Contact: Neville Waters (202) 645-6020
(Washington, DC) – The DC Taxicab Commission (DCTC) today announced its newly established Industry Panel would begin work immediately preparing recommendations to revise the fleet modernization program including determining the categories of service necessary to serve the city and what the appropriate vehicles should be for these categories.
Chaired by Commissioner Paul Cohn, the four member panel will hold meetings and hearings over the next month with industry representatives, drivers, vehicle owners, riders and advocacy groups and then recommend to the full commission regulations that will provide a competitive market place for luxury car service, standard taxi service, low cost sedan and ride sharing services.
The just adopted sedan regulation provides a framework necessary to allow implementation of last year’s Council enacted laws. The fleet modernization regulation phasing out older vehicles was adopted over a year ago. Since then technology improvements and new business models of service have radically changed the public vehicle for hire industry.
“What we have done over the past two years was necessary to keep the industry moving forward and achieve the fundamental requirement of credit card service in taxis,” Chairman Ron M. Linton said. “What we must do and do quickly is adapt the industry requirements to fulfill the demands for service sought by riders.”
This according to Linton includes being responsive to the needs of the disabled, using incentives to use fuel efficient vehicles and provide the framework for innovative new ways of service to the public. He added that the commission would seek to complete its regulatory work before the end of the year.
A key component of this effort will be to ensure that areas now underserved by taxis will be offered a class of service that will make rides readily available. The Panel will determine how to accommodate the ride sharing services now being proposed and the low cost sedan service being offered.
The Commission reported that credit card service is scheduled to be installed in 2,000 vehicles by August 30 and that installation appointments have now been made for 5,082 vehicles in September. Four digital dispatch services have been certified and are in operation.