Against Bowser's wishes, city council proceeds with proposed $2 fee for rideshares to DC

WASHINGTON, DC (7News) — Against Mayor Bowser's wishes, a City Council committee moved forward this week with a plan to add a $2 surcharge to rideshare trips into and out of busy areas during certain times of the day.

The surcharge would affect trips by companies such as Uber and Lyft. The $2 charge would be added to trips that go into an area of D.C. that includes downtown and neighborhoods close to it, from 7 a.m. to noon, and would be added to trips out of that same area from noon to 7 p.m. It would be in effect seven days a week.

“It’s downtown and a little bit beyond. We looked at the areas that have the highest congestion rates in the city, and we applied it there,” said Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau Friday.

On Wednesday the D.C. Council’s Committee on Public Works and Operations – which Nadeau chairs – unanimously decided to move forward the plan to add the surcharge on those rideshare trips starting Oct. 1.

READ ALSO: 'It's killing us': DC area rideshare drivers feel burden of gas prices

Nadeau’s office says D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson will now decide whether to include it in his budget, with a first vote set for May 16.

Nadeau says most of the projected $13 million in revenue the first year would go to fund 24-hour bus service on at least 12 of D.C.’s busiest bus lines.

One critic of the plan is Bowser, who feels it would hurt efforts to revitalize downtown Washington, which has been hit very hard by the pandemic.

READ MORE: DC Mayor Bowser rolls out 5-year plan she hopes will bring jobs, residents back downtown

“I think it’s a terrible idea,” the mayor said at a Thursday press conference when asked about the proposed surcharge. “Actually charging people extra to come downtown is the antithesis to an investment in the comeback of downtown.”

When 7News asked Nadeau about the mayor’s comments Friday, she countered that she thinks her plan would help, not hurt, revitalizing downtown Washington.

“Prioritizing vehicles over access to [public] transportation means we’ve got pollution, we’ve got noise, we’ve got congestion. And that’s not inviting, and that’s not what we want for the future of downtown,” she said.

In addition to Bowser, rideshare company Uber also does not favor the plan.

“When D.C. riders look at their Uber receipts today, they see a substantial amount in fees which include a 6% fee on each ride to pay for WMATA and a $5 fee to get to and from the region’s airports,” read a statement sent to 7News by an Uber spokesperson. “Adding an additional $2 fee on top of today’s current fees will not reduce congestion. In fact, additional costs will deter individuals from access to rideshare. Given Mayor Bowser’s opposition to this proposal and the harm this will cause, the Council should reconsider.”