WASHINGTON (AP) — Taxicab regulators in the District of Columbia have given final approval to a major fare increase.

The D.C. Taxicab Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the 44 percent hike.

The per-mile fare will go from $1.50 to $2.16, and the cost for idling will go from $15 to $25 per hour.

Taxicab commission chairman Ron Linton tells The Washington Post that the fare hike will take effect April
21, but not all cabs will begin charging the new fares right away. Some will need to get their meters recalibrated.

The fare hike is intended to bring taxicab revenues and average prices for riders to levels similar to those before May 2008, when the district moved from a zone-based fare system to a meter-based system.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)