BALL PARK WORKSHOP

A taxi Workshop was held last week as part of the Waterfront Transportation Assessment Project. The meeting was aimed at improving taxicab access and service at AT&T Park before, during and after ball games as well as other events.

The SFMTA was represented by Peter Albert (standing to my right in the last photo) who is heading the project, Project Manager Erin Miller (standing along with PCO Supervisor Gregory Sedlock in the lead photo), Taxi Services Director Chris Hayashi and Project Manager Carli Paine.

Taxicab drivers were represented by the usual suspects plus a few others.

Erin Miller suggested that we break up into three groups and that each team come up with five ideas to improve drop-offs and pick-ups.

We were encouraged to write or draw our recommended changes on maps of the area around AT&T.

Then a spokesperson for each group presented their proposals.

There appeared to be general agreement on the following ideas:

1. There should be better signage directing customers to cab stands. Colim Marcoux (third photo – white hair) suggested that flashing signs inside (or outside?) the ball park could be used for this purpose.

2. There should be a Taxi Only lane on 2nd street from Bryant to King streets.

• The cab stand on 2nd & King should be extended from Townsend to Brannan.
• U-turns should be allowed for taxis on 2nd and, in order the make the turns safer, there should be no parking on the East side of 2nd up to Townsend or, possibly, Brannan.
• Taxis should be allowed to make left turns onto the Embarcadero from 2nd after the games.

3. The cab stand on 3rd & King should be moved to the East side of the street and extended from King up to Brannan (expect for the bus stop).

4. Since the Cal Tran station at 4th & Townsend functions as a cab stand, taxis should be allowed to make legal U-turns there.

• Let me add that it would be a good idea to put a PCO at Cal Tans to help taxis safely make U-turns, not only after AT&T events, but during rush hour.

5. Traffic (except for taxis) should be turned from the Embarcadero onto Brannen after the games.

Mark Gruberg of the UTW said that a cab strand should be placed on the south side of King directly in front of the ball park.

Other drivers thought that limos should have a separate staging area. Trevor Johnson of the SFCDA suggested that the 3rd street side of the park would make a good place for limos so they could form a line "all the way out to the Bayview."

Most drivers where also in favor of having a non-enforcement rule for taxis dropping off and picking up for an hour after the game. This idea appeared to meet with something less than enthusiasm by PCO Sedlock and the project managers. I think the concept needs clarification.

None of us are suggesting that we make a cinéma-vérité version of The Purge with PCO's desperately fleeing avenging cab drivers. By all means ticket red-light running or any other dangerous moves.

However, the reality at these events is that there is going to be a great deal of chaos. Traffic is usually heavy and regularly gridlocked before the games, making it difficult or impossible to drop-off in a cab stand. And, after a game,  people run and flag the first taxi they see whether it's in a cab stand or not. It's not reasonable or efficient to expect them to walk a block when there is a cab right in front of them. Double-parking (typically for less than half a minute) is often the only realistic option.

Drivers should be allowed to drop-off or pick-up customers wherever it can be done safely without fear of being ticketed for minor, frequently imaginary infractions. So many drivers have been hit with bogus tickets after games that many of them won't go near the ball park. If the city really wants taxi drivers to do a better job at AT&T, the PCO's are going to have to change their mind-sets from one of "busting violators" to one of helping customers get to and from ballgames.

Fortunately, it sounded as if Peter Albert, Erin Miller and the other city representatives in the room enthusiastically embraced this point of view. Director Hayashi also promised that taxi drivers would no longer be harassed and that the eight newly hired investigators of Taxi Services would help out at the ball park.

Ever the skeptic, I said to Hayashi after the meeting,

"Well, they really listened. Do you think they'll actually make the changes?

"Of course," she replied. "Everybody knows things aren't working now."

Photos by Chris Hayashi

MHA 2010 Meeting

The Medallion Holders Association held its annual meeting Monday at the Mars Bar and Cafe.

A nice buffet which included hot wings, hors d'oeuvres and delicious hamburgers seemed to be enjoyed by just about everybody. Board member Mike Spain briefly summarized his plan for peak-time medallions and President Carl Macmurdo discussed various subjects and strategies important to the members. But the highlight of the evening was an appearance by Deputy Director of Taxi Services Christiane Hayashi.

Showing her usual charm and charisma, the director fielded questions and used them as a springboard to express her thinking on various topics. Not necessarily in order, these included:

The Fixed Price for Selling Medallions.

Hayashi said that she liked the fixed price because:

• It's unique to San Francisco and other cities have shown an interest in it.
• The price is low enough to be affordable for drivers. 
• It thus allows buyers to get reasonable loan options.

She pointed that in New York, where medallions often sell for $500,000 or more, only high interest loans with balloon payments are available and that buyers rarely succeed in paying off their loans.

One medallion holder said that the $150,000 that a holder would clear by selling the medallion would not be enough to retire on.

Ms. Hayashi responded by saying that the medallion sales were never intended to be a retirement but rather a way to help people retire in conjunction with other savings.

She added that she didn't expect the Fixed Price to go over $300,000. Otherwise medallions would no longer remain affordable for working drivers.

Peak-Time Medallions

After hearing plans about peak-time medallions for as long as I've been in the cab business, it looks like an idea whose time has come.

Director Hayashi said that people in city government wanted to see it happen so it will - probably early next year.

Various plans for how this will happen are being discussed at TAC but she did say that her plan called for the peak-time medallions to be leased from the MTA.

Not, on the other hand, a popular idea among MHA members.

Watch Those Flashers

Medallion holder Norma Greer had recently written to Hayashi about being harassed by a policeman when she tried to drop in a bus stop. The cop also threatened to cite her for using her flashers illegally.

The director said that she looked up the law and there is indeed an obscure vehicle code against using the flashers for anything except emergencies.

Hayashi said that it was legal to drop in a bus stop - as long you pull "as far forward as possible." She also said that she would discuss enforcement policy with the PCOs (meter maids).

In the meantime, she added that you should fight any such tickets and report the incidents to her office. It's also helpful to get the badge number of the officer involved.


Electronic Waybills and Credit Cards

Hayashi said all taxis would probably have electronic waybills installed by the first quarter of 2011. She added that Luxor and Yellow Cab were already equipped to handle them right now.

She expressed enthusiasm for the new technology because "we'll be able to gather accurate information" about the number of rides and so forth "for the first time ever." This could prove invaluable to the Controller's office in helping to figure out how to improve taxi service.

Ms. Hayashi also said that systems for handling credit cards would be installed on the back seat of some cabs at the option of each company.  One such system, VeriFone, would:

• Allow the customers to swipe the cards themselves.
• Prompt the customer for a tip.
• Automatically transfer the funds into a driver's bank account.

There would be a 5% charge to the driver but Hayashi says that studies have shown that drivers make more than the additional 5% off the tips because of the prompting.

She also said owners and medallion holders could use other systems if they wanted - citing Yellow Cab that has chosen to keep their own system - but, in such cases, it would be illegal to pass the credit card charges onto the drivers.

This naturally segued into ...

Calling 311

Director Hayashi went on to say that every cab driver in San Francisco was required to take credit cards and, if they didn't, other drivers should report the culprits on 311. She also added other crimes such as being rude to customers or reckless driving to the list of things that should be reported.

So ... next time you see a cab driver holding up a customer with a Uzi be sure to call 311.

(Okay. Okay. Off with the sarcasm.)

I did point out to Hayashi that my information was that the taxi drivers, who were turning down credit cards, mostly drove for companies that were illegally charging the drivers 10% - 12% per transaction.

Hayashi said that we should let her know which companies were doing this.

Taking her at her word - the number to call (if your company is illegally charging you for credit card transactions) is 415.701.5235

In the past, Ms. Hayashi has promised anonymity and protection to any driver who makes a complaint against a company. I've never known her to go back on her word.