New DC taxi policies revised

Mayor Adrian Fenty announced early this morning that the city is on track to abolish the age-old zone fare for taxis and migrate over to the time & distance meters beginning April 16, 2008.  Here are some of the latest changes to the new fares:

• Drop rate – the fee to enter the cab, is now $3 (originally $4).
• No rush hour or extra passenger surcharge.
• Maximum rate for rides beginning and ending in DC with be $18.90 w/applicable surcharges (e.g. extra luggage, etc.).
• Ride sharing will cease under the new system.

Leading up to the April launch date for the time & distance meters, it is rumoured that taxi drivers may try and stage more protests, but the city doesn’t think that it will have an effect on the mayor’s decision.

Metro to raise transit rates starting on Jan. 6

The folks at Metro have decided to raise the rates for transit on their bus and their trains beginning on January 6. This is to help offset some of the budget deficit that the agency has incurred over at least the past year. You can check the WMATA site here for the complete list of fare increases starting on Sunday. Essentially you’ll probably be paying around $.25 more for the trains and a little bit more at the parking lots. For a complete list of these rate changes, visit the Metro website. If you need to calculate your own fare for one-way travel on Metro, you can visit their travel calculator which has taken into account the new rates.

New Service Updates for the Circulator

Announced last week, the DC Circulator issued service modifications to several of its routes, perhaps causing some small inconveniences to travelers to Georgetown or its other routes. Here are the updates:

Georgetown – Union Station Route the following changes have been made:
Removal of the following stops:

• 25th and Pennsylvania Avenue Westbound
• P and Wisconsin Avenue Westbound
• P and Wisconsin Avenue Eastbound
• R and Wisconsin Avenue Westbound
• R and Wisconsin Avenue Eastbound

Creation of a stop on 21st and K Westbound (located on 21st street)

Convention Center – SW Waterfront Route the following changes have been made:

• Creation of a stop on N and 7th street

The Smithsonian/National Gallery of Art Loop runs Saturday and Sunday 10am – 6pm.

A complete map of the new/updated routes can be found on the DC Circulator webpage.