Evening star., 1935-07-08
PRESENT TAXI RATE
|URCEDBYD|AMOND
HEAD AT HEARING
Retention of Lowest Zone
Charges Asked in Lieu
of Meter Plan.
CONFUSION is CITED
BY UTILITIES ENGINEER
General Concept of Zone Opera
tion Hit by Davis in Present.
ing Recommendations.

Retention of the present lowest rate
taxicab fare schedule of 20-30-50-7O
cents was urged on the Public Utilities
Commission TO-DAY by Harry C. Davis
president of the Independent Taxicab
Owners Association. which operates
the 1851 Diamond cabs.
Davis made his request in a 75-page
formal statement a few minutes after
the commission opened hearings which
will result in the establishment for
the first time of a uniform zone cat
fare schedule for the District.
Davis declared "a uniform taxi meter
rate for all cabs would afford the pub
lie more equitable rate" but the sec
ton of the 1896 appropriation bill
authorizing establishment of zone rates
specifically prohibits enforcement Of a
meter regulation.
The confused variety of unregulated
rates for the city's 1851 cabs was
demonstrated by Fred E. Sager, en-
gineer for the commission. Sager pre-
Sented five exhibits showing a range
from 20-30-50-70 schedule. enforced
on 3,637 cabs, to 35-60-95-sl3 30 pro-
gram in vogue on II cabs, and a sixtl.
exhibit on meter rates, used by l6
cabs.
Many Attend Hearing.
Sager's testimony, delivered in a
room packed with cab drivers, cab as
sociation officials and the curious. cab
riding public. was the first to be
offered by long list of witnesses.
The hearing began in TIM commits
sion's Office on the first floor of the
District Building, but so crowded die
that room become that Chairman
Riley Elgen ordered a change to the
large board room on the fifth floor.
To complete the hearings night ses-
sions probably will be held.
Two previous attempts by the
commission to set cab Gates were over
ridden in the courts The helpleSsness
of the commission and of the taxi
riding public was sharply Illustrated
for weeks ago when a driver-Strike
forced withdrawal of all cabs from
| the streets at the opening Of the
Shrine Convention.
Davis a month ago advocated a
30-50-70-90 schedule at the time of
the walkout. Questioned about the
discrepancy between this proposal
and his stand today. Davis attorney.
Ringgold Hart, said:
That high rate was Just TO get his
men off the strike and back to work
He didn't intend to keep it up"
Rates today are fixed absolutely by
the individual cab owners or by the
associations and the commissions
sole part in the establishment of rates
is to act as recipient of a filed copy
of the various schedules.
Rates Voluntary.
"All rates are voluntary" Sager
told Hinman D. Folsom, special assis-
tant corporation counsel assigned to
utility matters, who is conducting the
examination for the commission.
In his argument for the introduc-
tion of metered cabs, Davis declared
"Taxicab operations in the District
of Columbia, as conducted at present
under zone rates, are highly unprofit-
able to the operators and drivers, who
depend solely upon their income from
the riding public and who are not in
a position to ignore their cost of
operation, because they do not and
cannot sell gasoline. insurance and
taXicabS at profit"
Davis presented an elaborate sched-
ule of 349-day test operation of two
metered cabs made by his association
IA months ago.
This test showed
Seventy-one and nine-tenths per
cent of the trips we're for 80 cents
or less.
The average gross income per day
per cab during this test was Sl2.096.
on the meter rates, and sl0.556 on
the zone rates.
The average income per meter trip
was 1851 cents and the average in
come per zone trip was 1925 cents.
Hits Zone Concept.
Despite the fact that Davis prefaced
his statement by declaring his associa-
ton is mot formally requesting an
increase in the zone rates at this
time" he lashed the general concept
of zone operations in these words:
I'VE fully agree with Justice Ad-
kins that the present zone system is
discriminatory and that it is not pos
sible to devise a non-discriminatory
zone system in the District of Colum-
bia. We also concur with him that
the zone rates are unreasonably low.
In many instances they are below
cost
THE earnings of the entire indus
try are inadequate, if fair wages are
to be earned by the driver, and we
also believe that the system increases
cruising in congested areas, causes
drivers frequently to refuse unprof1t-
able hauls and also results in many
disputes.
Long Hours Depl0red.
Eve further believe the long hours
seriously impair the efficiency Of the
drivers and endanger the public. Sc
rious accidents frequently result in
these long hours through excessive
mileage caused by the present system
and low rates"
Davis probably will be backed in
his advocacy of present low zone rates
by Harry Brill, head of the Bell Cab
Association, with 312 cars. and by A.
c. Kline, president of the City Cab
Association.
B. G. Hohensee. union head. who
organized the drivers strike, will urge
adoption Of the 20-40-60 0-80-cent rate.
William NICK. Clayton, chairman Of
the Public Utilities Committee of the
Federation of Citizens Associations,