Hearings, Reports and Prints of the House Committee on the District of Columbia

The taxi industry provides full or part time employment of 11,000 persons who, as a rule, lease or operate their own taxicabs. Their welfare and the welfare of their families must be considered as we work with them to improve service. It is our task to make taxicab driving more attractive so that improved service will be provided when and where it is required. This also is vital in connection with our planning for Bicentennial visitors.

Proposed actions which, in my judgment, need prompt attention are the following:

* Improvement of the existing zone system to make its operation more equitable for passengers and drivers alike. The impact

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of inflationary costs for fuel and vehicles also should be reviewed and taken into account in developing the new fare structure. Fares should be adequate to provide a decent level of earnings for the cab drivers without pricing them out of the market.

An examination of the radio-dispatching of taxicabs to increase
its utilization by cruising taxicabs. The consultants have
suggested as options that call charges be increased or that
an appropriate minimum fee for such trips be established.

* A review of the locations of taxicab call boxes and taxicab
stands throughout the city to improve service in areas of
special need and to assist in making taxicabs available
during slack periods, nighttimes and weekends.

* Effective and even-handed enforcement of existing regulations governing taxicabs to make sure that proper service is provided for all sections of the city.

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Consolidation of responsibilities for taxicab regulation and enforcement. The PSC has started a comprehensive review of this question with the cooperation and support of my office.

I am creating a Taxicab Service Task Force of the agencies of the city government now dealing with taxicab matters including the Public Service Commission, the City Council, and the Office of Consumer Affairs. Other agencies to be represented are the Department of Highways and Traffic, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Insurance, the Police Department, the Hackers Appeals Board, and the Office of Planning and Management. In addition, there will be representation of driver and

taxi industry interests. The task force will be headed by Douglas Schneider Jr., my Transportation Systems Coordinator, who is also the city government's representative on the PSC. The task force's assignment will be to develop the proposed action program and report to me by December 15 on its recommendations.

Actions already have been taken which have produced a significant service improvement. The authorization by the PSC of shared riding is making it possible to increase both the number of passengers carried by city taxicabs and the earnings potential of individual drivers. The Department of Highways and Traffic is now permitting taxicabs to use curb bus lanes on main arteries during the rush hours, increasing the availability of taxicabs during those periods while reducing individual trip times. The taxi industry is a public service that has a vital role to play in meeting the transportation needs of this city. Public policies should be designed to see that the role is carried our appropriately in the interest of serving the riding public while maintaining the essential economic health of the industry.

Such policies also must serve to encourage qualified individuals to seek employment in this industry so that it can be properly prepared to meet the needs of the Bicentennial period and to provide feeder support for Metro as that system begins to operate.

I look to the task force to begin the development of such policies for the operation of this vital service.