Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-18
TAX|CAB SITUATION
WILL Be AIRED IN
PUBLIC HEARING
Citizens and Operators Are
Invited to Give Views
Before Board.
PATRONS ENTHUSIASM
FOR FLAT RATE is SEEN
Peoples Counsel R. B. Keech Holds
Needs Are Standard Zones and
Insurance Law.

A public hearing on Washington's
Iaxicab situation, called by the Public
Otlltles Commission. will get under vav
tomorrow, and all those interested in
the subject, including the operators of
WaShlngton'S many taxicabs. have been
asked to give their views. The hearing
VIII be held in Room 102, District
Building.
Peoples Counsel Richmond B Keech
IN lengthy public statement Yesterday
called attention to the importance of
Inc meeting from the publics point of
view and went on to give some of his
views on the situation.
Public Likes Rates.
The public" Mr. Keechs statement
SAID In part, has shown that it is well
pteaSed with the so-called fiat rate cabs
and many persons, as stated by both
owners and drivers, are making use of
taXlcabs now who never did before this
system was invoked. The low rate partly
accounts Tor this, while the substitution
OF liked charge for ticking meter has
played It's part This is true even
though the amount charged by the
meter may not be in excess of that
charged for fiat rate service.
The ordinary taxicab rider, prior TO
the advent Of the so-called flat rate
or low-priced cabs in this city, looked
upon the taxicab as a luxury or for
use in case of dire necessity. The
taxicab Of today no longer stands in
that position
III there be any complaint as to the
fiat rate or zone cab system. il is due
to the fact that all operators have
not adopted uniform rates and uniform
zones. Should the Commission fly
definite boundaries and rates, and re-
70
Gus place In their cab a map showing
definitely the boundaries of the vari-
Gus zones and the charges for such
zones, then in my opinion the only
real evil of the so-called fat rate or
zone system will have been eliminated.
Some time back I attempted to get the
operators to eliminate the use of the
term City Proper I still believe that
this should be done, and as a matter
of fact most of the cabs now on the
street no longer carry such description"
Urges Insurance Law.
Next to uniformity in the matters
mentioned Mr.. Keech said the COM
| mission should ask for legislation re-
curing the taxicabs to take out in
surance. with approved companies. to
idemnify tire public against damage
through the negligence of drivers
The commission previously tried to
accomplish the object of compulsory in
surance by issuing a regulation of their
own on the subject. but this regula-
ton was held beyond the commissions
powers by the District Supreme Court.
The insurance regulation was part Of
taxicab code enacted by the commits
sion Since one part of it was in
validated, the commission did not at
tempt to enforce the other sections.
although it has sought to secure
monthly operating reports from all
taxi operators, AID = number of oper-
ators have complied with this request.
Nowhere in the act creating the
commission is the word ''taXicab" men
toned, and there is some legal opinion
TO the effect that this precludes any
jurisdiction of the commission over
cabs Another view is that the COM
mission has jurisdiction over some of
the cabs as common carriers" The
precise question has never been au-
thoritatively settled in the courts.
The hearing tomorrow was called
after the Merchants and Manufec-
turers' Association had protested to the
commission about chaotic conditions in
the industry generally. There are now
at least three systems of rates and
zones in effect and the rates are often
changed without application to the
commission.