Washington Mayor Vincent Gray introduces a new system for the city’s taxi industry.
WASHINGTON – With a green light from Mayor Vincent Gray and the city’s taxi commission, a new multi-component amenity system appears to be on its way to more than 8,500 Washington cabs.
The Taxicab Smart Meter System, which allows features including credit card transaction, GPS tracking, safety response, driver identification, is a big component of the five-year taxi fleet modernization plan backed by Gray and Councilmember Mary Cheh, D-Ward 3.
“It is a major step forward toward something we have promised to do ages ago,” said Gray at a news conference Thursday where he announced the $35 million contract for installing the systems across the city. “It will benefit our taxi industry, drivers and passengers.”
Under the proposed contract, the city will lease the system for five years from its provider Verifone Systems Inc., a global electronic payment technologies company. Verifone worked out the details of the system with the taxi commission and will be responsible for installation, maintenance and operation.
Gray said the citywide overhaul is a response to escalating gas prices and technological advances. The mayor said the nation’s capital cannot afford to fall behind while many other metropolitan cities that are already at the technological forefront.
The project could also give a much-needed break to the city’s budget, Gray said
The city will require each driver to pay a one-time, upfront installation fee of up to $500, while customers will help to pay for the rest of the operating costs by chipping in 50 cents more per ride starting in October.
This may address many drivers’ concern that they had to pay thousands of dollars for the new system, which also includes a monitor that airs news updates, city information and commercials.
But some drivers are not interested.
“We are in favor of putting in credit card machines, but we don’t need TV screens in the back of our cabs for the advertising the city wants to do.” Larry Frankel, a veteran Washington cab driver, argued at a protest earlier this week.
Nathan Price, chairman of the DC Professional Taxicab Drivers Association, said the city needs to focus on the issues in the taxi industry on the street level instead of office level. With most drivers in the city are operating independently, many are worried that too many municipal-corporate exchanges will muffle their voices. Many complained that the city did not include them in the negotiation process.
“All we want is to have a seat at the table,” Price said, “It’s amazing that you want the autonomy to run the city that suits you, but you don’t want to share that autonomy with the industry that pays its own fee.”
The contract now goes to the city council for approval, which could happen as soon as next week. If council members approve, the new system would hit the city’s streets by the end of the year.