WASHINGTON -- Riding a cab in the nation's capital is becoming more expensive.
On Tuesday morning, members of the D.C. Taxicab Commission OK'd a plan to raise the per-mile rate from $1.50 to $2.16. The drop rate will remain $3 for the first one-sixth of a mile. Among other adjustments, surcharges on fuel, additional passengers and bags will be eliminated.
As DCist reports, the fare hike is not as high as had been proposed by cab drivers:
In writing the proposal, which was approved unanimously, D.C. Taxicab Commission Chairman Ron Linton seemed to split the difference between driver demands and rider requests. "The commission is aware of drivers' claims of reduction or loss of earnings," it said, while noting that documentation to sustain the fact was "particularly difficult to locate and come by."
In 2006, then-District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty mandated that cab drivers switch from a decades-old zone-based fare system to a metered system.
As The Washington Post has pointed out, D.C. cab rates rank among the lowest of major cities in the United States.
UPDATE, 3:29 p.m.: In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray said: "The Commission's proposal supports my goal of bringing D.C.'s taxi system into the 21st century. We need to improve the quality of service -- including the ability for customers to pay by credit card -- as well as revisit the rate schedule to ensure it is fair to both drivers and consumers and in line with rates in other cities."