Originally Posted by
Often1
Certainly not appropriate to run a fare without the meter and to drop you other than at your destination. It just seems that there are facts missing from OP's post.
Just as a point of information: Until recently, cabs in DC did not have meters as they ran off a zone system. I would never get the same fare for a trip from my place in DC to the same destination.
And I will say that in DC, there are a lot of gypsy cabs (cabs operated by unlicensed drivers) since the police never seem to enforce it.