But taxi drivers, who largely oppose the plan, claim the switch would drive up fares and decrease ridership. "People who are poor in outlying areas of the city will be the hardest hit," said William Wright, chairman of the Taxicab Industry Group, representing taxi drivers and local cab company management. "From 14th and Missouri to 19th and Benning costs $5.50 with zones. It’s about $15 on a meter. If we make the switch, ridership is going to take a tremendous dive."

Novelle Sullivan, chairman of the Taxicab Commission, refused to comment on why he voted in favor of changing to a meter system. The mayor said the current zone system is confusing to riders and leaves them vulnerable to overcharging.

Wright argued the switch would benefit few people other than the company that lands the contract to install and service the meters.

Independent cab drivers (those who own their own cabs), would have to pay $400-$1,000 each to purchase and install the meters, plus regular costs for servicing every six months, he said. More than 75 percent of District cabbies are independent, a figure much higher than in other cities. Washington also has nearly 11 times more cabs per capita than any other city, Wright said.

Besides being expensive, meters don’t necessarily cut down on cheaters, said Nathan Price, president of the Professional D.C. Taxicab Drivers Association.

"That’s jive," he said. "If you get a crooked driver, he’ll take you a long way or where he knows there is a traffic jam. Zones make it in the driver’s interest to get you to your destination as quickly as possible. With meters, he makes more money the longer he keeps you in the cab."

But zoned fares do have disadvantages, he said. For example, north-south travel typically costs much more than east-west travel. And currently, there are a glut of cabs serving downtown and Capitol Hill, yet it’s nearly impossible to catch a cab in far Northeast or far Southeast Washington.

"The zone system favors Capitol Hill," said Reginald Luckett, vice president of Capitol Cab. "You can go 22 blocks downtown and it’s a $4 fare."

Some say cheap fares for Capitol Hill clientele may be behind the reluctance of Congress to let D.C. change its fare system. A provision inserted in the recently passed fiscal 1999 D.C. budget by Rep. Thomas M. Davis and Sen. John Warner, both Northern Virginia Republicans, prohibits the city from making any changes affecting taxi service between the District and Virginia without consulting all four congressional committees overseeing the District.

The switch to meters has been proposed by the taxi commission several times in recent years. However, this is the first time an official resolution has been sent to D.C. City Council, Wright said.

City council is expected to respond to the proposal before the end of the year. If it is approved, the taxi commission would then decide the type of meter to be used. Public hearings on the issue would then follow. The commission plans to have final rulemaking complete by June 1, 1999.

The meters versus zones debate has raged on and off for decades in the nation’s capital. If the meter proposal becomes law, it would re-institute the same method Congress eliminated in 1931.

Copyright 1998, The Common Denominator