DC Taxicab Commission dips a toe into on-demand delivery

The D.C. Taxicab Commission announced on Wednesday that it has soft-launched a new on-demand service that uses taxis to deliver things like food and laundry in the District. It’s all part of this year’s InnoMAYtion celebration.
The program, made possible by a partnership with delivery.com, “will initially focus on lunch-hour food delivery in select areas.” The Commission heralded the news on Twitter with this proof-of-delivery picture:

Lunch was delivered via https://t.co/CM1PZ5te2l by a DC taxi driver #yummy #innoMAYTion pic.twitter.com/IQQzI5yFnZ

— DFHV (@DC_DFHV) May 18, 2016

Those who want lunch delivered by taxi can order through the delivery.com app or website, then wait while the food is prepared, picked up by a taxi and delivered to your location. The press release contains no indication of how long this will take.
“It’s exciting to unlock greater value in taxis and vehicles for hire,” DCTC Chairman Ernest Chrappah said in a statement. “This program is truly a win-win for the District. It gives licensed drivers another income stream when a fare is not available and allows us to improve customer services for more visitors and residents across all 8 Wards.”
Just a short list of restaurants are participating in the program at this juncture, but the press release advises us all to “look for additional partnerships and services to follow.”
Here’s who’s in to begin with:

It’s an interesting move for DCTC, for one because D.C. is already a busy on-demand delivery market. We’ve got UberEATS and Favor and goPuff and Postmates and more, not to mention startups like Galley that both make and deliver your food.
But this is just DCTC’s latest entry into the modern on-demand economy — the Commission unveiled a ride-hailing app back in February.