12:41 PM MST on Thu., Jan. 17, 2008
re: "Fenty announces cuts to cab fares"
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12:44 PM MST on Fri., Oct. 12, 2007
re: "D.C. cabdrivers want residency exemption extended further"
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8:34 AM MST on Thu., Jun. 28, 2007
re: "New maps for cabs but eye is on meters"
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Examiner Reader said:
"Metered cab fares start at $3, plus a $1 gas surcharge, and increase 25 cents for each one-sixth of a mile traveled, or for every minute stopped in traffic or moving under 10 mph." That is a $4 drop charge. Seems like it is way too much. Lower it.
1 agree | 2 disagree
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Karl Rudder said:
On November 6, 1931 the DC Public Utilities Commission issued order no. 956 and listed 20 reasons to, "deny any version of the zone system to replace meters in DC taxicabs." (Free copy of PUC order no. 956 available by calling the Public Service Commission) Congress passed insulting legislation that forced the use of the zone system ("The Taxicab Rider" Wash. Post editorial 11/13/71) regardless of the fact that Judge Adkins completely upheld PUC order no. 956 (PUR 1932C pg 1) and the Appeals Court upheld Judge Adkins decision. The DC City Council has wasted hundreds of millions of dollars in maintaining the DC Taxicab Commission since 1987 just as Congress had created the DCTC and now the installation of meters in DC cabs is being persistently presented as merely an element of liking of Mayor Fenty. I have testified before the DC City Council since 1975 to make issue of the still standing court decisions to expose the fact that the DC taxicab zone system had not ever been approved!
2 agree | 2 disagree
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Karl Rudder said:
My address to the unique DC Taxicab Zone System has always been based on the basic, undeniable yet little known facts. Fact 1 - Meters were the original means that were used to compute taxicab fares in the District of Columbia. Fact 2 - The "zone system" was denied by the DC Public Utilities Commission for 20 reasons when they issued PUC order no. 956 on 11/6/31. (Free copy of PUC order no. 956 is available by calling the DC Public Service Commission) Fact 3 - The decision by the DC Public Utilities Commission was completely upheld by Judge Adkins (1932 PUR volC page 1) and Judge Adkins decision was upheld by the DC Appeals Court. (1932 75 F2d 1005) Fact 4 - The District of Columbia is the only major city in this country that does not use a meter to equitably compute taxicab fares as well as serve as a reliable means to record the income and compute the taxes due from local taxicab companies and drivers. Fact 5 - Reason no. 9 on PUC order no. 956 stated: "That proper account
2 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
As a D.C. resident who is excited to be able to economically ride taxis again, I say "hallelujah." The taxi industry's attempts to convince people that time-and-distance meters will result in higher prices are laughable.
4 agree | 4 disagree
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Billy Ray Edwards said:
I know why you censored my comment on the DC taxicab issue,all one has to do is check Mayor Fenty,Campain finance you will find out the Mayor took money from VA and MD taxicab CO.
77 agree | 64 disagree
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hurricanewarningdc said:
I feel no sympathy for the cab drivers. None at all. The problem isn't that they'll make less money on the meter system than the zone system. Rather, the problem is that since most cabbies are crooks (in my experience and the experience of every person I know who lives in or visits DC), the meter system will reduce the extra money that they were pocketing illegally. They'll likely make more money with more rides via meter... but if you tack on what they were getting for the false charges for extra zones, baggage fees, etc, some will definitely lose out. As a consumer, all I can say is "bravo."
64 agree | 79 disagree
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Steve said:
Thank you, Mayor, not only for the meters but making sure that they are reasonable. How DC cabs think they deserve higher than New York ones is beyond me. And do they really think the strike will cripple the city? Guess what. We consumers can strike, too. No tips until this is resolved.
109 agree | 96 disagree
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Billy Ray Edwards said:
It should not be a decission of the mayor on meters in this unique histrocal taxicabs system in DC and the residents should have right to make this decission though referedum with the vote.
135 agree | 152 disagree
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recyclist said:
Let's switch to meters already!!! It's simply ridiculous that we are still clinging to this unfair and arbitrary zone system. And while we're at it, let's get rid of the fuel surcharge and replace it with a per-mile or per-minute fuel rate increase. Why should a person taking a 1-mile trip pay the same fuel surcharge as someone traveling from NW to SE? Let the users pay the actual costs of their cab rides.
218 agree | 209 disagree
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