The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1911-06-15
PRIVATE VEHICLES AT THE
UNION STATION.

An interesting question concerning
the rights OF owners of private vehi-
cles at the entrances to the Union
Station is raised by a correspondent
of The Times, who signs himself 'Trav-
eler," in the following letter of in
quiry:
To the Editor Of THE TIMES:
l have frequent occasion to go to the
Union Station and have always been
stopped from leaving my car at any
convenient approach by sO-called po-
liceman, evidently in the employ Of the
Terminal TaXicab Company.
Will you kindly tell me If the above
company has a monopoly on all the
near approaches &c the station, and
must those who go in private convey
ances use the extreme southeastern
entrance, remote from ticket office.
baggage room, and train shed?
Is this degree Of discrimination right,
and~is the Terminal Taxicab Company
empowered to encourage an undue eX-
ercise and delay in those not using
their public service accommoda tions?
There are many who would probably
like to know the same thing, so your
answer will be of interest.
TRAVELLER.
The Washington Terminal Company
owns the Union Station and the
grounds Immediately adjoining it, in
Guiding the street.-The space and plaza
in front of the station.
The Terminal TaXicab Company
rents the privilege of using the street
like space in front OF the west wing
of the station and the covered drive
way along the west end of the station
as a taXicab stand.
This is private property, over which
the Washington Terminal Company
has the right to exercise absolute con-
troll. 1t can permit whom it pleases
to enter upon that property and use
it, or it can prohibit whom it pleases.
Its authority has been definitely es-
tablished by the District Court of Ap.
peals, the highest tribunal that could
pass upon the question, in an opinion
on the liability of the taxicab company
to payment of the District license for
public automobiles. In that case the
court ruled as follows:
We are of the opinion that the space
occupied by the taXicab company on
the ground and within the building of
the terminal company is a cabstand
within the meaning and scope of the
proviso. 1t is true that space is the
private property of the terminal COM
pany, which it is not bound to open to
general public use, and 1t had the right
to contract for its exclusive use by the
taXicab company.
This settles the right of the term-
nal company to exclude private We
hicles from the front of the west wing
and from the west driveway of the
Union Station. The company has no
right, however, to prohibit owners of
private vehicles enjoying reasonably
accessible approach to the station, and
it is to conserve this privilege to pri-
vate persons that the police regulations
provide for parking private vehicles in
front of the west wing of the station.
Persons in private vehicles or in hired
vehicles not owned by the Terminal
Taxicab Company have the right to
drive up to the main central entrance 10
the Union Station, get out of their
vehicles, and enter at that point. If
they want to leave their vehicles stand
ing for any length of time they must
have them parked in front Of the east
wing.
Nobody at the Union Station has au-
thority to require person in a pri-
vate vehicle to enter from the Eek
IRENE southeastern entrance" where
Traveller" intimates he was obliged
to enter. All one need do if directed
to that point, or if denied the privilege
of drawing up to the main entrance,
is demand his rights. He can make
serious trouble for anybody who at,
tempts to interfere with him.