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DC cabs to add gas surcharge
Hailing a taxicab from K Street to Capitol Hill will now cost a $1 more than it used to thanks to an executive order signed over the weekend by Washington Mayor Vincent Gray.
The order allows cabs to tack on a surcharge in order to offset rising gas prices, beginning Monday morning.
Gray's office said in a statement he is following a recommendation from the D.C. Taxicab Commission, which regulates cab rides in the nation's capital.
The surcharge is scheduled to last until July 25, though the taxicab commission could repeal it before then.
A similar surcharge was implemented in the fall of 2008, when gas prices rose to about $4 a gallon. That surcharge lasted three months.
The average price of a gallon of gas in Washington Monday was $3.77, 19 cents higher than the national average of $3.58. Last month, the average D.C. gas price was $3.41.
Chicago approved a similar $1 surcharge on taxi rides in January, and other cities are considering following suit.
