Mayor Announces New Taxi Meter Plan

WASHINGTON - Mayor Adrian Fenty announced on Wednesday the final changes for the new meter system in D.C. taxis.

The changes include a $3 base charge for passengers, and an additional 25-cent charge for every one-sixth mile after the first one-sixth mile. The maximum fare for any trip starting and ending in the District will be $18.90.

As part of the mayor's plan, additional fees for rush hour travel and additional passengers will be eliminated. The meter system reduces the additional fare during a snow emergency to 25 percent compared to 200 percent under the outgoing zone system.

"I have heard from the residents of the District of Columbia and their primary concern was the intial base fare," Fenty says. "It is essential that residents feel they can afford and will utilize the great service our cabs provide and lowering the base fare to three dollars with allow us to meet the needs of both the passengers and drivers."

Although it is now official, District taxi drivers are not happy about switching from the current zone system and have already voted to strike beginning Feb. 4

William J. Wright, president of the Taxicab Industry Group, is leading the charge.

"We're going to strike one day a week until the ball games start," Wright says. "We're going to strike the ball games and every major event at the convention bureau. The hotels and the restaurants are the ones kicking our butts and the mayor is doing their bidding and we're going to fight back. We're not going to lose our jobs and everything we worked for all these years. Play dead for the mayor? Forget it."

Besides the changes to the fare system and taxi regulations, the D.C. Taxicab Commission is facing another problem. The District has a backlog of nearly 1,600 driver applications, dating back to 2005.

"The problem is the (application) test became corrupt and we're in the process of re-writing the test," Commission Chairman Leon J. Swain says. "This happened prior to me coming here. I walk in here in June, I have a test to figure out, I have a meter issue to settle, and so right now I have a lot on my plate."

Mayor Fenty says he will make the test a priority. It was unclear if the mayor was aware of the backlog prior to the press conference.

"We're immediately going to do all we can to get this situation rectified," Fenty says.

Drivers face a $1,000 fine if the meters are not installed by April 6.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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