November 22, 1999
Mayor Williams Gives Vision for Taxicab Industry During Town Hall Meeting
(Washington, DC) In his first taxicab town hall meeting, Mayor Anthony A. Williams joined by several members of his cabinet and the taxi commission, met with hundreds of the District's cab drivers at Ballou High School in Southeast. The Mayor met to hear the driver's concerns and to present his vision for the Taxicab industry.
"Taxicab drivers are vital ambassadors for our city, who are often the first people that tourists come in contact with when visiting the District," said the Mayor. "They provide an important service to the residents of the District and I am committed to making sure our taxi drivers are safe, that they earn a decent living, and that regulations are enforced fairly."
During the meeting, the Mayor talked about a number of things the District Government was considering to help ensure the safety of the drivers. Some safety measures included using safety shields, equipping cabs with a Global Positioning System, a GPS based dispatch system that would move the taxicab industry away from cash to a more electronic payment system, and safety training for drivers.
"We know that you can't have safe and healthy neighborhoods if cab drivers are being murdered for their cash, or if citizens can't get a cab, or if cab drivers can't afford to live in the neighborhood," said Mayor Williams.
Members of the Mayor's cabinet that were present for the monumental event included Chief of Staff, Dr. Abdusalam Omer; Chief Charles Ramsey, Sherryl Hobbs Newman, Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles; Vanessa Dale Burns, Director Department of Public Works; Charly Carter, Director of the Office of the Public Advocate, George Crawford, Acting Chair of the Taxicab Commission, Marie Drissel Director of the Office of the Boards and Commissions; Larry Mirel, Insurance Commissioner; Max Brown, Mayor's Deputy Chief of Staff for External Affairs, and Dean Roland Holstead of UDC's Continuing Education Department.
The family of fallen driver, Larry Barnes, was also present for this event.
