By Sue Anne Pressley Montes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 1, 2008

D.C. cabdrivers would be allowed to charge $1.50 for each additional rider under rules proposed yesterday by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty for the April 6 switch to metered cabs.

The additional-passenger charge was eliminated when Fenty (D) proposed fares in January, but it has been restored after a period of public comment. Surrounding jurisdictions allow cabdrivers to charge for additional passengers.

The base rate for any trip would remain $3, plus 25 cents for each one-sixth of a mile.

Fenty also authorized the D.C. Taxicab Commission to certify six to 10 meter installers to begin putting time-and-distance meters in the District's 6,500 licensed cabs. It will take an estimated 45 minutes to an hour to install a meter, officials said.

"These last adjustments to our meter plan will make sure we're ready to go on April 6," Fenty said in a statement. "We've listened to all stakeholders, and taken the concerns of the riding public and our hardworking taxi drivers into account. Everyone will know exactly what to expect."

The new rules would also adjust the maximum fare, from $18.90 to $19.

The loss of the additional-rider fee had been a concern of cabdrivers, many of whom worry that the change from zones to meters will result in fewer riders and less income. But Nathan Price, chairman of the D.C. Coalition of Cabdrivers, Companies, and Associations, said yesterday that the restoration of the fee is not enough to win over drivers opposed to the change. Many drivers favor so-called zone meters, which would calculate fares using the existing zone system.

"The mere fact that we're getting time-and-distance meters is going to hurt the business, and I don't care what they do, that's going to destroy it," Price said.

Public comment on the proposed rules is open until Tuesday.