"Outrage!!!". By Brad Newsham.

(Note from the blog's administrator - this article has been submitted to Taxi TownSF and has been published in the interest of free speech.  The following views are those of its author, and not necessarily the views of the blog's publisher.)

TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) completed a “hostile takeover” of the city’s taxicab industry. Since then, all of the industry’s many stakeholders have been urged to attend twice-monthly meetings of the Taxicab Advisory Council (TAC) -- and also many periodic town hall meetings. Altogether there have been about 100 such meetings, which are designed: to promote conversation about ways to improve the taxicab industry; to try to achieve consensus and agreement among the various parties; and to move the industry forward.

At its regular meeting on February 13, 2012, the TAC’s members completed voting on forty separate proposals and resolutions that have been generated during these two and a half years of meetings. One item stated, “All revenues generated by the taxicab industry should be reinvested in the taxicab industry.” Clear. Simple. Fair.

On this issue, the often-fragmented industry spoke as one: the vote was unanimous, 14-0, the most overwhelming vote of the entire proceeding. Every member of the Council who was present (including representatives of the three major cab companies) voted Yes. Zero people voted No. “All revenues generated by the taxicab industry should be reinvested in the taxicab industry.” Fourteen-to-zip.

Chris Hayashi, Deputy Director of MTA Taxi Services, was present at the meeting, as usual. One of Hayashi’s main responsibilities is to serve as the Council Liaison to the MTA Board of Directors. She is specifically charged with communicating to the MTA the thoughts and sentiments of the cab industry’s many stakeholders -- cab drivers, medallion holders, cab companies, dispatchers, ridership, etc.

Former Taxi Driver Wants To Ask Others If He Should Start Driving Again.

Here's a question posted by a Taxi TownSF reader with Taxi TownSF's response to his question.  The question was originally posted anonymously on "Ask A Cab Driver".  

Question from reader:  I drove a cab part time in 2006 between 6pm and 4 am about 3 days a week.

I worked as security guard as well. 


I made about $7 an hour the way I calculated it after paying for gas and the cab company. I was working as a guard back then as well and was making $14 an hour so I finally ended up leaving the cab driving to take on more hours in security.


Now I am thinking about driving a cab in the day time. I wondering if I will make more money in the day than at night. I could live with $12 an hour and maybe even $10 an hour, but I can't live with $7 an hour.


HOPE FOR THE BEST BUT BE READY FOR THE WORST. City tried to get all medallions for itself before, but the opposition was too strong. By Saam Aryan.

(Note from the blog's administrator - this article has been submitted to Taxi TownSF and has been published in the interest of free speech.  The following views are those of its author, and not necessarily the views of the blog's publisher.)

After SFMTA saw, in the last strike, that all we could do was getting around 600 cabs circling the City Hall, they must have thought that it was not much of deterrence. Therefore, I believe, SFMTA decided to go ahead with their plan. SFMTA now is closing on us on three fronts. They will keep at it until there is nothing left of us. These three fronts bring them their objective of MONEY, MONEY, and MONEY:

1. THE WAITING LIST, which they are planning to destroy by these means:
   
   
   1. SFMTA froze the expansion of the waiting list.
   2. Then SFMTA attempted to cut the waiting list to 1100. Now the list is close to 3000.
   3. Then SFMTA started selling the medallion (around 210 so far). By doing so, SFMTA achieved two other intermediary objectives.
      1. SFMTA is preparing those on the list for their next phase of total elimination of the list; in the future. By selling the medallions the way they did, they destroyed future income for around 50% of those on the Waiting List. This is a huge amount that many on the list would not be earning (around 500 Million to 1 Billion). Instead of having the medallions going to top of the list, SFMTA sold it to those far away from the top.  This caused at least $20,000/year lost for around 50% of those on the list. How many years those on the list were pushed down (instead of moving up)? My answer is between 12 to 24 years. Each year that they did not move up is at least $20,000/year lost—money that they would not be earning. 120/10 = 12 years to 120/5 = 24 years. 5-10 were the approximate medallions that would go to the list by dead and disqualification.
      2. This would also divide those on the waiting list and turn driver against driver. Have you heard DIVIDE AND CONQUER?

Message From A Concerned Taxi Driver Regarding MTA Proposals For Taxi Industry Reform. By Saam Aryan.

(Note from the blog's administrator - this article has been submitted to Taxi TownSF and has been published in the interest of free speech.  The following views are those of its author, and not necessarily the views of the blog's publisher.)

You must show up March 6^th, at 12 Noon and show your opposition (Meeting starts at 1PM but we need 1/2 hour to coordinate before getting ready to occupy a seat in Room 400—those standing will be removed).

This is why we should show up:

After they saw, in the last strike, that all we could do was getting around 600 cabs circling the City Hall, they must have thought that it was not much of deterrence.  Therefore, I believe, SFMTA decided to go ahead with their plan.  SFMTA now is closing on us on three fronts.  They will keep at it until there is nothing left of us.  

These three fronts bring them their objective of MONEY, MONEY, and MONEY:

From SMTA - Game Developers Conference At Moscone Center, March 5-9.

File photo by John Han.

Game Developers Conference: 

March 5-9, 2012

The conference will be held at Moscone North/South/West: The expected attendance will be about 19,500. Please have taxis ready for the event. Thank you. 

 San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency San Francisco Municipal Railway | Department of Parking & Traffic | Division of Taxis & Accessible Services One S. Van Ness Avenue, Seventh Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103 | Tel: 415.701.4400 | Fax: 415.701.5437 | www.sfmta.com 

From SFMTA. No Taxi Items On March 6th Agenda, For MTA Board Meeting.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

The SFMTA Board of Directors will NOT hear any taxi-related issues at its March 6, 2012 meeting.  The discussion of medallion reform will be postponed until a later meeting.  We will keep you advised as soon as we know when the issue of medallion reform will be considered by the Board of Directors.

Apologies for any confusion or inconvenience.

NYC To Get Rid of Some Taxi TV’s. By Transportation Nation

By Transportation Nation | 03/01/2012 – 5:24 pm

Taxi TV (photo by Kathleen Horan/WNYC)

(Note from the blog's publisher:  Since some taxis in San Francisco now have repetitive, sound producing "Taxi TVs" in the back seats, San Francisco's MTA should take notice that New York is now considering replacing "Taxi TVs", with quieter technology, in part, due to mixed reviews from passengers.  While the following article states David Yassky, of the NY Taxi and Limousine Commission defends Taxi TVs, saying some passengers like their entertainment, a significant share of the ridership thinks Taxi TVs are annoying and intrusive.  Also, the 5% credit card fee is addressed in this article, with Square's rate at 2.75%.  These issues are pertinent to San Francisco's taxi industry.  Therefore they are published here at Taxi TownSF.  This article is from "Transportation Nation" - John Han)  

(New York, NY — Kathleen Horan, WNYC) 

New York City is planning to offer passengers a quieter ride by taking the TVs out of the backs of some yellow taxis.

“What we’re trying here is a credit card screen that won’t have advertising or entertainment content on that”, said Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Yassky at a meeting of the Taxi and Limousine Commission.

New Yorkers reaction has been mixed to the TV’s that can blare in the backseats but Yassky defends the current system—adding that some passengers do enjoy the entertainment content.

The TLC approved a pilot program on Thursday to remove the TV screens from the back of 30 cabs and replace them with iPads or other tablets.

The mobile payment company called SQUARE will equip these cabs with interactive touch screens. On them, passengers can to pay for their ride and opt to have a receipt emailed or texted to them. If the pilot program is approved, the new screens could appear in many more cabs by early next year. The internet and other functions wouldn’t be available right away.

CLICK HERE to read entire article by Transportation Nation.

Also, CLICK HERE to read the same issued covered by the New York Times.  

Golden Gate Bridge Set To Lay Off It's Toll Takers This Year, And Go With Automated, Cashless System.

Photo by John Han.

Human taxi drivers being replaced by automatically driven cars mays be a ways off still.  But technology moves so fast these days, things could come quicker than we anticipate.  So don't rule anything out.   

As for today, the Golden Gate Bridge District is expected to lay off ALL of its human toll takers as early as December of this year, and go with an automated, cashless system. 

CLICK HERE to read about it. 

By the way, Google is said to be releasing internet eyeglasses this year called "Head Up Display" (HUD).  Glasses what can feed you information like internet, photos, videos, etc., while you view the real world, without carrying a separate i-pad of smart phone.  Just shows how fast technology is moving. 

Taxi Drivers Could Become Extinct One Day, And Replaced By Robot Cars. So Why Bother Buying Medallions Today For $250,000? Tomorrow, They Could Be Worth Nothing. Watch The Videos Below, And You'll See! By John Han.

Google Car: It Drives Itself - ABC News

Click on video.

(For entertainment purposes only.  But read it anyway.)

They're coming!   Google's first robotic, self-driving cars have already been, and are being tested on roads right here in San Francisco's Bay Area.  

And they're testing successfully, I might add.  

I'm labeling this essay uniquely as "for entertainment purposes only" because it's way too early to speculate what self-driving cars could mean in ten or twenty years, or whenever, for San Francisco's taxi industry, and for taxi industries around the world.  

But consider what this following video taken from YouTube suggests about the idea of driverless TAXIS and the future...  (Read an article about it HERE.  Or view the video below.)

ARE YOU ON THE WAITING LIST? WAITING LIST IS GETTING KILLED. YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT: CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. By Saam Aryan.

(Note from the blog's administrator - this article has been submitted to Taxi TownSF and has been published in the interest of free speech.  The following views are those of its author, and not necessarily the views of the blog's publisher.)

  

(By Saam Aryan)

Taxi drivers are self-employed independent contractors. They do not have medical, vacation, sick leave, retirement plan, etc. Medallion waiting list was created for those that choose to have a career as taxi drivers. The extra income generated by getting a taxicab medallion would help them to pay their bills at old age; when they are not able to push themselves and work as much. This was the implied contract of the San Francisco Government.

So far, under SFMTA, 184 Taxicab Medallions has been sold with more under way. In Prop K restructuring, SFMTA agreed that for every sold medallions, they would issue one to the top of the Waiting List. If what SFMTA did was not sale than nothing has ever been sold. These medallions did not go to the top of the waiting list. Let us examine the financial impact:

Because senior drivers, now, under SFMTA, are selling their Medallions