The Voice of DC Cab Drivers, July 10, 2011:
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[You can listen to The Voice of DC Cab Drivers on your phone at (712) 432-6620 or online at wust1120.com.]
Tonight, we host a debate on the future of the D.C. Taxicab Commission.
Calls to eliminate the body are growing.
Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells is chair of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation and has oversight of the Taxicab Commission. Wells said, “I don’t know if the commission ever worked… Do we need one?”
In tonight’s debate, we’ll hear from leading voices on both sides of the issue. Joining us will be Washington Post reporter Mike DeBonis, Greater Greater Washington founder and editor-in-chief David Alpert. Also joining the debate will be Ali, Haimanot Bizuayehu, and Nathan Price, all members of the Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers.
The Small Business Association is calling for the Commission to follow the law, but not be eliminated, as Bizuayehu explained.
[Haimanot Bizuayehu]
The next meeting of the Commission was scheduled for this Wednesday, but, according to the D.C. Taxicab Commission website, the meeting has been cancelled. No date has been given as to when it will be rescheduled.
In Prince George’s County, the Council voted 5-3 on Tuesday to undo legislation unanimously passed just a year ago which provided medallions directly to independent drivers, instead of to the few big players that dominate the county’s taxi industry.
Tuesday’s vote, in addition to stopping independent drivers from receiving medallions, allows the medallions that have already been given to independent drivers to potentially be sold to the very cab companies that dominate the industry. These companies will now be able to control as much as 75 percent of the market.
Tom Dernoga, the former Council chair, oversaw last year’s vote. Last month, I caught up with Dernoga at the County Council and asked him his thoughts on the effort to undo the legislation which was passed unanimously just a year ago.
[Tom Dernoga]
Last week, here on The Voice of DC Cab Drivers we had an extended in studio conversation with Getachew Mengesha, a lead organizer with the Prince George’s County Taxi Workers Alliance. Mengesha discussed some of the problems with CB-3, the anti-driver legislation that was passed on Tuesday.
[Getachew Mengesha]
Another of the lead organizers of the Prince George’s County Taxi Workers Alliance is Henock Wogderes. Earlier today, he discussed Tuesday’s vote and the next steps that drivers will be taking.
[Henock Wogderes]
June 22, Reason TV producer Jim Epstein was arrested at a public meeting of the D.C. Taxicab Commission. This week, Epstein, along with Reason TV editor in chief Nick Gillespie, produced a piece on the proposed D.C. medallion bill entitled “D.C. Taxi Heist.“
[“D.C. Taxi Heist” clip]
Thursday, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B voted to adopt a resolution in opposition to the medallion bill. The resolution reads, in part:
“WHEREAS: The present number of taxicabs in the District of Columbia is over 9,000, the proposed medallion system would place an arbitrary cap on the number of taxicabs at 4,000, this restricts the supply and creates barriers to competition.”
“WHEREAS: The District of Columbia Chief Financial Officer’s Office studied in 2010 how the taxicab medallion system worked in other major cities and the study concluded that the system would result in windfall profits for a small group of people; an overall decline in service with longer waits and higher fares, [and] create a system more amenable to corruption.”
“NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 1B requests that the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the Council for the District of Columbia reject the taxicab medallion system and adopt the findings of the District of Columbia Chief Financial Officer.”
This is The Voice of DC Cab Drivers, brought to you by The Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers.
The Small Business Association consists of the following driver-owned cab companies and associations: Allied, Ambassador, Black Pearl, Camel, DC Professional Taxicab Drivers’ Association, Dominion, Grand, Luxury, Pleasant, Seasons, Swift, Travelers, UCC, Washingtonian, Welcome, and Wonder Cab.
For those interested in becoming a member of The Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers you can find out more information at any of the driver owned companies that make up The Association, such as UCC, Luxury and Grand.
Ermias Wosenu, a member of The Small Business Association, organizes the popular Saturday night Amharic phone conference. For those speaking Amharic, every Saturday night from 9:00-11:00 p.m., you can learn about the latest issues facing D.C. taxicab drivers. The number for the toll-free conference is (712) 432-3100 and the code 140 465.
Appearing recently on NewsChannel 8’s NewsTalk, Mayor Vincent Gray discussed the possibility of eliminating the Taxicab Commission with host Bruce DePuyt.
[Mayor Gray]
That was Mayor Gray appearing on NewsTalk with Bruce DePuyt.
Last week on The Voice of DC Cab Drivers, veteran driver and native Washingtonian Carolyn Robinson said, “The Taxicab Commission isn’t following rules and regulations, but that does not mean that it shouldn’t be in existence. What it means is they need the proper people.”
[Carolyn Robinson]
Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells chairs the Committee on Public Works and Transportation and has oversight of the Taxicab Commission. Last month on the Politics Hour on WAMU, guest political analyst Tom Sherwood of NBC4 discussed Wells’ interest in abolishing the Commission.
[Sherwood]
We now turn to a debate on the future of the Taxicab Commission.
Joining us in studio is Washington Post reporter Mike DeBonis. In a recent piece, DeBonis described the Taxicab Commission as “an odd beast in city government… [since] it’s both a deliberative policymaking body and a regulator.”
Also joining us is David Alpert, founder and editor-in-chief of the popular blog Greater Greater Washington. In a recent piece, entitled “Fix the Taxi Commission, or abolish it?“, Alpert writes, “Perhaps instead of a Taxi Commission, the agency should report to the Mayor like most other agencies.”
And joining us in studio are Ali and Haimanot Bizuayehu, both members of the Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers, which has called for The Taxicab Commission to follow the law, and to remain in existence.
And joining us on the line is Nathan Price, chair of DC Professional Taxicab Drivers Association and board member of The Small Business Association.
Past Shows:
- P.G. County Pushes Forward with Anti-Taxi Driver Legislation, July 3, 2011
- Journalists Arrested at Public Meeting of Taxicab Commission, June 26, 2011
- Wells Calls Off Hearing on Medallion Bill, June 19, 2011
- John Ray Continues His Private Meetings on the Medallion Bill, June 12, 2011
- The Freedom Plaza Rally, June 5, 2011
- DCTC Locks Drivers Out, May 29, 2011