A frequent Union Station taxi customer reported on her frustration at being forced into shared rides in violation of the cab-sharing rules that are supposed to be in force at Union Station. Here is her story, which she first reported on the Cleveland Park Listserv:
There's a big scam underway at the Station. The drivers and dispatchers have turned upside-down the rule enabling you to ride from there with a friend to two drop-offs (it's apparently the only DC location where you can ask for two drop-offs). Instead, they're forcing passengers to share cabs with complete strangers, often not headed in your direction, and you're both required to pay full fare from the Station.
I've had two troubling situations recently. The first time I didn't know the law. The second, after having spoken with the taxi authority and having been told we have the right to decline a shared ride there (and that dispatchers are prohibited from getting involved), I informed the dispatcher and driver that I knew what they were doing was illegal. The dispatcher then informed me he'd refuse to let me enter any cab if I didn't comply.
On both occasions I was a single woman with luggage traveling at night, so my alternatives were few. I was first forced to go to the West End with two sketchy men and the second time to Adams Morgan on a Saturday night. (I live on Connecticut Avenue near the Zoo.) Both times the drivers freaked out on me about my objections and then, seeing me write down their numbers, suggested we negotiate lesser fares off the meter. I formally reported both cabs and the second dispatcher and was told they would be investigated, but I can't get an update.
Not only are the drivers doing this in violation of District taxi laws but the dispatchers, who are either DC or Station employees, are committing fraud. I'm on Amtrak frequently and have started booking returns arriving before dark so I can bypass cabs and take the Metro. But obviously thousands of people are getting ripped off.
