If you can’t beat them, join them. The car service that for months has battled with the DC Taxi Commission now will also provide taxis to subscribers.
Uber is calling it an “experiment,” but the app-accessed chaffered-car service says that as of today it will offer an option to choose a DC cab in addition to its usual sedans and SUVS. As with the other cars, the fare, including tip, will go on the user’s credit card. The taxi rate will be the same as is shown on the meter, plus a $2 dispatch fee and a 20 percent tip.
“Thanks to the pro-innovation, pro-consumer legislation passed last month by the DC Council, we know that Uber is here to stay, which is why we are rolling out new transportation options like UberTaxi,” the company sent in an e-mail to subscribers. “Supply will be limited at first. Many taxis don’t fit Uber standards, so we are curating our supply pretty carefully.”
For now, the service is available only for pickups in the city itself. Eventually it will include Maryland and Virginia, according to the company.
The e-mail states that the option is in the experimental phase, and “we will continue to improve on UberTaxi as more people use it.”