The Board of Supervisors failed to pass a resolution "opposing proposed taxi fare increase under consideration by the Municipal Transportation Agency in the absence of improved taxi service" yesterday because it did not have unanimous support.
Sponsored by Supervisors Scott Weiner, Malia Cohen and Mark Farrell, the measure required a unanamous vote because it had not been discussed in a committee.
We didn't realize that the public would be able to address the subject until the Board was already in session so only Mark Gruberg of the United Taxicab Workers, Barry Korengold of the San Francisco Cab Drivers Association and myself argued against the resolution.
Gruberg said that we needed a raise because we hadn't had one in eight years; Korengold mentioned that the SFMTA Board had failed to implement Open Taxi Access which would immediately improve service to the neighborhoods; and I commented on the weirdness of Democratic politicians, the party of labor, refusing to back a cost-of-living raise to working people. We all expressed a sense of unfairness at being punished for problems beyond our control.
The Board, however, had already decided the issue behind closed doors - this time to our advantage. Supervisor Weiner said that the resolution did not have the necessary support so no vote was taken and the measure was tabled until the Board's next meeting.
Weiner went on to say that the resolution was not intended as a criticism of cab drivers but that we needed more taxis on the street. He just thought that any meter increase should be coupled with peak time cabs.
Supervisor John Avalos, from my District 11, true to his labor roots, spoke against the measure saying that taxi drivers needed a fare increase.
Supervisor Malia Cohen, from District 10, remained adamant in her belief that there should be no meter increase until cab drivers start picking up in the Bayview.
Have any other companies joined Luxor in committing to pick up in Bayview? Any advice on how to make sure you're not left standing in the cold even though the dispatcher assures you the cab is on its way?
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, and generally speaking, taxicab companies, have zero
ReplyDeleteAccountability for their poor services to, the drivers and the public at large since
The running of these operations, represents a loss of revenue to the companies
Bottom line.
Many drivers have been killed, assulted and
ReplyDeletebadly beaten up in Bay View area. They are
not employee with any benefits. Why they
should go in scuh area. The best would be
for the leaders of that area to teach their
people first.
Hi Kristine,
ReplyDeleteI don't know the answer. Part of the problem is that the Bayview is so far away from the busy parts of the city.
You might try Cabulous. You can actually talk to your driver. He should be more reliable than a dispatcher - although not always.
I'd like to see Ms Enea drive a cab in the bayview for a couple of nights. Of course she would not cuz she would be scared s*itless but she has no trouble having us do it.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine was driving a cab on 3rd one night about midnight and someone stepped out and fired 3 rounds into his cab. The first round was headed right for his heart but went into the dash pad.
The third round finally got him in the back. He still has the round in his back.
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI've had the pleasure of meeting Ms Enea and she strikes me as one of the people who is good at everything she does. I'm sure she'd make an excellent cab driver.
Since she lives in the Bayview close to the old shipyard, I can't see her being scared about driving through the area.
The area can be dangerous but cab drivers often exaggerate the danger. Tourists have recently been shot at Geary and Mason and Fisherman's wharf. Cab drivers have been killed at 10th and Mission and Hays and Scott.
There are a lot of good people in the Bayview who just want a cab.
I think we should try to figure out how to serve them better.