D.C. cab drivers went on strike yesterday to protest Mayor Adrian Fenty's decision to require time-and-distance meters instead of the zone system, leaving cab companies scrambling to provide cabs for Halloween revelers.
Representatives from SoberRide, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program's free cab campaign for partygoers, expressed confidence Wednesday afternoon that the campaign would be unhurt by the strike.
"We have it fully under control," Robin Black, director of operations at the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, said Wednesday afternoon.
The program held hourly conversations with the nine cab companies with which it had contracts, according to Kurt Erickson, president of the program. Its phone bank in Virginia is capable of holding a high volume of calls from those who need a cab, he said.
Cab drivers from the Maryland and Virginia suburbs would compensate for any lack of D.C. cabs, Erickson said. Drivers of chartered vehicles from these areas are licensed in D.C. and could also help out, he said. Furthermore, he noted the number of limos available Wednesday would provide safe rides for many people.
"We wouldn't be continuing without full confidence," Erickson said.
However, cab drivers licensed in Maryland and Virginia can only take passengers to D.C. and are not allowed to pick up passengers in the District, according to NBC4.com.
Furthermore, some AU students were concerned that a lack of cabs would present a safety issue or a hassle.
"It definitely could have an impact on safety depending on whether the party hosts provide rides," said Jake Fitzpatrick, a sophomore in the School of International Service.
The strike was certainly an inconvenience for cab companies, however.
Yellow Cab Company of D.C. Inc. was only running 25 percent of its fleet, Roy D. Spooner, general manager of Yellow Cab, said Wednesday afternoon.
"This is a lot of people we can't [provide] service [to]," Spooner said.
However, Yellow Cab did not hold any animosity toward the drivers, who are independent contractors, Spooner said.
"We support the driver's right to strike, but we also have to serve our customers," he said.
The 24-hour strike, organized through leaflets and by word of mouth, was expected to last until 6 a.m. Thursday, according to NBC4.com.
Officials at the Taxicab Industry Group, one of the organizations representing the drivers, had previously estimated that a majority of the District's approximately 7,500 drivers would strike Wednesday, NBC4.com reported.
Many drivers are concerned that a switch to meters from the current zone system will threaten their livelihoods and make rides unaffordable for passengers, according to The Washington Post.
Fenty said the city would have no trouble in managing the strike and suggested transportation alternatives for tourists and commuters, including the Metro rails and buses, according to The Associated Press.
