Cabbies Say They'll Strike Today to Protest Low Fares

Cabdrivers in Prince George's County plan to strike today, refusing customers starting at 6 a.m. to protest fares they say do not constitute a living wage.

The drivers said county-set rates lag behind those in surrounding jurisdictions. Until recently, many drivers added a $2 fuel surcharge to cope with high gas prices. County officials informed cab companies last week that permission for the surcharge had actually lapsed in 2007. Customers had complained recently about the surcharge because gas prices have dropped.

The county has about 700 cabdrivers who answer about 5,000 calls a day.

Without the surcharge, the amount a driver can charge when a customer sits down in a taxi dropped from $3.50 to $1.50. The base rate is $4 in Montgomery County and $3 in the District.

Advocates working with the Prince George's County Taxi Workers Alliance said drivers have been hurt by the loss of income.

"It is clearly unfair and uneconomically justifiable," cabdriver Getachew Guracha said. "Under this situation, I'm not able to survive. We're working, and we're paying. We're not even able to pay the [taxi] rent right now."

Guracha said that alliance leaders had called 400 members and that he hoped many would take part in a demonstration at the County Administration Building today, followed by a 24-hour work stoppage.

He said drivers have been giving fliers to regular customers so they would not be surprised by the strike. "When they hear the story, they feel the same way," he said.

County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) has the authority to issue an executive order instituting the fuel surcharge. He issued such orders every six months from 2004 to 2007, according to John Lally, a spokesman for Silver Cab. Changing the base rate would require legislative action by the County Council.

Guracha said drivers want Johnson to reissue the order immediately, as a way to raise fares temporarily until the council can reexamine the county's base rate, which the group wants to have raised to $4.

James P. Keary, a spokesman for Johnson, said the county's taxicab board has not heard complaints from drivers, only from customers concerned about still having to pay a surcharge. He said he did not understand why drivers would refuse fares and inconvenience customers instead of taking their grievances to the board.

Many drivers in Prince George's rent their cars from one of several large companies. Lally said the company supports drivers' efforts to raise taxi rates but has encouraged drivers to protest during off hours.

He said the company had a "wait-and-see" attitude toward the strike, to see how many drivers take part. But he also said that 500 rides a day in the county are conducted under a contract with the county Health Department, delivering vulnerable people to health appointments.

"If there's some concerted disruption of Health Department services, we'll have some problems," he said.