Did you know there was a D.C. taxi cab strike yesterday? Don't worry, you weren't the only one to miss it.
Even D.C.'s cabbies had a tough time figuring it all out, according to local blog D.C. Cab Rider:
Ok, if you're going to strike you need to be much, much better organized. I didn't know there was supposed to be a taxi strike today until a cab pulled up next to the one I was in and the driver asked my driver. Turns out the other guy thought Monday was strike day and he'd stayed home. There were a lot of cabs out today for a strike.
The Post said that about 1,000 cabbies took part in Tuesday's strike (on car-free day, no less). Believe the number if you want, but there were no big rumblings heard about not being able to hail a cab across the District.
The reason for this strike was to protest a bill from Councilmember Jim Graham that, if passed, would create a medallion system, much like the one in New York City. Up there, those medallions are worth more than gold. They're often sold for big bucks or handed down from generation to generation.
There is no such system in D.C. for the city's 8,000-odd taxi drivers, and city officials think that without a medallion or certificate system, that number could grow exponentially. Cabbies, on the other hand, see any system as further destruction of their livelihood -- and their profits.
Oh, and if you think the cabbies have forgotten about the switch from zones to meters, think again.
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According to the Post, the drivers who were on strike Tuesday also complained that they have had a 30 percent drop in their income since the switch.
