Mayor Fenty: DC Residents Oppose High Cab Rates

Target:

DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and the DC Taxicab Commission

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People living in DC don't have the right to vote for Congressional representation and now they have to pay higher cab fares than people in other major cities. Under Mayor Fenty's fare proposal for cabs equipped with meters, the minimum fare, or drop rate, will be $4. New York and Atlanta have a $2.50 drop rate.

Fellow DC residents, we cannot let that happen. Such a high cab fare is unreasonable.

Right now we have a chance to change that. Fenty's proposed rates are not final, and we still have a few days to participate in a public comment period to demand a lower drop rate fare.

Sign this petition and tell Mayor Fenty DC residents want reasonable cab fares.

As a DC resident I was outraged by your proposal to set DC cabs' drop rate to $4. New York and Atlanta have a $2.50 drop rate, why would DC residents have to pay more? We are already being denied the right to vote for Congressional representation, so please don't deny us the right to a fair drop rate.

The $4 drop rate will not only hurt riders, but will also affect cab drivers as less people will be willing to pay that much to take short rides.

I urge you to review your proposal in order to lower the drop rate. The new drop rate should at least be comparable to the rates of other major cities in the US.

Thank you in advance for taking the needs and opinions of DC residents into consideration. I look forward to hearing from you about your decision.

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Washington, DC
March 4, 2008

Dear All:

Thanks to your efforts, Mayor Fenty announced lower rates for time and distance meters (see news release below). But recently Mayor Fenty said that he has changed his mind about eliminating a $1.50 per person extra passenger fee when DC taxis switch to meters on April 6. This abrupt change is in spite of the Mayor's statement in mid-January that "additional passenger and rush hour surcharges would be eliminated, another overwhelming sentiment in the public comment responses."

So we need your help once again: Call on the Mayor to eliminate the $1.50 per person extra passenger fee before is too late. Sign the new petition now:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/408719313

And share with your friends and DC area residents. Thanks for all your help! As you can see, your signature can make a difference. Just make your voice heard!

Press release from Jan 16, 2008
News Release for Immediate Release
January 16, 2008

Fenty Announces Lower Taxi Rates for Time and Distance Meters

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and DC Taxicab Commission Chair Leon Swain announced the final rules for the new time and distance meters for taxis at the conclusion of a 60-day public comment period. After considering public comments received during the period that ended January 8, Fenty announced that the flag drop rate would be decreased from the originally proposed $4 to $3 and other charges would be eliminated. More than 2,000 individuals and organizations commented on the proposed regulations. Fenty announced the changeover from the city's longstanding taxi zone system to time and distance meters on Oct. 17, 2007.

"I have heard from the residents of the District of Columbia and their primary concern was the initial base fare," said Fenty. "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 will allow us to meet the needs of both the passengers and drivers."

Of the people who commented on the meter rates, 99 percent wanted the rates lowered. In addition to lowering the flag drop rate, Fenty announced that the additional passenger and rush hour surcharges would be eliminated, another overwhelming sentiment in the public comment responses. Passengers will now be charged an additional fee of 25 percent during snow emergencies instead of the current 200 percent. The maximum fare of $18.90 will remain the same for all trips that start and end in the District of Columbia.

The fare changes will be subject to a 30-day public comment period, however the regulations regarding the types of meters and installation will continue forward as originally proposed. The implementation date of April 6, 2008, for the switch from zones to time and distance meters will remain the same.

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We signed the "Mayor Fenty: DC Residents Oppose High Cab Rates" petition!

# 601:

12:28 am PST, Dec 29, Terry Gray, Virginia
Why should Washington have a higher minimum drop rate than other major cities? People in the Washington area have a difficult enough time with the cost of living here. It is not easy raising a family in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Please keep the rate down, equal to or lower than other major cities. I should think that this will not only assist residents of the DC metropolitan area but would also be a factor that may increase tourism.

# 600:

1:14 pm PST, Dec 27, Ross Mueller, Washington D.C.

# 598:

9:05 pm PST, Dec 25, Ana Guzman, Washington D.C.

# 596:

9:57 am PST, Dec 15, Jamie Richards, Massachusetts

# 595:

9:12 am PST, Dec 15, Name not displayed, Washington D.C.

# 594:

12:20 am PST, Dec 14, Johnny GILBERT, New Jersey

# 593:

12:39 pm PST, Dec 12, Joshua Meyer, Washington D.C.

# 592:

10:48 am PST, Dec 12, Name not displayed, Washington D.C.

# 591:

8:56 am PST, Dec 12, Eric Punkay, Maryland
Dear Mayor Fenty: Please make the base cab fare reasonable and affordable. There is no reason to charge more than Arlington or New York does.

# 590:

8:38 am PST, Dec 12, Name not displayed, Virginia

# 589:

8:22 am PST, Dec 11, Mae Mouk, Washington D.C.

# 588:

8:16 am PST, Dec 11, Name not displayed, Virginia

# 587:

8:14 am PST, Dec 11, Julia Korey, Virginia

# 586:

8:14 am PST, Dec 11, Name not displayed, Washington D.C.

# 585:

12:58 am PST, Dec 11, Victoria Thomas, Wyoming

# 584:

5:48 pm PST, Dec 9, Michael Khoo, Washington D.C.

# 583:

1:20 pm PST, Dec 9, Anonymous Anonymous, Washington D.C.

# 582:

1:15 pm PST, Dec 9, Daisy Jackson, Washington D.C.

# 581:

1:10 pm PST, Dec 9, Heather Powell, Florida

# 580:

10:12 am PST, Dec 9, Cameron La Clair, III, Washington D.C.

# 579:

6:20 am PST, Dec 9, Todd Master, Washington D.C.

# 578:

8:57 pm PST, Dec 8, April Dawson, Florida

# 577:

2:44 pm PST, Dec 8, Name not displayed, Washington D.C.

# 576:

8:49 am PST, Dec 8, Kalie Kelman, Washington D.C.
Mayor Fenty, DC Students need lower cab rates! We depend of taxis to get home from bars and clubs safely. Please ensure we can afford a sfae trip home!

# 575:

5:50 am PST, Dec 8, Name not displayed, Washington D.C.

# 574:

12:02 am PST, Dec 8, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania

# 573:

8:38 pm PST, Dec 7, Kiley Gove, Washington D.C.

# 572:

6:19 pm PST, Dec 7, Christopher Lipinski, Washington D.C.

# 571:

6:01 pm PST, Dec 7, Brianna Zenerovitz, Washington D.C.

# 570:

4:36 pm PST, Dec 7, Mark L, Virginia
Cab drivers already try to rip you off by taking roundabout routes. They don't deserve such an excessive increase.

# 569:

1:43 pm PST, Dec 7, Name not displayed, Washington D.C.

# 568:

1:37 pm PST, Dec 7, Anastasia Khoo, Washington D.C.

# 567:

1:29 pm PST, Dec 7, Name not displayed, Washington D.C.

# 566:

12:35 pm PST, Dec 7, Name not displayed, Washington D.C.

# 565:

12:27 pm PST, Dec 7, Mark Fisher, Washington D.C.

# 564:

12:25 pm PST, Dec 7, Jessica Brown, Washington D.C.

# 563:

12:22 pm PST, Dec 7, Sean Hallisey, Washington D.C.

# 562:

12:14 pm PST, Dec 7, Michael Costa, Washington D.C.

# 561:

11:59 am PST, Dec 7, Andrew Baca, Washington D.C.
The drop rate needs to be lower-the city already has a high cost of living, this increase will only serve to make the city even more unliveable.

# 560:

11:53 am PST, Dec 7, Name not displayed, Washington D.C.
Tell Mayor Fenty DC residents want reasonable cab fares: In Africa, an average cab ride costs the equivalent of $1. No, this is not Africa, but cab fares should definitely not be that expensive. if new york is chepaer, you know there's a problem

# 559:

11:45 am PST, Dec 7, Quang Huynh, Washington D.C.

# 558:

11:41 am PST, Dec 7, Name not displayed, Washington D.C.

# 557:

11:41 am PST, Dec 7, Robert Kiley, Washington D.C.

# 556:

11:38 am PST, Dec 7, Kathryn Santo, Virginia

# 555:

11:24 am PST, Dec 7, Name not displayed, Maryland
We want reasonable cab fares. NYC, one of the cities with the highest standard of living, has a base rate of $2.50. We do not want base rates any higher than that.

# 554:

11:21 am PST, Dec 7, Michael Dalesio, Washington D.C.
$4 drop rate is just as bad or worse than picking up a cab a block away from the zone change.

# 553:

11:15 am PST, Dec 7, Sarah Magallanes, Washington D.C.
The proposed base rate is ridiculous and projects higher costs for a taxi ride within the same zone not considering traffic and other factors. At this base rate, no one will take cabs. I think this is adverse to your goals of making DC a major city like New York and Chicago

# 552:

11:09 am PST, Dec 7, Marissa Fanone, Washington D.C.

# 551:

11:02 am PST, Dec 7, Ravindran Alfreds, Virginia

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