Evening star., 1945-12-06
AFL Taxidrivers Union
10 Act Dec, 70 on PUG
Refusal 10 Lift Fares


Taxicab Operators, Drivers and Ga
ragemen will decide at its meeting
two weeks from today what action
to take on the order of the Public
Utilities Commission yesterday re-
fusing hearing on the unions pro-
posed increases in fares.
Financial Secretary Howard Put
nam denounced the ruling and said
the PUG could not expect cooper
alton of the drivers in picking up
fares as long as it tries ito force
that lousy rate down our throat"
The December 20 meeting was set
last Saturday when the union men,
bership postponed a threatened
strike over what it charged was
PUG "stalling" on the union rate
plan.
In flve-page formal order, PUG
found no justification for changing
group riding rates, hourly fares or
the waiting charge.
Certain Points for Consideration.
A proposed increase in the charge
for answering telephone calls was
deferred for further consideration.
The commission said an informal
hearing might well be held on the
union proposal to change certain
zone boundaries and added that
another proposal to fix the fare to
the Livingston area in Southeast at
s1.10 might we'll be considered at
that time.
In connection with the unions
proposal that the prevailing single
passenger fare be kept and a To-
cent decrease be applied to the rates
for each zone the passenger rides in
group. in lieu of the present sched-
ule of group rates, the Commission
said adoption of such rates would
lead to endless confusion"
Rates prescribed by this COM
mission must be SO definite and GER
tain," the order declared, that
every person desiring to avail him
self of taxicab service shall be able
to tell for himself the correct
charges he must pay Therefore, a
rate regulation must be so framed
as to reduce the need for interpreta-
ton to minimum and remove, so
far as possible, any ground for mis-
understanding"
Considers Inequity Unavoidable.
Basis for application for a change,
PUG said, stems from the fact that
under existing rates it is possible
for driver to receive only 10 cents
under group riding rates for trans
porting two passengers during the
course of a trip from zone to zone
l, whereas the single passenger rate
for such trip is 80 cents.
The commission is convinced"
the order said, both from observa-
ton and from constant complaints
from residents of outlying areas, of
their inability to secure taxicab
service, that trips from the fourth
zone to the first zone producing
revenue in excess Of 80 cents far
exceed in number the trips produc-
ing less than 80 cents"
. Declaring it obvious that no zone
system could produce a profitable
charge for each trip, the commission
said it's objective was to fix rates
which, on the average, would be
compensatory for trips between the
various zones or subzones.
Mr.. Putnam, however, took issue
with this point of view saying he
did not believe it fair to ask any
cab driver to receive less for carry
ing two passengers than for carry
ing one In any case.
Believe me-" he said, I'VE want
to cooperate with the PUG and
public, but we cannot if the COM
mission is going to take that stand"
Waiting Rate unreasonable"
In turning down the request for
boost in the hourly rate from $3.50
to $500, the commission said no
evidence had been produced to show
the cost of operating a cab had in
creased from the cents a mile on
which the $3.50 rate was based.
In the case of the requested in
crease from 10 cents to Is cents for
the five minutes waiting charge, the
order declared that this was equiva-
lent to valuing the time of the driver
at $40 an hour which the commits
sion felt, unreasonable"
The union had also asked consid-
Grafton of its plan to limit the num-
ber Of cabs in the District to 500
for each 100000 population, but the
commission said this was matter
for Congress to decide and that
under existing law there Is no limit.