Three out of four locals agree: A D.C. cab ride leaves much to be desired.
A new survey of 4,025 District residents shows that 78 percent believe the District’s taxi service is “fair” or “poor,” and 69 percent said the District’s taxis are the worst in the country.
The survey released by Councilwoman Mary Cheh, D-Ward 3, was nonscientific, but helps bolster her case that the city’s taxi industry is in need of an overhaul. Cheh, the chairwoman of the D.C. Council’s transportation committee, will host a hearing Monday on cab reforms she proposed.
“There will be some kind of reform,” she said. “Exactly what shape it takes — that’s the question. We have to. We have to drag this industry into the 21st century.”
The survey showed overwhelming support for change, with 94 percent saying they supported legislative reform. Nearly all respondents supported two specific measures Cheh is proposing — requiring taxis to accept credit card payments and requiring uniform cruising lights to show when taxis are available.
