D.C. mayor mandates meters for cabs, last major city to do so
By LUBNA TAKRURI
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP)—The District of Columbia will join the
nation's other major cities by installing meters in its taxis
abandoning a quirky zone system that has frustrated residents and
visitors alike for decades, the mayor announced Wednesday.

Facing a deadline imposed by Congress, Mayor Adrian Fenty opted
to require that taxis in the nation's capital calculate fares using
time and distance meters instead of the zone system.

Under the zone system, which Congress established during the
Depression, fares are determined based on a map of 23 zones—a
downtown core with 22 other sections radiating outward. The fare isbased on how many zones the taxi travels through to get to its
destination.

Critics have long complained that the system is complicated and
vulnerable to cheating, but drivers have fought the switch to
meters. The head of one cab company said Wednesday that the
decision would lead to a loss of business.

Mary Strain, a New York City resident who makes frequent
business trips to D.C., said she would rather have meters.

“It's a pain in the neck if you're only going a few blocks,”
she said, after arriving by train at Union Station earlier this
week. “And if you don't know the city, you don't know where the
zone boundaries are.”

The District of Columbia is the only major city in the country
without meters in its cabs. Fenty was forced to make a decision by
Wednesday under a provision written by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., a
long time proponent of switching to meters. Like many people, Levin described repeatedly being charged different fares for the same trip.

Fenty said his administration will work with the D.C. Taxicab
Commission on a timeline and transition plan.

“As we work to become a world-class city, it is essential that
all aspects of District government are user friendly, fair and
efficient for residents and visitors alike,” he said in a
statement.

He said his decision was based on input from residents, tourists
and the hospitality industry.

Speaking Tuesday ahead of the announcement, Bill Hanbury,
president of the Washington, D.C. Convention and Tourism Corp.,
said switching to meters would make the city ``a better
destination.''

“We believe that we need a strong taxicab industry, because
they are the front line ambassadors that our visitors meet,” he
said.

But the taxi industry has been the strongest opponents of
meters, fearing that stricter regulation will lead to loss of
business and squeeze out independent operators.

“We're extremely disappointed in the decision,'' said Roy
Spooner, general manager of Yellow Cab Co. of D.C. “We do not
believe it is in the best interest of residents or drivers.'”

Yellow Cab had offered the city a third option—a “zone
meter.” The company recently outfitted 100 of its cabs with a
zone-fare calculator that uses Global Positioning Systems to track
movement between zones and provides the customer with a detailed receipt.

“We agree that you should meter taxis, that's why we developed
that technology,'' Spooner said. “But when you go to
time-and-distance in a city that is prone to gridlock and traffic
congestion, the people who live further away will pay more money,”
causing the industry to lose ridership.

Spooner said that while cab drivers will go along with the
change and continue to provide service, many felt slighted by the
mayor's process.

“We developed the zone meter to give the city an alternative to
solve their zone problem, and he completely ignored it,” he said.