Evening star., 1939-05-14
Taxi Driver or Rider Paws
For Zone Rate Oddities
10 Miles for 20 Cents,
7 Blocks for 40
Among Examples

ldhlCdD QTlVeTS are worrying tneSe
days about zone rates, and pas
sengers who get in their cabs and
, ride 6 or 7 miles for 20 cents are
causing the worry.
The taxi men have a name for
such passengers. They call them
boundary riders and they are
sure such individuals weren't taken
into consideration when the Public
Utilities Commission established the
zone system.
The zone system gained promi-
nence in Washington in 1880 after
substantial number of so-called
fat rate cabs entered the picture.
Meter cabs tried to buck this COM
petition by reducing their rates. and
in 1882 the Utilities Commission took
hand.
The commission issued an order
requiring cabs to use the meter sys-
tenn. Several fiat rate taxicab firms
lodged protests. but the Utilities
Commission was upheld in District
Court and later by the Court of Ap-
peals. Both courts held that the
meter system was the only equitable
plan for fixing cab rates.
However, in that same year, Con-
gress inserted a section in the Dis
trlct's appropriation bill for the 1888
fiscal year providing that no funds
should be spent for enforcing meter
regulations. A similar provision has
been placed in the appropriation bill
for several years now and is in
cluded in the measure of the new
fiscal year.
Can Spot Worriers.
That led to the zone system
and such worries as boundary
riders" of which Robert E. Drum
mond complains. Mr.. Drummond
has been pushing a hack around
the streets of Washington for %
years. He knows a pork when he
sees one. He also knows what a
zone is and Mr. Drummond can spot
boundary rider half mile away
in heavy fog
Mr.. Drummond has been hack
ing long enough to know what to do
if, for instance. he pulls into the
driveway of the Roosevelt Hotel and
finds two citizens. one who wants to
go north and the other who wants
to 60 south.
The Roosevelt Hotel is on Six
teenth street NV. just a few feet
below Florida avenue And so Mr..
Drummond will take the man who
wants to ride north. For he knows
that even if that man rides two
biocks-just up to the Hotel 2400-
it is going to cost him 40 cents.
Can Ride 30 Blocks South.
And he knows that the citizen
who is headed south, or downtown,
can ride 80 blocks. which is the dis
tance to the Capitol and pay only
20 cents.
This is because Florida avenue is
the boundary line that divides the
20-cent downtown zone from the
Accent midtown zone. Those who
hire cab on one side of this ave-
nue. and ride to the other pay two
fares. But for 20 cents they can
ride 5 miles in the other direction.
Mr.. Drummond is heated up about
the zone situation and took three
hours of his time the other day to
demonstrate why. He took his cab
and piloted 1t over the most no
torious "gyp runs" in the city.
He showed routes he had taken
when he had run 10 miles in a
straight line to earn two thin
dimes" And other runs where he
has gone mile and earned 60 cents.
His demonstration brought to light
number of the oddities sired by
Washington's peculiar taxi zone
system.
Every one knows that there are
four rate zones-20, 40, go, and 80
cents. These radiate from down.
town. on the theory that most peo-
pie start from that section.
Every time a zone boundary is