Cabbies say a recently proposed fare increase won't be enough to help them make ends meet if the District doesn't kick out illegal taxis that steal their business.
And District officials say they lack the manpower to do so.
"We told [Mayor Vince Gray and D.C. Taxicab Commission Chairman Ron Linton] that these problems existed, and that they needed to be taken care of first," said cab driver Larry Frankel, chairman of the Small Business Association of D.C. Taxi Drivers. "This was more important to us than discussing fare increases or [vehicle] age limitations or anything else."
In the District, legal cab drivers have a license issued by the taxi commission and have to have city-issued tags for their vehicle.
Frankel and other cabbies estimate about 2,000 illegal cabbies roam the streets of D.C., in addition to the 8,500 legal drivers.
Cabbies say the illegal drivers significantly cut their potential income.
"If we could get a fair return on our investment, we wouldn't be crying [about fares]," cab driver Carolyn Robinson said.
Three types of illegal cabs roam the city, industry sources said: Maryland and Virginia cabs that enter D.C. illegally looking for customers, "gypsy" cabs with no licenses or fake licenses, and drivers who bribed officials to get licenses.
The District can't crack down on illegal cabs because it doesn't have the manpower, Linton said. The city has 12 hack inspectors and is hiring three more; none of them work between midnight and 6 a.m.
"Even at 15, it's not sufficient strength to really do the job," Linton said. "Let's just a say it's a problem and we need to address it."
A new bill to overhaul D.C.'s taxi system, up for discussion soon, would require at least 20 hack inspectors. Linton says he plans to hire a total of 29 inspectors.
But cabbies say more inspectors aren't the solution, since the inspectors lack time and authority to crack down on illegal cabs and instead ticket legal cabs for breaking other rules. Linton estimates that inspectors issue between 15,000 and 18,000 tickets in one year.
"They need to overhaul the [taxi] companies," Robinson said. "There are a lot of companies that are doing a lot of illegal things."
