Cabs at IAD for $10 fare
 

Is there any way to get a cab at IAD that has not spent an hour or so going through that monster cab line to get a $40 fare to DC?

I really hate the thought of taking some person's wait time, and going to Herndon on a small fare.

I've heard you can pick up a cab quickly at the departures level as they are dropping off, haven't tried this myself.

This is illegal and many cab drivers wouldn't want to take the risk of a fine.

The dispatcher (or the guys inside, depending on the crowds) asks where you are going. If it's a short distance (a lot of Reston or Herndon, for example), the driver gets given a "short trip" card that allows them to jump to the front of the line when they come back.

I live just over the line (and I mean just) so I'll usually be vague about the location so the driver can get one, sometimes they appreciate it and sometimes not. :)

That's great. Too bad they can't institute that at LHR.

I haven't run into a long cab line in years, but they still have the cattle gates for Washington Flyer, so I suppose they still happen.

Go to the arrivals ramp just at the exit to the ramp. The cops seem to tolerate a cabbie picking up a fare at the end of the ramp. I don't know why this location is better than the middle of the ramp, but there you have it.

The cops will NOT tolerate a non-Dulles cab soliciting a fare. What you have probably seen (and this is perfectly legitimate) is a non-Dulles cab making a PRE-ARRANGED pickup. The pre-arranging could very well have been a phone call made to an off-airport cab company just minutes earlier - and this is perfectly proper so long as the cabbie has the passenger's name on his manifest for a pickup.

Not entirely true, I don't think they bother. I'm approached by folks offering "need a taxi" on a regular basis. This is common at most every and any airport I've ever been at, including IAD.

As far as lines go - yes, they definitely exist unfortunately I get to experience them on a regular basis. The last one was thursday after that snow storm about two weeks ago (weather was definitely part of the issue) - it was an hour wait and they were doubling & tripling folks up for the ride.