DC Cabs, more suggestions

from: Tina Chen  
to: Adrian.Fenty@dc.gov
date Oct 18, 2007 6:13 PM
subject DC Cab Fares

Dear Mayor Fenty,

I appreciate your action on this issue, it has been long overdue. I have lived and worked in the District for more than 7 years and I have had my share of good and bad experiences with DC Taxicabs.

There are some decent, honest cab drivers out there, I have been lucky enough to meet a few. Unfortunately for them, the dishonest and indecent drivers outnumber them and are not held accountable for their dishonest and indecent acts.

If the DC Taxicab Commission actually did its job and was accountable to the public, they would not find themselves in this situation to begin with. They only have themselves to blame, they should have made the drivers more accountable and punish dishonest behavior accordingly.

Other actions that I think will help individuals feel more confident about riding in taxicabs are:

1. Requiring all taxicab drivers to have a copy of their operating license to be displayed properly and legibly on the back of the front driver and passenger seats so that Passengers in the rear passenger seat can clearly identify their driver. The majority of taxicab drivers display their operating license on the driver/passenger side sun visor. When the visor is not in use, the ID is hidden. Even if the visor is in use, and the ID is not hidden, the ID is often times obscured by other pieces of paper, stains, illegible ink, or just sun damage/poor quality.
2. Require all taxicab drivers to have copies of the “Rights of the Passenger” to be displayed properly and legibly on the back of the front driver and passenger seats. I have noticed that drivers that have this list properly displayed are “usually” the honest, decent drivers who actually care about their passengers.
3. Require all taxicab drivers to announce any and all extra taxes or surcharges BEFORE the start of the trip.
4. Require all taxicabs to have VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION (VID) NUMBERS displayed both on the interior and exterior of their vehicle. Their VID Number should be displayed clearly and legibly. The exterior display should be readable from a 4 feet distance, both day and night. The exterior VID Number must be displayed on the left, right, and posterior (trunk) side of the Vehicle. The VID Number should be displayed on the interior of every passenger door, ideally near the door handle or directly below the windows. Alternatively, the VID Numbers can also be displayed on the back of the front driver and passenger seats, which should also be displaying a copy of their license to operate a taxicab, as well as the “Rights of the Passenger” list.
5. Require the DC Taxicab Commission (DCTC) to file and follow-up on all passenger complaints. The DCTC should be required to provide a case number for each complaint and notify Passengers of what actions have been taken in response to their complaint.
6. Require the DCTC to establish a set of standard procedures mandating appropriate time lines for follow-up action on Passenger complaints.
7. There should be an independent investigatory body set up if the Passenger feels that inadequate action has been taken in response to their complaint by the DCTC.
8. Make it a “Passenger Right” to be able to open the doors at all times, unless the Passenger agrees otherwise. Many taxicab drivers have the child-lock mechanism in their vehicles operating, so that Passengers cannot override the child-lock system and cannot independently unlock their doors. Taxicab drivers must notify the Passenger before the start of every trip if they choose to use the child-lock mechanism and allow the Passenger to have the Right to agree and/or disagree. If the Passenger disagrees and request that the taxicab driver does not use the child-lock mechanism, the taxicab driver must comply to the request.
9. Make it a “Passenger Right” to be able to open/close the windows at all times, unless the Passenger agrees otherwise. See #8.
10. Taxicab drivers who are found to be repeat violators of Passenger Rights and/or DC/Federal Laws should be permanently banned from operating a taxicab in the District of Columbia.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

–Tina Chen

zones to meters?

D.C. Cabs Told to Switch From Zone Fares to Meters
By Sue Anne Pressley Montes and Yolanda Woodlee
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, October 18, 2007; A01

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty announced yesterday that he will require time-and-distance meters in the District’s 6,000 taxicabs, abandoning a rare zone system that has been used for decades and heralding major changes in the way the local taxi industry operates.

No timetable was set for the switch, and it was uncertain whose wallets will benefit most. That depends, a study showed, on the length of the trip. A meter system tends to favor the customer on shorter trips and the driver on longer ones.

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