Too many shopping bags in hand from a day on M Street? Most of us would just put up our hand to hail a cab, but maybe we should just struggle and walk the distance now after the D.C. Taxicab Commission reports that seven taxi drivers have been arrested for allegedly assaulting passengers within the past few weeks.
One victim was a Georgetown University student who reported to the Department of Public Safety at approximately 1:23 a.m. on March 29, that he (or she) was assaulted by a taxi driver around midnight who was also making inappropriate sexual comments.
“What we’re seeing is an increase in [cab drivers] physically manhandling their fares,” D.C. Taxicab Commission Chairman Ron Linton told ABC7 News. “Striking them. Pulling them out of their cabs. One woman was pulled out by her ankles.”
Linton has put out a warning, especially to females, as six out of the seven victims were women, to be cautious.
Due to the increase in attacks, the commission has proposed a plan to install panic buttons in to all cabs by December. GPS units and cash-free meter systems that will allow riders to pay with plastic are also expected to be placed in D.C. taxis for a much needed upgrade.
