Students who come to GW for the first time are often surprised by the DC cab fare system. Cab drivers currently utilize a District zone map – where the final fare corresponds with the number of zones driven through on a given trip. Passengers who are new to the city and unfamiliar with this protocol have the tendency to feel like they’re getting ripped off. Washington DC is the only major U.S. to use this particular fare system.Well, as of April 1st all that will change. DC Mayor Adrian Fenty announced last month that Washington cabs will be mandated to adopt meters as the uniform method of calculating fares. Every cab ride will now start with a four dollar minimum, unless travel is during morning or afternoon rush hours. Such peak hours carry base fares of five dollars. The first 1/6 mile will be free for passengers, with patrons charged twenty-five cents for each additional 1/6 mile after that.
There are an estimated 7,500 cab drivers in the District and most of them are unhappy with the change – fearful that the new system could hurt business. They entered a 24 hour strike shortly after the decision was announced in October.
GW students will certainly be affected by the change, as they frequently use cabs when traveling off campus. So what is the student reaction to the new fare system? Perhaps Michele Style puts it best: “it’s about time.”
- Julie Hyman
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