801

801.1 No person shall charge another person a rate, charge, or fare for taxicab service in the District in excess of the amounts established by this section.

801.2 No person shall charge another person any amount for a taxicab trip before service is rendered.

801.3 Each taxicab company, independent owner, and taxicab operator shall charge the taximeter fare, except for hourly contracts pursuant to § 801.4, and shall accept only cash, cashless payments, and vouchers.

801.4 Hourly contract. A taxicab company, independent owner, or taxicab operator may provide taxicab service on a time-only basis pursuant to an hourly contract. The rate for an hourly contract shall be thirty-five dollars ($35) for the first one (1) hour or fraction thereof, and eight dollars and seventy-five cents ($8.75) for each additional fifteen (15) minutes or fraction thereof.

801.5 A dispatch fee charged by a telephone dispatch service operating in compliance with all applicable provisions of this title and other applicable laws and shall be included in the taximeter fare, pursuant to § 801.7 (b)(1).

801.6 A dispatch, booking, or similar, fee charged by a digital dispatch service operating in compliance with all applicable provisions of this title and other applicable laws shall not be included in the taximeter fare, and shall be paid only by digital payment that complies with § 408.15 and any other applicable provision of this title or applicable law.

801.7 Taximeter fare. Each taximeter fare shall consist only of the charges based on time and distance rates and the authorized additional charges, if any, established by this subsection, and shall not include any other amount.

(a) Time and distance rates. The time and distance rates that shall be automatically generated by each taximeter for each taxicab trip are established as follows:

(1) Three dollars and twenty-five cents ($3.25) upon entry (drop rate) and first one-eighth (1/8) of a mile;

(2) Twenty-seven cents ($0.27) for each one-eighth (1/8) of a mile after the first one-eighth (1/8) of a mile;

(3) The wait rate is twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per hour. Wait time begins five (5) minutes after time of arrival at the place the taxicab was dispatched. No wait time shall be charged for premature response to a dispatch. Wait time shall be charged for time consumed while the taxicab is stopped or slowed to a speed of less than ten (10) miles per hour for longer than sixty (60) seconds and for time consumed for delays or stopovers en route at the direction of the passenger. Wait time shall be calculated in

sixty (60) second increments. Wait time does not include time lost due to taxicab or operator inefficiency.

(b) Authorized additional charges. The only charges that may be included in the taximeter fare by manually adding an amount to the charges pursuant to § 801.7 (a) are as follows:

(1) A fee for telephone dispatch, if any, which shall be two dollars ($2.00);

(2) A taxicab passenger surcharge, which shall be twenty-five cents ($.25) (per trip, not per passenger);

(3) A charge for delivery service (messenger service and parcel pick-up and delivery), which shall be at the same rate as for a single passenger unless the vehicle is hired by the hour pursuant to § 801.4;

(4) An airport surcharge or toll paid by the taxicab operator, if any, which shall be charged for the same amount that was paid;

(5) An additional passenger fee, if there is more than one passenger, which shall be one dollar ($1.00) regardless of the number of additional passengers (the total fee shall not exceed one dollar ($1.00));

(6) A snow emergency fare when authorized under § 804; and

(7) A gratuity, if any.

801.8 Group or shared riding. In cases where more than one (1) passenger enters a taxicab at the same time on a pre-arranged basis (group riding or shared riding) bound for common or different destinations, in addition to any applicable charges set out in this section, the fare shall be charged as follows: As each passenger arrives to his or her destination, the fare then due shall be paid by the passenger(s) leaving the taxicab. There shall be a new flag drop and the passenger(s) remaining in the group shall pay in the same manner until the last passenger(s) arrives at his or her destination and the final taxicab fare is then paid. There shall be a new flag drop for each leg (or separate destination) of the trip.

801.9 Passengers accompanied by animals.

(a) Service animals.

A service animal (such as a guide dog, signal dog, or other animal trained to assist or perform tasks for an individual with a disability) accompanying a passenger shall be carried without charge.

(b) Animals other than service animals.

(1) When securely enclosed in a carrier designed for that purpose, small dogs or other small animals may accompany a passenger without charge. Other animals not so enclosed may be carried at the discretion of the operator.

(2) An operator may refuse to transport any passenger traveling with a small dog or other small animal if the operator presents to the passenger an exemption certificate from the Office that certifies that such operator suffers from a diagnosed medical condition, such as allergies, which prevents such operator from traveling with such small dogs or other animals;

(3) No operator shall have a personal pet or animal of any kind in a public vehicle-for-hire while holding the vehicle out for hire or transporting passengers; and

(4) An operator may request an exemption certificate from the Office that certifies that such operator suffers from a documented diagnosed medical condition, such as allergies, which prevents such operator him or her from traveling with such small dogs or other small animals securely enclosed in a carrier designed for that purpose. Without such exemption certificate, an operator may not refuse to transport any passenger traveling with a small dog or other small animal that is securely enclosed in such carrier. Each exemption certificate shall be on a form prescribed by the Office and notarized by an appropriately licensed medical professional (for example, a general practitioner or allergist). Each exemption certificate shall be renewed at each renewal of the DCTC operator's license.

801.10 A device for the aid of a disabled person, such as a folding wheelchair, when accompanying a passenger with a disability, shall be carried without charge. There shall be no additional charge for loading or unloading such device.

SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 37 DCR 3595, 3611 (June 1, 1990); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 53 DCR 854 (February 10, 2006); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 55 DCR 3831 (April 11, 2008); and as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 55 DCR 9738 (September 12, 2008); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 57 DCR 9734 (October 15, 2010); as amended by Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 58 DCR 9046 (October 21, 2011); as amended by Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 59 DCR 3154 (April 20, 2012); as amended by Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 59 DCR 7504 (June 22, 2012); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 60 DCR 7016 (May 17, 2013).