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

DC TAXI FARE CALCULATOR

For some of you retards who is on budget, I found this cab fare calculator application the most accurate for your cab ride. The site did not update our ex mayor Comrade Fenty's $19 maximum fare with in the District of Columbia bull-shit yet, but it does the calculation almost accurately.

Please don't forget the homeless,

Mad Cabbie.

DEAR PETULA DVORAK

 picture by the Washington Post

No this woman is not competing on the "Biggest Looser", she is columnist Petula Dvorak of the Washington Post. My friend Moi recommended that I read her article which was pretty much a personal attack on DC cab drivers.

"Mad Cabbie, why do you have to post her picture? I can't read this blog and throw up at the same time! I will never read this blog again, you jackass!!!"

You're not the only one bro, just calm down and let me finish writing this post and I have more throwing up to do myself, maybe I will do so in front of 1150 15th Street NW.

Few months ago some retarded old fart called Lynne "The Botox" Breaux, who is the president of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington said, “DC is a world-class city with a third-class taxi system.”and Petula Dvorak added by saying:

"....That’s why it’s just kind of fun sometimes to take a cab, when I’m yearning for a trip to Cairo or wanting to relive the memories of a harrowing afternoon in rural China..........The rag-tag band of occasionally wretched cars that make up the taxi fleet in the nation’s capital hiked their rates again on Saturday......."

Listen, if you lived in this city long enough you know damn well that DC cabs in general came a long way and have improved a lot. With in the last ten years the fleets are becoming newer and newer, just go ask the folks at Bill Page Toyota! Hybrid Toyota cars are flying off the shelf, thanks to the Ethiopian cab drivers whom are the majority of cab drivers in this city. More cabs are accepting credit cards, majority of the drivers have driven in Washington for decades with full of experiences, all three major cab companies in DC are all GPS dispatched now and I can go on and on pointing out the improvements. All this said, I agree that there are some scumbag drivers out there who don't give a shit about their taxi operation. Ron Linton is trying to change the status-quo and it takes some time and he doesn't have a good qualified team at the Taxicab Commission to accomplish the tasks anytime soon. I don't necessary agree on all of what he is trying to do but he is doing something about it.

The fare increase is an important start, all the improvements that have been suggested would been impossible without the extra revenue. The fares were slashed by almost 30% in 2008 when they switched to meters and majority of drivers are struggling to survive with those cheap fare rates. Where were the cries for DC cabdrivers when the fares were slashed? And why would any passenger wants a driver who is overworked, underpaid and too tired to drive safely?  All the media coverage is bitching about the 44% increase on the mileage rate, but the math is not that simple folks. I don't have the time to break down the calculation for you but if you throw in the fare slash of 2008 and the extra charges that they have taken away now, the fare increase comes up to a whopping 0.80% per year since 2008! Comprende Petula Dvorak?

I have been to quite a few third world countries including Cairo and Little Rock Arkansas, there is no comparison between the third world and DC cab services like you and  Lynne Breaux claim it to be, it's not even remotely close. Petula, you are a typical ignorant douchebag, if you were trying to be a comedian please don't leave your day-job. Just try to invest five minutes to do a little research before you start typing! I just can't believe you're walking the same halls at the Washington Post with some of the greats like Micheal Wilbon, Tony Kornheiser, Eugene Robinson and Marc Fisher. Just keep on stealing the pay-checks for the garbage you put on the Post, in the mean while the days of cheap fares to haul your fat ass are OVER!!!

Lynne Breaux, how about addressing issues on some of the rat infested overpriced mediocre DC restaurants? Instead of sticking your wrinkled ass nose in our business, get some real work done.

Let me go throw up now,

Please don't forget the homeless,

Mad Cabbie.

TAXI-METER SCAMS

A bunch of New York city cab drivers got busted few month ago for overcharging their passengers and most of them pleaded guilty. Check out this link: New York cabbies fare-boost scam.

Can this happen in Washington DC?

When you get in to a DC cab and the driver clicks the button, there are four rate options:

Rate-1: Regular DC rate from point A to point B with in the city limit and caps out at $19 thanks to our former Supreme Mayor, Comrade Kim IL Fenty as Phil the dispatcher calls him.

Rate-2: The same per-mile rate as rate 1 but used for any fare that crosses the DC line in to Virginia, Maryland or any state but there is no $19 cap. (All airports are Rate-2)

Rate-3: Snow emergency rate that charges 25% more than rate 1 and rate 2. This rate is active only when DC government declares snow emergency for the city.

Rate-4: Hourly rate that charges $25 per hour with in the city limits.Usually tourists hire cabbies to drive them around historical spots in Washington. 

There are so many illegal cabdrivers and out of state drivers doing illegal pick-up in DC, especially during the night. As a passenger you can't tell if the driver is a legal licensed driver or not, because everything looks legit, including the fake hack ID you see above the dash. Most of these drivers are not afraid to use Rate-3 and charge you 25% more because they don't have any Hack ID to protect in case they get caught. I am not trying to say all the legal drivers are innocent but the stake is too high to pull off some shit like that. If a driver is caught using Rate-3 illegally for the first time, it will be an automatic termination of his or her Hack ID.

Those retarded DC hack inspectors are busy harassing the legitimate cab drivers for minor shit instead of cracking down on the more serious public safety threat, the illegal cabdrivers! Besides getting ripped off,  if you get involved in a serious accident while riding these illegal cabs, I hope and pray you carry a very good insurance of your own, otherwise you will be out of luck.

If a driver clocked you at Rate-3 on a nice sunny day, just go ahead and hand him your wallet!

By the way what happened to my man King of New York hacks? He didn't post for a while. I hope he is not one of those NY cabbies who got busted, but I know he doesn't roll like that. If you see him, tell that bad ass motherfucker I am looking for him.

Please don't forget the homeless,

Mad Cabbie.