San Francisco taxicab drivers held the biggest protest yesterday in the thirty years that I've been driving a cab. As a low estimate, 1,000 taxicabs circled City Hall. There may have been more. A crowd filled the steps. There were numerous brilliant speeches given by cab drivers, handicapped people, a taxi company owner and the head of a credit union.
At approximately the same time as the protest ended, I received this e-mail from the CPUC.
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3:43 PM (5 hours ago)
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This
email provides service of Cmmr Peevey's Proposed Decision. The full
text is made available through the link provided below on July 30, 2013. A Notice of Availability has been served by mail to all persons on the service list.
Summary: Proposed Decision Decision adopting rules and regulations to protect public safety while allowing new entrants to the transportation industry. Opening comments, which shall not exceed 15 pages, are due no later than August 19, 2013. Reply comments, which shall not exceed 5 pages, are due 5 days after the last day for filing opening comments. .
In the event of problems with the e-mail or the internet link, please contact Antonina Swansen at avs@cpuc.ca.gov, (415) 703-2546.
Summary: Proposed Decision Decision adopting rules and regulations to protect public safety while allowing new entrants to the transportation industry. Opening comments, which shall not exceed 15 pages, are due no later than August 19, 2013. Reply comments, which shall not exceed 5 pages, are due 5 days after the last day for filing opening comments. .
In the event of problems with the e-mail or the internet link, please contact Antonina Swansen at avs@cpuc.ca.gov, (415) 703-2546.
The afore-mentioned "internet link" did not work for me. So, the above is all I have for the moment. ABC news has reported that the decision will allow the illegal rideshares to become legal. But any relation between what ABC reports and reality is purely accidental. Until I can actually read what Swansen sent me, I won't understand what the decision really means.
In the meantime, we have thirty days from either now or the 24th to formulate arguments to sway the CPUC commission of the virtues our positon. In the meantime here are some photographs of the rally.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2013/07/30/california-puc-proposes-legalizing-ride-sharing-companies-lyft-sidecar-uber/
ReplyDeleteSo sweet.
I just tried to post something with WordPressID that didn't go through Ed. It is an important idea I want to share with community so I will post here again.
ReplyDelete--
The number one argument that should be used against gypsy cabs(TNC) is :
The destruction of regulated cab industry is not in the best interest of the San Francisco community.
This argument is simple , honest , easy to explain and true.
Cab industry , is a transportation business that should be looked at and regulated like any public utility.
We need to get the City Attorney , Chamber of commerce , Cab industry involved in this process of protecting regulating cab industry as greater public good.
If cab industry is deregulated:
Transportation from airport to city will be disrupted
restaurant will suffer
hotels will suffer
vacationing tourists will suffer
San Francisco workers getting to and from work will suffer
Disabled will suffer
Elderly will suffer
people affected by untrained, under supervised, under insured,under background checked drivers will suffer
city will suffer from congestion
city will suffer from pollution many more non hybrid cars driven around and non hybrid cars
Ed. Check your amazing... Email. I sent it
ReplyDeleteI second the above argument, it is the real reason the taxi industry needs to be first saved and then secondly have its problems fixed, insurance problems are a bump in the road and will be resolved, they are a diversion from the real issues. In addition, i believe a properly regulated taxi cab industry will provide better wages than a deregulated one. In a city that supposedly values a living wage for its workers and residents this should matter. Fair Trade, Not Free Trade.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I arrived a bit late (Lombard public transport, gah) and didn't have time to take good photographs of the new swatches, so here is a quick and dirty phone photo of a new Mariah Carey collection coming out later this year..lombard transportation Lombard Taxi services to and from Midway, O'Hare and the Loop
ReplyDelete