Cabbie Strike Looms In D.C.

Nathan Price of the D.C. Professional Taxicab Drivers Association said his group, with about 500 members, has "reached out" to 3,000 more drivers, urging them to join the strike.

Wright, whose Taxicab Industry Group has no set membership, said the Halloween strike is "just the beginning" of a campaign to persuade Fenty to rethink his decision. No drivers' rally is planned for tomorrow, but Wright said additional strikes might be held as drivers become more organized.

Even if half of the District's drivers strike, the city would have more cabdrivers working than Boston, with 1,825 licensed drivers; San Francisco, 1,381; or Denver, 842.

Tourism officials said they are prepared.

"The hotels generally have their individual plans in place," said Liz DeBarros, vice president of the Hotel Association of Washington D.C. "They have contracts with transportation companies. We've always got a Plan B. We don't anticipate much disruption."

In a statement, William A. Hanbury, president and chief executive of the Washington, D.C., Convention and Tourism Corp., also voiced calm, calling meters "the right solution" for the District's taxi system.

"While we recognize that a strike may inconvenience some of our visitors, we are fortunate to have one of the nation's best public transportation systems in Metro and the D.C. Circulator, and a network of hotels and hospitality partners that will step up to offer other transportation solutions," Hanbury said. The D.C. Circulator is a bus service.

Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith said the agency will monitor service and adjust as needed to accommodate extra passengers that take Metrorail or Metrobus because of the strike.

Bar owners expressed concern about the effect of a strike on Halloween crowds.

"I see it as a very sour way of expressing themselves on an otherwise overwhelming night," John Andrade, owner of Asylum in Adams Morgan. "I think they're putting the community in jeopardy. People depend on cabs to take them home at night."

A program that provides free cab rides on Halloween will be offered despite the strike, said Kurt Gregory Erickson, president of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program.

Erickson said the program has contracts with nine cab companies to provide the service from 8 p.m. tomorrow until 4 a.m. Thursday. "I think we'll be okay. We'll have enough drivers," he said.

Resident may call the toll-free SoberRide phone number, 800-200-TAXI, for a free ride home.

Staff writer Lena Sun contributed to this report.