I'm particularly distressed about this Jim Graham news because I really think we ought to have a medallion system.

by Reid on Sep 24, 2009 5:30 pm  

Tip of the iceberg.

by Tom Coumaris on Sep 24, 2009 6:40 pm  

Taxi medallions open the door to reduced competition among taxis with reduced supply and quality: see New York City. Taxis should be allowed to compete on price and quality (e.g., AC or none), with the only entry restrictions being clean driving records and safe vehicles.

by Chuck Coleman on Sep 24, 2009 7:06 pm  

NYC cabs are MUCH higher quality than DC cabs. I ride both cities' cabs on a regular basis and I will tell you that 90% of all DC cabs I get into are barely roadworthy.

by TJ on Sep 24, 2009 7:55 pm  

If we want late model taxis that pass rigorous inspections, then DC should impose rules requiring late model taxis and rigorous inspections. There is no need to move to a medallion system, which restricts the total number of cabs operating, in order to achieve that. NYC's rules about what kind of vehicle can serve as a taxicab are separate from its use of a medallion system.

by Josh B on Sep 24, 2009 7:59 pm  

Regarding the Potomac Yards station episode, I can easily see why C was thrown out: a much higher cost for benefits that were little better than D.

Why they threw D out as well is the question to pursue...my personal favorite was D1...

by Froggie on Sep 24, 2009 8:01 pm  

The reality in which we all must operate in this city is that most everything is for sale. And that includes enforcement of the law, and exemptions from the law.

So when all the GGW posters suggest new rules and regulations to make life better, remember those laws will be enacted and enforced by DC government officials and bureaucrats.

As one politician once said (before he was discredited), "to have a successful monarchy, all you need is a virtuous king. To have a successful democracy, you need a virtuous people."

Based on that observation, in this city, you will never have a successful democracy. And the more rules and taxes you impose, the more opportunities for the Lozas and losers of this world to shake people down and use the law for their own enrichment.

by Mike S. on Sep 24, 2009 8:20 pm  

"NYC cabs are MUCH higher quality than DC cabs. I ride both cities' cabs on a regular basis and I will tell you that 90% of all DC cabs I get into are barely roadworthy. "

Yeah, and it's a lot harder to find them in poor neighborhoods and get them to pick up people who don't look wealthy. You can even call them and they won't show if you give your address as being in Harlem. They then cracked down on dollar vans and gypsy cabs too.

Restrict the number of cabs, and you probably will get nicer cabs. You'll just get more expensive cabs and the areas that will be hurt the most will be poor ones.

I just can't see why you'd support a medallion system unless you're a middle-class or wealthy person who just isn't concerned about poor people.

by John Thacker on Sep 24, 2009 8:31 pm  

Well, you'd also support a medallion system if you were a politically connected taxicab company owner wanting to squeeze out the competition and increase your profits. You'd also support it if you were getting bribed.

by John Thacker on Sep 24, 2009 8:32 pm  

@Mike S

I'm confused, are you advocating for a monarchy?

I get it, DC has more than it's fair share of corruption. Actually, in terms of day to day operations, I think inertia is a greater hindrance than out and out corruption, but they're two sides of the same coin and I won't quibble about which is worse.

What's the solution? Giving up? Not demanding anything from our elected officials or city employees?

I recognize that improvements in regulations and code are only as good as their enforcement. That's not an argument against reforming them. It's an argument for holding government officials accountable. There's nothing mutually exclusive there.

by TimK on Sep 24, 2009 8:40 pm  

"Yeah, and it's a lot harder to find them in poor neighborhoods and get them to pick up people who don't look wealthy. You can even call them and they won't show if you give your address as being in Harlem."

Ha, how would that be different in our current, medallion-free system? Cabs routinely refuse to take me to my home on the east end of Capitol Hill. And I've given up on ever calling for one. The situation you describe already exists and it has nothing to do with the overall supply of cabs.

by TimK on Sep 24, 2009 8:46 pm  

Love LaHood's subtle dig at Atlanta & Georgia. Boosterish places run by people in the pocket of developers will be left in the dust.

by Rich on Sep 24, 2009 8:55 pm  

I still like London's hybrid system of highly-regulated and more expensive black cabs that cruise the streets and cheaper "private cars" (which are usually very, very nice) that can be called.

We earned our nickname District of Corruption honestly.

by Tom Coumaris on Sep 24, 2009 10:02 pm  

The thing with DC is that the DC Taxicab Commission honestly sees their role as being to ensure that being a taxi driver is a profitable enough profession to live on. You can increase revenues in at least two ways: raise the governmentally mandated rate or reduce the number of cabs so that each individual cab gets a larger number of fares.

by Reid on Sep 24, 2009 10:21 pm  

The medallion system puts a cap on supply, which imposes a de facto price floor. If the government responds with price controls, then quality will just go down. It's the same logic as rent control. It's basic microeconomic theory.

by MPC on Sep 24, 2009 11:56 pm  

Considering the p!$$ poor job DC's hack inspectors do enforcing the existing cab laws, what makes you think a medallion system would be any better enforced?

by monkeyrotica on Sep 25, 2009 8:45 am  

Tim K:

Of course, I'm not advocating for a monarchy.

I am pointing out the obvious: that the District has a tradition of corruption at the local level, not unlike Chicago or New Orleans.

There are some places in this country where good, honest government is a tradition, and in those places, rules and regulations are fairly enacted and enforced. Not here, Tim.

Any law, any rule, and regulation that you consider in DC must be viewed through the lens that it will be enacted and enforced by people like Loza, people like the folks at DCRA who were arrested by the FBI, and folks with the honesty of Grandma over at OTR.

Laws and regulations are shakedown opportunities when the political culture is corrupt. And the DC political culture is corrupt.

by Mike S. on Sep 25, 2009 9:03 am  

I think they should raise standards for cabs and maybe offer some tax breaks to upgrade them. I don't know if now is the best time to implement this though anyway.

A medallion system brings out a lot of unintended or unexpected consequences. I understand the rationale behind the medallion system, but I don't think it's necessary for us IMO.

by Vik on Sep 25, 2009 9:21 am  

DC as corrupt as Chicago or New Orleans? I think the unique political status of DC is much the catalyst of its dysfunction on the local level. The political near-homogeneous state of the city (a common thread of all corrupt local governments) has some role too though the gay marriage issue is leading to a split on race lines.

Prior to moving to the DC area, I was up in Albany, NY. Albany is so corrupt on the local level, one of the last real examples of machine politics, that it makes DC look halfway functional. If there ever is a major white vs. black democrat split in DC, it might end up like Albany.

by Jason on Sep 25, 2009 9:46 am  

@Chuck Coleman

Have you ever ridden in a NYC cab? They are, generally, much cleaner, newer and better maintained than DC cabs and offer features (ability to pay with a credit card and displays with entertainment programing and GPS maps) DC cabs don't for a comparable price. And how, exactly, would cabs compete on price? Both DC and NYC have set prices for all cabs, if this were changed could you imagine the chaos downtown (or worse at airports) if each driver could just name his own price for any given fare?

by Jacob on Sep 25, 2009 2:36 pm