Friday, July 27, 2012

MRS. DC CAB RIDER

"Yes, I am still here. And still riding in cabs (far less often, and for far more money, more on that later). As of almost a year ago, you can now call me Mrs. DC Cab Rider, but for ease of use reasons, I will continue to use my maiden name. A new job, a wedding (note to prospective brides, courthouse weddings rule! You still get all the gifts and you don't spend your life savings on a silly party), and other life changes. But still in DC.

And that brings me to riding cabs. The cost when I started blogging for a cab from home to downtown was $12. Remember the Zone System? So then cabs got meters and a price raise. My cost went up to $17. To save that $5 I rode fewer cabs. And as a result drivers screamed poverty (really? a raise = poverty?) and got another raise. Now my cost is $25 on good days. I've broken the $30 barrier twice. Drivers are now bitching to me that they can't charge extra for more passengers. They don't bitch about it long because I hit them with the "are you NUTS?!! I'm screwed at these prices and you're bitching about this 2nd raise?"

Have you heard about Uber? I have. I like Uber. I use Uber. It's about the same cost, but without the feeling that I'm being played. More down the road when I'm not pissed off (yeah, had a $34 cab ride today - so venting)."

That was a post from the blogger "DC Cab Rider". I like this broad even though she exaggerates shit in a funny and sarcastic way in most of her writings. But her claim that her cab ride rose to $25 or more is more than exaggeration, in fact it's more like on the bull-shit side. I know that she lives in Cleveland Park and it used to be a 3 zones fare that used to cost $12 including the gas surcharge, but I don't how she claims to pay $25 to $34 for a 3 mile ride maybe 4miles to downtown? Unless she is tipping drivers 100%-200% !

There is a bartender with one arm that I give a ride to from Cleveland Park to Lincoln Park on the south east side, which is much further away from downtown and his tab is usually comes out to be $17 or less. For some reason people tend to exaggerate their bad experiences with cab drivers, maybe "DC Cab Rider" will explain to us why?

By the way congrats to the blogger, she got married recently!!! I wish her well and I hope she calms down and gets laid a lot and make a lot of cab riding babies.

Please don't forget the homeless,

Mad Cabbie

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

She pays thirty five dollars for Uber from Cleveland Park to Downtown, not for Diamond or a legitimate street cab.

She might be paying thirty five dollars to a PG cab or an illegal, but not to a legitimate DC cab. These people pay not attention to what they ride these days. And here is Evans saying that suburban cabs should be allowed to come to work in the City.

To paraphrase the Australians.....
"'en' hoo sai' bloo-y Eyedrian Fenty wuz ou-a' awffice?"

Anonymous said...

Maybe she is exaggerating the amounts, but her point is still the same. Pretty much the only time I take cabs is home from union station after getting off a train. Clearly, not a very far cab ride, it used to cost me about $6 before tip (on meters, not zones). Now it costs me $9-10 before tip. The last time I took a cab the driver was the one that brought up how much more my ride cost than it would have previously, and how ridiculous it is how much more most people are being asked to pay these days.

I mentioned to him that from my old job near tenleytown, it was 1 zone to the hill, so like $11-12. The cab driver told me that would cost me at least $20-25 after the latest fare increases.

Anonymous said...

FACT CHECK time:

If you were near Tenley and went to the Hill, it was three or four zones. If you were south of Nebraska Avenue (below the circle), it was three zones, which was eleven dollars plus the one dollar gasolene surcharge then in effect fo0r a total ot twelve dollars; add two dollars if you called a cab. If it were four zones, it was twelve dollars and change (I forget the exact amount, now) plus the one dollar gasolene surcharge.

The fares on the City are comparable to the metered fares in the surrounding jurisdictions, except in the City we get nothing for additional passengers. Had the Zone System remained, the fares probably would not be as high, but you DemoSHEEP cheered when your Dear Revered Leader Kim il-Fenty told you that you wanted the meters. You cheered when he ignored what those in the cab business, who know it, tried to tell him. You asked for 'em, now you got 'em.

Anonymous said...

That's right, you cried for meters, now here you got it! Stop bitching now...

Anonymous said...

I don't know Mad, maybe Mrs. DC Cab Rider is married to a lawyer for Uber? Just guessing.

Moi

Anonymous said...

I posted the comment about fares from tenley to the hill.

2 comments

1 - ok, so I was mistaken about the number of zones, but if you actually read my comment, I had the amount correct at $11-12. This was 6 years ago or so, so I didn't actually remember how many zones it was, but did remember the cost. And for what it's worth, my job was south of Nebraska

2 - I never asked for meters.

Anonymous said...

^^^To Anon above,

You may not have asked them yourself, but the previous mayor was petitioned to change the system from the zone to the meter system and asked to keep the fare in line with comparable cities. So all this transition happened at the behest and in the name of DC Cab riders like you. I guess you may have to chalk it up and ride the Cabs unless you want to pay more for Uber or for the conjested Metro rail system.

Bonne chance!
Moi

DC Cab Rider said...

Hi MC! Nice to see you too. Thanks for the good wishes on my marriage. So far so good. Oh do I wish I were exaggerating. Don't live in Cleveland Park - live up off of Nebraska/Jennifer (don't get too excited, it's a basement apt. we are just starting out).

Last few rides between home and downtown were $26 and $28. I usually tip in the $2-3 range, but when it gets that high, I'm down to $1-2.

Wish hubby worked for uber, could get free rides!

I do get how cabbies can hate uber, but I'm all for throwing it all into the market and letting people choose whatever works for them at the time. And if you don't think a cool limo ride with bottled water and a guy who opens the door for you isn't worth an extra $5, then your day wasn't crappy enough :).

My old Zone fares were to Cleveland Park, so yes, I have moved further out and that adds to it. Don't know what the zone fare was beyond Nebraska. Do know that my cab costs have doubled since the zones. Move part, meters part. But doubled is doubled. UGH!

DC Cab Rider said...

p.s. Maddie - no babies for a day or two, ok?!! ACK!

Anonymous said...

Uber is subject to no regulation. Legitimate DC cabs are overregulated. If Uber wants to compete, let it labour under the same overregulation that DC cabs and limousines do.

An unregulated entity's competing against regulated entities is a textbook definition of UNFAIR COMPETITION.

Diamond888 said...

DC cab rider, I think I need to be your cab driver and get in to the action if you really paying that kind of dough for a ride down town from friendship heights!

I picked up a fare from 42nd street in Friendship heights to National Airport, which is in Arlington Virginia, 11.2 mile run and the fare was $26.63.....

Something is not adding up!

DC Cab Rider said...

Gonna have to scan a receipt for you guys next time I'm cabbing from home downtown. Diamond888 - if your discount would be as nice s you're hinting, I would LOVE to make you my permanent driver!

Anonymous said...

lol@the cab drivers continuing to play victim.

Oh so sorry you're being forced into the 1960s with Credit card machines and uniform colors.

And did anyone stop think- oh maybe it was just some guy overcharging her (as a lot of cabbies do in this city)?

And to the comment that customers "don't pay attention to what they get into"- how ridiculous. It's impossible to get a cab in this city and half the time the cabbie wont even take you where you want to go. So now we are supposed to 'wait' for a "real cab"? Yeah okay.

I won't even get into the regulated vs. non regulated UBER vs. Cabbie BS. yeah it's UNFAIR competition- except you know they still charge more, offer better and consistent service, you won't get raped or assualted, you'll actually get taken to where you want, you will have a pleasant experience, and you will get there on time- something the DC cab industry can't seem to do.

Don't blame the Cab Riders for Fenty or the new rules. Blame your ridiculous overpowered lobby for not forcing your industry to enact CUSTOMER FIRST reforms. If there are bad eggs causing the bad impressions and most of you are doing your job- well you should have gone out and made some noise to get those people arrested.

It's your own fault. Provide a better service or go broke. Not one tear will be shed.

Anonymous said...

whatever, cabbie . cabs in dc wouldnt be in this situation if they had gotten off of their lazy, reckless driving asses and modernized years ago when they had the chance. now they are on the losing end and wanna get all whiny about it.

maybe uber will finally force our taxi system up past some third world shit hole that it currently is

Anonymous said...

,,,,now that the contingent from NAMBLA has weighed in, we continue with the discussion.....

Anonymous said...

There you go....must a cab driver. Can't respond to facts with facts, so toss in a vague NAMBLA reference.

Sorry, but again: every customer agrees- you offer a sub par suck ass shitty service that is overpriced. Nothing like fearing getting raped or left in the dark if you do get the "honor" of finding a cab that will actually take you where you want to go.

Nice retort genius. Maybe thats why you'll feel like you suffer when the new regulation are put in- because you're entitled. Here's a hint: NO ONE will feel bad for you guys.

Stop scamming your customers and maybe we'll care about your problems.

Anonymous said...

There you go....must a cab driver. Can't respond to facts with facts, so toss in a vague NAMBLA reference.

Sorry, but again: every customer agrees- you offer a sub par suck ass shitty service that is overpriced. Nothing like fearing getting raped or left in the dark if you do get the "honor" of finding a cab that will actually take you where you want to go.

Nice retort genius. Maybe thats why you'll feel like you suffer when the new regulation are put in- because you're entitled. Here's a hint: NO ONE will feel bad for you guys.

Stop scamming your customers and maybe we'll care about your problems.

Anonymous said...

Another night, another scam run by you and your scumbag brothers. DC cab drivers are pieces of crap. Your profession is filled with swindlers, scumbags and racists.

How dare you play the victims. Go to hell.

Xtreme English said...

I don't think she's exaggerating at all. The system now runs so that the meter advances even while the cab is sitting still or stalled in traffic. And you can bet many cabbies now take the long, slow routes. In the old days, they'd drive like bats out of hell to get you to where you wanted to go FAST. No more. On my last few rides, it took $5 just to clear the exit from Union Station! Sadly, the fares mean I can't ride taxis any more.

Emiley said...

i think having a great limousine with low price every body's Dream but if you want to luxury Ride then we should never compromise on rates. But the great offer for Sanfrancisco because URlimoservice are providing San Francisco Limo service with best and lowest rates...

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Hi Mad DC cabbie people eat pizza,burger french fries occasionally have sex on my back seat and in the morning they complain my cab is stinky what should i say to this people???

Unknown said...

Just tell them to calm the fuck down and point out that their own houses don't smell any different than your cab.

This reminds me of a cab driver who used to smell the back seat of his cab every time a hot chick gets out of his car. I think he is in jail now!

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