Another question about DC cab drivers

How come all the stories in the media feature cabbies opposed to the metering system, but all the cab drivers that I have talked to, and that Mr Brian Beutler informs me he has talked to, are not against it? Our sample size, of course, is something like n=6. But I'm not sure I know anyone who's met a cabby opposed to the meters.

Comments

I happened to be in a DC cab with the radio on while the announcement was made about shifting to meters. My driver started cursing at the top of his lungs and said I had better get out of the cab because he was so angry he wasn't sure he could drive.

FYI...The DC cab owners and drivers supported Adrian Fenty when he ran for mayor in large part because they thought he wodln't agree to meters. They seem to be very upset.

Posted by policywonk | October 30, 2007 5:35 AM

I asked the first cabbie I rode with after the announcement about it and he was furious. His anger was based on dubious economic grounds - he seems to think he will lose far more money than I expect he actually will - but he certainly felt strongly about it.

Posted by Andrew G. | October 30, 2007 9:50 AM

I've spoken to one DC cab driver about it. He sighed deeply and said the meters are very expensive.

Posted by ostap | October 30, 2007 10:01 AM

I'm very pleased that none of the DC cabbies are concerned that the meters would document their revenue in a way that would show that they had been massively under-reporting their income under the zone system.

Posted by freelunch | October 30, 2007 10:27 AM

This is why I think they fight the meters:
http://neofusionist.blogspot.com/2007/10/dc-cabs.html

Posted by Bill | October 30, 2007 1:27 PM

I imagine this Arlington dispatcher can explain it to us:
http://blanktop.blogspot.com/

Posted by kevinm | October 30, 2007 5:09 PM

My complaint about DC cabs is how few of them (almost none in my experience) take credit cards. Means they've become very dependent on (the gray market tax impact of) running a cash business. Their pushback on meters is likely just more evidence of same.

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