Evening star., 1943-05-03
Hearing Opens
On Taxi Rates
For Groups
Drivers Ask Right to
Continue Charging
Busic Fares
By DON S. WARREN.

Hearings on taxicab group riding
rates opened today before the Public
Utilities Commission, with an OPA
spokesman advising the committee
to fix temporary rates and to make
a comprehensive study of taxi rev.
enues and expenses, and with scores
of taxi drivers protesting rates
tentatively offered by the PUG.
Taxi drivers early in the hearing
declared that the schedules proposed
by PUG members would constitute
a. decrease" in rates, and some
drivers maintained their present
revenues resulted from an increase
in business" rather than from all
increase in rates.
AS explained by John H. Royer,
jr., president of Premier Cabs, cab
drivers want to charge prevailing
full fares for each party, regardless
of the number in the party, going
from one place to a single destina-
ton, and to charge separate full
fare for any extra party boarding
and leaving the cab a different
points
PUG spokesmen have declared the
present general practice of charging
full fares for group riders is illegal,
and the suggested rates they offer
for group riding have brought OPA
findings they would constitute "a
general increase" in rates.
Fixes PUG Authority.
Out of this confused situation
came a statement by w. Russell
German, representing OPA. that
the Federal agency recognizes it is
the province of the PUG to fix taxi
rates here and that it is not the
duty of the OPA. But, he added,
the OPA has the duty Under the
Presidents executive orde to keep
down the cost of living anG to seek
decreases in rates where conditions
Justify them.
In suggesting survey to gather
information on the taxicab industry,
Mr.. German said 1t was indicated
the OPA might accept, temporarily,
interim rates as proposed by the
commission.
Proposed Rates Revealed.
James H. Flanagan, PUG chair
man, revealed that he and Engi-
neer Commissioner Charles w. Kutz,
constituting the PUG majority, had
proposed for group riding a per
passenger rate Of 20 cents for trips
confined to zone / or a sub zone
of zones 2. 3 or 4: rate of 80 cents
for trips between zone l and zone
2. 40 cents for trips between zone
! and zone 3, and so cents between
zone l and zone 4. The present
basic fare is 30, So 10 and 90 cents.
1t was revealed that Gregory
Hankin, PUG minority member. had
proposed group riding scale of
20, 25, IS and As cents per pas
senger
Both of these suggestions the OPA
disapproved as meaning general
increase" arguing that increases in
rates when two or more passengers
ride iE a cab would outweight de-
creaSes when a cab carries only one
passenger. PUG members disagree
with this view.
Mr.. German began by saving that
the OPA regards taxi group riding
as problem to be worked out pri-
marily by the PUG in cooperation
with taxi companies and that our
participation must be of a limited
character" He said fares should
be kept "at the lowest possible level,
consistent with the right of taxi
operators to earn fair living" He
added per person rates must be
low enough to be an incentive
to the public to use the cabs.
Outlines Proposed Survey.
The suggested survey, Mr.. Cor
man said, should answer such cues
tions as; What percentage of the
taXicab business is done within one,
two, three or four zones? What
percentage of the business is re-
stricted to zone one? What is the
average number of passengers for
each of the above situations? What
are the earnings Of cab operators
and associations in recent months?
What is the relative cab ownership
AS between individuals and associa-
tlons and to what extent has this
changed in the past year?"
Edwin A. Glenn, representing the
United TaXicab Drivers, Inc, pro-
tested the whole meeting was "out
of order" because it constituted
move by the PUG to establish new
basic rates"