InTheCapital

By Charlie Warzel / @cwarzel

We’re admittedly a day or so behind on this, but given all the attention we’ve given to the Uber-DC cab saga, we feel like it’s only right we bring to light the findings of DC councilwoman, Mary Cheh’s DC Cab satisfaction survey. Spoiler Alert: the results are dismal…at best.

After surveying 4025 people, the results were overwhelmingly negative toward DC cabs. 36% of respondents said service was poor and only 22% felt the service was respectable. 

Hmmm…I wonder why they’re losing customers to Uber?

94% of residents were in favor of legislation that would improve service in the District and parts of Maryland and Virginia. If I were the DC cab commission, I’d be paying close attention to this survey.

DCist had this choice quote from a survey participant about cab service:

“It is incredibly frustrating when I am in DC and need to take a cab to Virginia (Arlington, specifically). I was once turned down by five cabs in a row because they prefer getting no fare from a paying customer rather than just a one-way fare since they can’t pick up in Virginia. Cabs should not be allowed to refuse a fare!”

We never want to appear that we’re ranting here at InTheCapital, but these results have to be a wake up call for the cab commission. At the end of the day the cab commission is running a business. Like any business, customer satisfaction has to be taken into account. With the arrival of Uber (who will probably win their battle with DC—as they DO operate legally in the District), there will be competition for service in the city.

As a website that celebrates innovation, we find it deplorable that the cab commission feels no need to provide a quality product to their customers. The absence of credit card machines and drivers who know the geography of the city is unacceptable for a service in a city as large and well-known as Washington DC. Adapt or die. As cliche as that might sound, it is a critical component of running a business. The DC cab commission has no right to a monopoly of service in the District and their ire toward a service like Uber is disgraceful given their refusal to innovate and provide the best possible service to their customer. We understand that such change can be difficult and adapting to new competition can be daunting for an established company, but that’s business…plain and simple…you have to earn success. Don’t expect it just because you’ve been around longer.

See the full results below.

Taxi Survey Results FINAL

inside the @Uber_DC scrum at Shadow Bar. video down below.

By Charlie Warzel / @cwarzel

Last night, literally hundreds of DC residents crammed into Shadow Room on K Street to show Uber’s DC branch some serious love. As we’ve been covering extensively over the past few weeks, Uber, the popular app and company that allows you to find town car-style sedans, has come under fire from the DC cab commission for ‘operating illegally’. We’re kinda biased here at InTheCapital, but to us we read ‘operating illegally’ as ‘stealing business’. But that’s a story for another day. 

The fight between Uber and DC city government has picked up serious traction in papers and magazines and websites both local and national. The support from District residents has been very vocal as well. On a recent call with Twitter’s DC Government liaison, Adam Sharp, he noted that Uber fan response on Twitter was one of the best instances he’d seen of “a customer base reaching out in their defense.”

Hoping to capitalize on this, Uber was savvy enough to invite folks to come out last night to the swanky club, Shadow Room and drink at their open bar from 6 to 8:30pm. The only caveat? They’d have to listen to a presentation from Uber Founder, Travis Kalanick. The people came and the booze flowed heartily. Here is some video proof:

Uber CEO Travis Speaks to DC from InTheCapital on Vimeo.

Takeaway: Travis gave a stellar presentation to an absolutely rabid crowd of younger, yuppies. It wasn’t exactly clear whether the partygoers absolutely LOVED Uber or completely HATED the DC cab commission (we think it’s a mix of both), but the love showered down on Uber so heavily that Kalanick joked at one point, “I wish I could just live in this moment forever.”

Uber further endeared themselves to their target audience of younger, accomplished working professionals with some free booze and pizza, and that support will be important down the line. Uber’s DC General Manager, Rachel Holt told us that they had to cap the event at 700 people and received loads more emails and calls requesting party invites. Travis will be back in town on Valentines day for a meeting with the DC government. You can bet we’ll be there to watch as it all goes down. For now though, we think that with fans as loyal as they were last night, Uber will be here to stay in DC.

By Carl Pierre / @carlpierre

Nerds Unite! Put down that copy of War and Peace and DC has been awarded the title of “America’s Most Literate City” for the second year in a row. The list is compiled by Central Connecticut State University and involves a number of factors including: 

• newspaper circulation
• number of bookstores
• library resources
• periodical publishing resources
• educational attainment
• internet resources

DC has been on the list in the past years, slowly inching it’s way to the number one spot making it fifth in 2007, third in 2008, and second in 2009. We clinched first last year, and continue to defend our crown by winning first yet again this year. For those curious to see how other cities stacked up, you can check out the list for yourself (below) The one thing that does surprise me is that San Francisco only made it to number nine considering it’s one of the largest Technology hubs in the world.

1. Washington, DC (booyah!)
2. Seattle, WA
3. Minneapolis, MN
4. Atlanta, GA
5. Boston, MA
6. Pittsburgh, PA
7. Cincinnati, OH
8. St. Louis, MO
9. San Francisco, CA
10. Denver, CO

By Charlie Warzel / @cwarzel

We mentioned Google yesterday in a list of big tech companies trying to assert themselves in the the lobbying arm of Washington. Today, Google continues to extend its presence in a different area of DC, with the introduction of community manager, Corrie Davidson. 

The official twitter account for the DC vertical is @GoogleDC, and judging by Ms. Davidson’s first tweet, she’s looking to jump in head first. 

Ms. Davidson’s initial post is vague as to her day to day responsibilities, but she describes herself as a lifelong DMV resident and will be exploring the city and surrounding area further in the coming days and months. Obviously, it’s great to see Google extend their network to the District. Welcome.

By Carl Pierre / @carlpierre

Have you tripped any elderly people recently? Cut your way in-line at a pharmacy during flu season? Maybe flick off a group of tourists for blinding you with the flash of their cameras near a monument? I wouldn’t be surprised if the answer is yes because apparently this sort of behavior is typical for one of America’s most rude cities.

DC has been ranked third most rude city in America according to votes on the website Travel+Leisure. According to users of the site, the nation’s capital is not too kind to the visitors that frequent our fair city. Some may blame it on the politics, others may blame it on the induced stress from high profile jobs in government, but I personally think our source of agitation originates from elsewhere.

I think DC people come across as rude because people have a false notion as to the typical demographic of people that make up the District, and some citizens of DC get kind of peeved at that. Most of America has this area pegged as a political mire of scandals, ladder-climbing, and a breeding ground for ambitious career sharks. I think I speak for a great number of awesome DC residents when I say that is simply not the case. When a good chunk of your country associates your city with the most negative connotations of politics, you can’t help but have a chip on your shoulder for them having their biased perspective.

So for all the tourists and travelers out there, I assure you that DC people are nice and we mean you no harm. 

Once you get to know us. 

And also, please stop wearing those ridiculous FBI/CIA sweaters.

[image via collegehumor]

Sh*t DC People Say

By Carl Pierre / @carlpierre

So it was bound to happen, somebody posted a sh*t DC people say. For those unfamiliar, there have been a string of viral videos called sh*t _____ say, which have ranged between sh*t girls say to guys, guys say to girls, white girls say to black girls, etc. There is now a new video depicting things DC people tend to say, which is actually disturbingly accurate. 

My favorite lines:

•  ”You HAVEN’T had the cupcakes there??”
• “Shaw is totally the new Columbia Heights…”
• “Where are you from originally? Right, where are you from O-R-I-G-I-N-A-L-L-Y?”
• “I’ve never dated a Republican…”
• “Jose Andres owns this, right?”
• “They have a GREAT brunch”
• “My place? It’s like…an English Basement”
• “F*cking WIZARDS!”, “…f*cking Redskins!!!”, “ugh…f*cking Caps…”

Take a look at the video, enjoy the hilarity that is DC.

[image via crownandcanary]

By Carl Pierre / @carlpierre

As MLK weekend approaches, here is a list of things you can do to celebrate the legend’s life and legacy in the DC area.

Memorial Lunch Cruise on the Odyssey – Jan. 16 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Get ready to shout “I’M ON A BOAT!” while celebrating MLK’s birthday. A lunch cruise in honor of the man, the legend, MLK will be taking off on the Potomac Monday afternoon. The cruise includes live music and entertainment circa the Civil Rights era, and will give you a sick view of the new MLK memorial from the water. Boarding time is 11:15 am, be there or be square!

MLK Memorial – Jan. 15, 2:00 pm

NPS (National Park Service) officials will be laying a wreath in honor of MLK’s 83^rd birthday anniversary. Like most DC citizens you have probably not taken the time to visit any memorials or sights in DC. You also probably have never been to this particular memorial because it’s basically brand spanking new, so why not take advantage this poignant ceremony to kill two birds at the same time?

Martin Luther King Jr. Parade – Jan. 16 11:00 am

Starting on Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE and Milwaukee Place SE, the MLK parade has returned after its five-year break. Expect awesome guests such as the Ballou Marching Band, as well as representatives from different minority communities of the District.

“Let Freedom Ring” @ the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – Jan. 16, 6:00 pm

The Kennedy Center, in conjunction with Georgetown University, will be hosting a musical tribute to MLK celebrating his life through performance. Best part is that it will be a free concert, but tickets are still required. They will be distributed the day of the event near the concert hall around 5:00 pm. Free jams for MLK at the Kennedy Center? Hells yeah.

[image via MrTinDC]

By Carl Pierre / @carlpierre

 With the advent of the new startup accelerator, Fortify, positioning itself for launch in the District, it is distressing to find that one of it’s biggest supporters is cracking down on innovation in the city.

Even though Mayor Vincent Gray is one of Fortify’s biggest supporters, offering a $100,000 boost for it’s launch, his consistency with supporting disruptive companies is questionable. It seems to be a trend growing this week with two incidents implicating Mayor Gray and his office’s particular enforcement of D.C. regulations aimed at specific groups.

The targets?

DC Food Trucks and Uber DC.

Earlier this week, DC Food Truck enthusiasts were startled to hear the rumblings of a possible new crackdown on those mobile eateries we have grown to love so much in the District. On Thursday, Food Truck Fiesta blogged about an incident involving DCPD harassing parked trucks, informing them that they will be ticketed if they don’t have a line formed in front of them. If there is no visible line directly into a food truck, DCPD have the ability to write a $50 ticket to the truck and dismiss them from the premises. District officials have cited that fines can reach up to $1000 with each additional violation. New regulations and laws will be officially posted on January 20^th according to an aide from Mayor Vincent Gray’s office.

This morning, transportation startup UberDC was caught in a “sting” organized by Ron Linton of the D.C. Taxi Commission. During a hearing earlier, Linton vaguely alluded that Uber was operating illegally and that actions would be taken against them. Acting good upon his word, Linton setup a sting that found an Uber driver in violation of “incorrect hauling” and “improper charging” for failing to adhere to state lines when ferrying a passenger from DC to Virginia and not citing a fare before the trip began. Most passengers would find these charges to be both petty and insignificant but they were enough to impound the driver’s car and accrue fines for his tickets.

With all that said, it is interesting that Mayor Gray and his office are targeting innovative companies and organizations in DC after announcing their support for Fortify’s operations in the District. After ruminating on possible reasons as to why they would target such beloved organizations in the city, I can only assume it boils down to personal interests and finance. It would make sense to invest heavily in Fortify because it will bring more Tech and business to D.C., but I suppose with smaller organizations, such as the Food Trucks that aren’t as financially beneficial to DC government, can be thrown under the bus. In the case of Uber, with Mayor Gray’s heavy campaign contributions from the D.C. taxi industry it makes sense that this would be the favor Taxi companies would call in for that financial support.

It’s frustrating and upsetting to see these organizations being targeted in the District, especially since we just started to gather a burgeoning Tech scene with several startups coming to the area. All we can do is wait and watch to see how these stories play out. My only hope is that incidents like these will not drive prospective companies and innovators away from D.C.

By Carl Pierre / @carlpierre

The City Paper recently put up article titled “Self-Improvement in 2012”, a guide to  various local courses and classes in the DC area you can take to hit those New Years resolutions and goals of improving yourself. What’s interesting about the banner attached to the article is the rather large, and difficult to miss male organ in the center of the banner. 

I can only assume that the people over at City Paper are avid fans of Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club have taken Tyler Durden’s mantra to heart:

[image via quickmeme]

I must say kudos to the team if that really was the reference they were shooting for. My only question is what local course can somebody take in DC to pursue this particular art of self improvement?

[article image via citypaper]

By Carl Pierre / @carlpierre

Well the last bit in the title was a joke, but the first part is all too real.

WMATA Officials are proposing yet another fare hike for the Metro. Created by CEO of the WMATA Board of Directors Richard Sarles, the proposal will eliminate the peak-of-the-peak fare and create a flat fare system for paper fare cards. The goal of the fare increase is to raise at least half of the funds for the WMATA’s $120 million deficit in the next fiscal year. 

Gird your loins, here are the big changes to expect with this new system:

• Fare increase for paper cards, which will cost $6 each way for peak hours and $4 for non-peak hours
• For SmarTrip users, rail fare can range between $1.70 to $3.50 during non-peak hours, and from $2.10 to $5.75 during peak hours
• Bus fares will go up from $1.60 to $1.70 for SmarTrip users
• Maximum non-peak rail fare is $2.75, which will be raised to $3.50 (27% increase)

The real targets of the fare hike are people who only occasionally ride the metro and tourists. Another residual effect of this fare hike will be an increase in SmarTrip users; the differences in benefits of using SmarTrip cards rather than paper fare cards will become even more apparent with the fare increase.

As a big Metro commuter myself I am amiable to the concept of fare hikes when they are necessary to satisfy requirements such as maintenance and upkeep, but it seems as if problems related to the WMATA’s quality of service have only been growing in recent months. With major brake disc malfunctions, cracking rails, and recent suicides, Metro Officials will have a tough time selling this fare hike to DC commuters.

Unfortunately for me, like many commuters that are at the mercy of the DC Metropolitan transportation infrastructure, I have no choice but to fork over the extra cash and take it like a bitch. 

[source via GreaterGreaterWashington]