Idiotic DC Cab System

While I prefer to write about game, and such, I thought that I’d try to explain the Means behind this system.

DC has long had the worst cab system in America.  We’ve spent years with their zone fare system which made no sense to most of the tourists, read how DC makes money, and in turn just created arguments between the locals and drivers about when they should cross a zone, and how.  The only advantage was once you figured out the zone system you could manipulate the cabs in a friendly and easy manner, as long as you don’t need to enter VA or MD.

Now we have a meter system, like every other major metropolitan city in the world.  However, the cost of a cab ride in DC starts at $4.00.  To put that in perspective it’s $2.50 in New York, with an additional $1.50 per passenger, also does not exist in NY.  I’m not even going to bother going into all the little details and manners in which you get screwed, or the ridiculous gas surcharge that still exists after prices have fallen but if you want to read for yourself, please do.

Now let’s pretend you’ve just gotten back from a long train ride and show up at Union Station and ask for a Cab, and propose that you wish to pay with Credit Card, you know the way most American’s pay for anything.  I was told by multiple cab drivers that they would not adhere to the sticker on their car and if I wished to pay by CC I would have to pay for his gas instead, whereby he would make an estimate of how much the trip was.  His rational was that he loses 10% to the CC company.  I offered to pay 10% more and just be dropped off, and was refused repeatedly.  Now there was a line of about 15 cabs outside of Union Station on a Wednesday Night/Thursday Morning at 12:30, with only myself and a friend waiting, and none of them would take CC.  Once we finally got one to take CC, he said he doesn’t follow the meter to VA, leaving alone that this is illegal, how does it make more sense for him to sit at Union Station, on a night when business has to be slow?

More importantly why aren’t there cab stands in places like Adams Morgan, and why do the cab drivers feel like they can overstep the law and turn off meters and stop using CC machines?  Because DC government has failed to perform any regulation on the companies.  There aren’t a ton of benefits of moving to VA, but the biggest plus is dealing with the much more customer friendly cab companies.