From The SFMTA, Notice of June's Town Hall Meetings.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 18, 2011

Contact: Paul Rose

(415) 601-1637

paul.rose@sfmta.com

**PRESS RELEASE**

SFMTA Announces Second Round of Taxi Town Hall Meetings

Agency to discuss electronic waybills at meetings in early June

San Francisco—The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all surface transportation in the City, including the Municipal Railway (Muni) and the regulation of taxis, today announced that it will host a series of town hall meetings on two topics:

1. Using electronic waybills for San Francisco taxis: whether the SFMTA should require electronic reporting based on GPS data instead of the paper trip records currently used by taxi drivers.

2. Peak time taxi permits: whether a new type of permit should be issued for part-time operation of vehicles to increase service during “peak” periods of high demand.

All industry professionals as well as taxi customers are encouraged to attend.

Wednesday, June 1

First meeting: 1 to 4 p.m.

Second meeting: 6 to 9 p.m.

Monday, June 6

First meeting: 1 to 4 p.m.

Second meeting: 6 to 9 p.m.

Wednesday, June 8

First meeting: 1 to 4 p.m.

Second meeting: 6 to 9 p.m.

The first four sessions on June 1 and June 6 will address the use of electronic waybills in San Francisco taxis and peak time taxis; the final two sessions on June 8 will review and summarize input from the previous meetings. Staff will then present a recommendation based on this input to the SFMTA Board of Directors at a future Board meeting.

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All meetings will be held at the following location:

1 South Van Ness Avenue

2nd Floor, Atrium

Nearby Muni Routes: 6, 9, 14, 47, 49, 71, F Market, Metro—Van Ness Station

In addition to the town hall meetings, those interested may attend the Taxi

Advisory Council (TAC) meeting at 1 p.m. held on the second and third Monday

of each month at the same location.

The SFMTA will be conducting regular taxi town hall meetings at least once a

month to seek input from all interested parties on ways to improve the taxi

industry. The topics to be discussed at these meetings will be posted in advance

at the SFMTA Web site.

The SFMTA encourages all San Francisco residents and visitors to always hire a San Francisco taxi. Legitimate local taxis are easy to spot by the label “San Francisco Taxicab” on the side and rear of each vehicle as well as by the prominent display of the taxi medallion and the driver’s identification. By choosing a San Francisco taxi, customers are assured that they will have a safe ride in a vehicle that has received regular inspections and is properly insured. Customers have the added benefit of knowing that they are supporting their local taxi drivers.

All customer complaints should be reported to 311. For more information about San Francisco taxis, please visit www.sfmta.com/taxis.

Established by voter proposition in 1999, the SFMTA, a department of the City and County of San Francisco, oversees the Municipal Railway (Muni), parking and traffic and taxis. With five modes of transit, Muni has approximately 700,000 passenger boardings each day. Over 35,000 extra vehicles enter San Francisco on any given business day, and rely on the SFMTA to keep the flow of cars, transit vehicles, taxis, delivery trucks, pedestrians and bicycles moving smoothly through the streets.

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency

One South Van Ness Avenue, Seventh Fl. San Francisco, CA 94103 | Tel: 415.701.4500 | Fax: 415.701.4430 | www.sfmta.com