08 4 / 2009
Gratuitous Civic Issue I Feel Strongly About Wednesday
So today I was perusing the information-age-flavored populism on MuniDiaries.com, and I came upon this observational and well-intentioned post that unintentionally hit upon something that is actually a real problem. Like so many other peccadillos of civic life, here is a window into a public management issue that is crying out for reform.
The post basically describes a limousine driver who is soliciting rides from impatient people waiting at a train stop: “Guy in snazzy black limo pulls up and starts offering rides anywhere in downtown/FiDi for $3 per person. Promises door to door service.” And the writer’s observation of this alternative transit is entirely in the context of its relationship to bus/train service: “FYI, F-car: Some dude is stomping on your territory and pretty much beat you at the transportation game today. Next time, I might not side with you (and my principles) if I’m in a pinch.” But besides the obvious conflict, that there is no possible way for a municipal transit line confined to a specific route plan and schedule to ever compete in the “transportation game” with a commercial vehicle unencumbered by such things, there is another more pressing issue here. In the interest of not reinventing the wheel, I’ll just repost my comment below:
Actually it’s not just the F that dude is stomping on, it’s taxi drivers.
It is super illegal in the city of San Francisco for limo drivers to solicit rides off the street in that way (in the city or at the airport) and they are taking business directly away from licensed San Francisco taxicabs. Limousines are supposed to pre-arrange rides with written or over-the-phone contracts (at any time an SFPD officer can ask them to provide proof of this per Article 16 of the SF Police Code) and because of this they are able to realize much more revenue per ride than a taxi, which is legally limited to charging the municipal rates on the taximeter.
The legal limo/taxi differential exists because theoretically there are two different transportation needs being met; taxis are a form of public transportation serving a more ad-hoc need, and limousines charge a premium for a contractual, personalized ride in an unmarked vehicle without as much focus on time and distance. When a limo skirts this regulation to fill unbooked time, they take money right out of cab drivers’ pockets. Cab drivers are already screwed enough by the city; prevented from labor organizing by their bogus “independent contractor” status and often driving years without any possibility of an ownership stake in the industry, and it will only get worse as the city looks to squeeze budget dollars out of the cab industry by revoking our longtime public policy of taxi medallions as essentially public property. If you ever see a limo driver soliciting rides on the street or at the airport, please tell him what he’s doing is illegal and in violation of the Police Code. Better yet, call the SFPD’s taxi detail at (415) 553-1447 and report his license plate number.
