SFist: A Breakup Letter to SF Cabbies & Cab Companies

Greg

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:10:48 -0800

don't forget, voters voted to abolish the taxi commission and move its functions over to the MTA. Enjoy!

homosuperior

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:34:18 -0800

@pancakebreakfast no....compassion and a bit of critical thinking for cabbies and why they are asking for fare increases. I've lived here 10 years and take cabs on a semi-regular basis at night when I don't want to freeze waiting for MUNI or going directly to a club or whatnot. I have found a few jerks, but most are amiable and are just trying to make a living and the cost of gas is killing them. In plain English, I do believe that the number of people living in a city can be equated with the number of cabs needed regardless of the density. A pop. of 500 in a tiny town can have the same density as 500,000 in a small city. My point was that it's not the density that determines the # of cabs needed, but the number of people who need them....but thanks for the spelling lesson anyway. I do, however, absolutely agree we need more cabs.

Brock Keeling

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:28:03 -0800

compassion & critical thinking can get you banned.

pancakebreakfast

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:24:44 -0800

"But I wouldn't expect anything resembling compassion or critical thinking on SFist comment. It's the same commenters on every post anyway." Is this supposed to be in reference to the population density figures? Let me spell it out for you in plain English: 1) A commenter said that we need greater density, like Chicago, to have more efficient public transit. 2) I pointed out that SF is has greater density than Chicago, and in fact is the second-densest city with a population over 500,000 in the U.S. 3) Overall population and overall geographic size are completely irrelevant to both of these facts, because density is a relative measurement that takes into account both of those figures. Thank you for playing!

dantsea

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:36:19 -0800

Wow. I live in North Beach and I had no idea how horrible it is to get from here to the Castro or points in between by transit, even though I do it on a regular basis and don't actually experience any problems or excessive delays (though I often hear that the magic underground railway fucks most of you better-knowing folk over on a regular basis). I should probably burn my MUNI pass in anger now!

homosuperior

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:29:23 -0800

@bstriddy !!!! THANK YOU !!! your post is so on mark!! I wish there were more cabs and that they were cheaper, too, but for Christ's sake, gas is over $4.00/gal people! That's like $60+ per tank in cars that probably only get 15 mpg. The reason they drive fast is to get more fares to try and break even. These guys work like 12 hours straight to bring home a little over $100 on average! And the pop. density might be high, but the total pop. is small since it is a small city geographically. But I wouldn't expect anything resembling compassion or critical thinking on SFist comment. It's the same commenters on every post anyway. But it's nice to see that some people actually try to think past step 1.

Willo

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:17:57 -0800

I'm tired of reading articles about the City gouging its citizens for taking cars against its "transit first" policy. But they still let the corrupt taxi commission grow in power and abuse. For a City this size, it's crap what we pay. MUNI still sucks, and cabs are often the only alternative to driving oneself. Now this? I don't fault the drivers, but the owners/insiders who are gaming the system. We should have the cheapest cabs, not the most expensive. And if fuel is so bad, and the City is serious about sustainability and transit first, all cabs should be hybrids. Cabs suck here. A dollar more more per passenger and I think shit's gonna be set on fire.

smallerdemon

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:04:16 -0800

Technically, SF rates higher in density than Chicago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States#Population_density New York, New York 10,173/km² 26,000/mi² San Francisco, California 6,349/km² 16,443/mi² Chicago, Illinois 4,866/km² 12,603/mi²

brokenlogin

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:03:55 -0800

Whoa, there are still cabs here? It's been so long..

pancakebreakfast

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:47:57 -0800

Uh, periqueblend, San Francisco is the second-densest major city in the U.S. We're ahead of Chicago.

periqueblend

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:11:07 -0800

Cabs in this town do suck ass. I like troymcluresf live in a very central part of town and only go to North Beach under duress (if you have to take two forms of MUNI, ask yourself 'is it really worth it?) But the comparison to NYC/Chicago is self-defeating and misplaced. They have DENSITY. If we had more people per square mile we'd get better transportation with more riders and more people would probably mean more cabs (because the outrage would be xx times louder....) But no, everyone people in SF want to live in small buildings with less than six units without any light obstructions. Its the trade-off we're stuck with.

Arizenheimer

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:51:16 -0800

I gave up on taking cabs a long time ago. I end up walking most places now and rewarding myself with the 10 bucks I saved by getting eating out or buying a beer.

coolcucumber

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:10:59 -0800

"And, like, do you even want to be in this relationship? Please drop dead." ...ya rly

makfan

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:04:28 -0800

@28, I must say, however, that the NY Metro Cards can be confusing. There are many flavors of multiple rides plus the 15% bonus for buying over a certain amount. I always seem to end up with leftover money. But somehow that 100 year old system manages to get millions of people to work on time most of the time, which is a lot more than you can say about MUNI.

jimH

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:52:28 -0800

Referring to a prior comment, "failure to convey" is the crime a cabbie commits when s/he refuses to take a passenger to somewhere in S.F. without a good reason. The rules might be different for passengers wanting to going out of the city, so it might not a crime for him/her to say "I won't take you to Daly City."

bluecanary

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:14:48 -0800

@Sivart13. They did not say where this guy lived. Otherwise, you would have to get in line behind me and wait your turn.

fizzandpop

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:52:21 -0800

I will gladly pay the extra $1 if you f**kers quit racing from light to light, stop using the gas pedal like it's an on/off switch, give up driving Crown Vics (17mpg city) and (if you're an old hippie) stop playing KFOG, or (if you're a young immigrant of unidentifyable asian/middle eastern/south American origin) stop playing retarded trance music at full volume. And quit yacking on the cell phone too. And have a clue where SFO is please.

smallerdemon

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:52:02 -0800

My recent SFO to Inner Sunset cab ride was $40 ($42 with the airport fee). I've been with friends to and from the airport. It's really not that long of a drive. The cabbie was nice and talked about the ups and downs of being a cabbie. Still, $42. Last time I took that trip is was $35. That was maybe a year ago, so prices clearly have already been upped in the last year, and they want even more. I have to agree, SF cabs are the pits. NYC and Chicago outdo us in every way when it comes to public transit and even in cab services. In the last year I've made one trip to NYC and two to Chicago, and their transit card systems and turnstiles along made me embarrassed to have to come back to the 1982 MUNI/BART turnstiles that you can hope over and the ridiculous monthly Fast Pass that you can only buy during specific times of the month except for a specific place in the city, and for which if you DO buy it on the first days it is available YOU CAN'T USE IT because it isn't the right month (but you CAN use it to roll over the next month? Wha?). And $1.50 and you get a transfer? Pft. Up the fares and ditch the transfers MUNI. Flog the back door jumpers. Give us real transit cards. Re the cabbies some more, I have had nearly every cabbie I needed change from tell me they don't have it, and now I ask before I get in the cab every time. Perhaps 1 in 10 cabbies in SF are honest with you about the fare and about change. Not that they have an easy job, mind you. I can't say I want to cart a bunch of drunken frat boys turned executive or surgeon around the city at 2 AM and have them puke in the back of the cab. Of course, those idiots are going to be the most likely to be able to afford a cab and the most likely to not give a damn about this.

Sivart13

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:31:06 -0800

@bluecanary The Chronicle just quoted a guy a few weeks ago who commutes, in his car, from the Mission to SOMA and basically said he couldn't care less if gas goes up to $10 a gallon because he can afford it. Did they say where this guy lives? I want to go beat him up. You couldn't pay me to sit through the stop lights between the Mission and SOMA in a car versus taking bike, BART or MUNI (in that order).

sjk8775

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:26:07 -0800

holy cow ... where do you get off speaking for the entire bay area? you strike me as one of those rude teen know-it-alls that sit in the back of a crowded post-work muni and loudly yap on their cell all the while shocked that fellow passengers would dare find you inconsiderate. maybe a day in the shoes of a cab driver would teach you a little lesson in empathy. gas and food prices have slightly increased in case you haven't notices ... maybe you should *gasp* walk if you "hate-hate" SF Cabbies as you do. the rest of your sheep-like followers are merely that ... followers. a small group of your fans hardly constitutes a blessing that you speak for the entire bay area.

kapshure

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:26:04 -0800

question.. sort of unrelated.. What happened to the free monthly city guides that were free in the Yellow Cabs for most of last year and earlier this year? Also, they were test-driving the same touch screen system here in SF that I saw in NYC recently -- which is pretty cool.. has integrated GPS map, weather, local news, entertainment, built-in visible meter. YC also needs to upgrade the radio signals in their cars so debit card purchases ALWAYS go through.. none of this moving the car around to get an "ACCEPTED" on the panel.

bstriddy

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:50:16 -0800

Gothamist must be thrilled to be hosting the bleating of a petulant brat upset over the rising cost of living. Now, through the magic of the internet, you can have that whiny snot-nose experience outside the supermarket! In 10 years I've never had a cab driver in SF fail to have sufficient change, except one time when all it meant was a smaller tip than I'd intended. Sorry your trip across town costs a little more, but maybe you noticed gas prices have gone up more than $2/gallon in the last 2 years? How is that the cab drivers' fault? Did you happen to notice the line in Examiner piece you linked that said "On average, a cab driver takes home $109.47 a shift"? Does that seem an extravagant day's wages? Seems to me it'd be pretty rough to get by on that, living in SF (and gas prices show no signs of leveling or retreating.) I, for one, couldn't suffer even the occasional intolerant, self-entitled douchebag for so little coin. I might even have to resort to pretending I didn't have change for them.

Brock Keeling

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:42:35 -0800

no. i can't. i've tried and i'm much too much of a pussy to ride one in sf. also, other cyclists would kill me if i did.

sf_bikebike

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:27:52 -0800

i have an idea....ride a bike.

tfosgard

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:22:44 -0800

This is a supply-demand issue. The cabbies would of course prefer to have a smaller number of cabs and higher prices. It is in their best interest. You can bet that they will fight like hell to keep high prices and fewer cabs to protect their profits. As a consumer, I want a cab convenient to me when I need one and at a reasonable cost. Right now in San Francisco, we get neither. Whenever I go to Chicago or New York, it is a reminder to me that SF cabs are ridiculously expensive and it makes me angry enough that I will do just about anything to not take a cab. I'm saying "screw you" in dollars, I guess.

bluecanary

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:10:34 -0800

@HHumbert. Well the guy was actually saying that even if it went up to $10 he'd keep driving because he can afford it (and he's a douchebag). Quite frankly I'd be happy to see a $10.00 tax imposed on every gallon (in addition to the current price). Fewer cars would be a good thing. Then we could save our oil for important stuff. No one's forcing anyone into a cab or a car at gunpoint. If it becomes prohibitively expensive, just don't use it. Same as anything else.

RinconHillSF

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:04:41 -0800

Just like the price of gas, in a direct sense, this doesn't really affect me. My preferred modes of transportation are: 1) Walk 2) Bike 3) Public Transit 4) Drive 5) Don't Go Cab rides are last on my list for a myriad of reasons. I'm sure tourists will take the bite ... American money cheap, no?

HHumbert

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:57:01 -0800

I forgot to mention in my previous post, but I too donated my car some months back to a friend who needed it more than I. In those rare occassions when I need a car, there's nothing better than ZIPCAR. Yay on Zipcar. $8.95 or so / hr, gas included!

pancakebreakfast

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:53:26 -0800

Why the hell would you take a cab from Van Ness and Market to Third and Market? You have the Metro tunnel, the F, and probably half a dozen buses right there.

daveinsf

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:49:02 -0800

Having donated my car over a year ago and getting around primary on foot/bike, I don't really mind shelling out the high cost of a cab ride even 2-3 times per week. For me the convenience coupled with my lack of paying for the high price of gas, car payments, car insurance, maintenance, parking tickets, registration etc, is WELL worth it - especially for the times I've been out drinking too much. Only a couple times has a cabbie not had change for my $20. The new passenger fee is kinda bullshit, but still - having them here is better than nothing. If they suddenly didn't exist tomorrow there would be an uproar.

dolemite43

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:40:19 -0800

I didn't stick around to argue with the driver, but I think he was hinting at help for his return trip back to a more "populated" area. Or just his way of midemeanorly saying: "No."

Akit

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:39:11 -0800

SF cab drivers... they drive with a lead foot, don't mind giving you the finger when you honk the horn, and line up in massive droves at the cheapest Arco stations.

HHumbert

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:38:20 -0800

@BlueCanary. I agree with the guy from the Chronicle. If it goes up to $10/gln, then there will be less cars driven. To me, that's a good thing, not a bad thing. Yes, there are some who can afford it (i ride a MC, so I'm getting 40 mpg anyway), but overall, there would be less consumption of gas, less pollution. Separate datapoint: Seattle has a $2 surcharge. I took a cab in the rain there last month for about 3 blocks. Cost me $7 (!). IMHO: best cabs around: Chicago. They are: 1) Plentiful, 2) Cheap, 3) Aggressive. They'll split lanes with other cars.

largo01

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:31:04 -0800

bluecanary: I agree with you. Interesting story, except commuting from SOMA to the Mission and back is.. well.. a very short distance. Even I could probably manage that in my car at $10 a gallon.

spysea

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:17:42 -0800

Whats wrong SAN FRANCISCO love to give their money away... why not to CABBIES?

jimH

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:16:07 -0800

Oops, I meant an intra-city trip. Within SF borders. A licensed SF cabbie should be the last person to horse around with the rules, as just about everything he/she does wrong is a midemeanor.

troymccluresf

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:14:46 -0800

Man. Here's to living at Church & Market, where everything is walking distance! Cabs (of which there are five) are ungodly expensive here. I damn near fell out of the cab in NYC when, after driving me from Central Park to the East Village, the ride was a total of eleven whole dollars. North Beach and the Marina might as well be in Marin to me, unless I have the time to walk from Montgomery. There's no direct MUNI service, no parking, and cabs are just ridiculous. Hell, a cab from the Mission to Union St would probably be about the same as one from Sausalito to the Richmond.

jimH

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:09:45 -0800

Is that a SF Yellow taxi quoting 70 bones for an intercity trip? The meter would be off during this journey? Sounds like a midemeanor to me. If it's an out-of-city taxi illegally picking up passengers, one go around with the SFPD would have the driver's head spinning with violations of this and that.

cowsaysmeow

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:07:03 -0800

When I take cabs I generally tip well what with the rising costs of gas and whatnot, so I guess I'll just be taking this fee (and probably a surcharge of my own) out of the tip if this comes to pass.

oskarv

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:04:45 -0800

i figure most people who use taxi cabs regularly or on a semi-regular basis will be able to afford the extra $1. I'm working class and i would never dream of using a cab unless there were some kind of emergency.

bluecanary

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:57:33 -0800

No they aren't digging their own grave. There will be plenty of people who will gladly shell out the money,when they deem it necessary. this is a town littered with rich people. The Chronicle just quoted a guy a few weeks ago who commutes, in his car, from the Mission to SOMA and basically said he couldn't care less if gas goes up to $10 a gallon because he can afford it. There are plenty of others who feel the same way.

Generic

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:57:15 -0800

SING IT, brock. Also, if they don't have change for a $20, tough luck on them. Don't pay.

dolemite43

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:54:41 -0800

Don't normally do this cab ride, but here are two price quotes I got late one night for NB to Taraval/Great Hwy. Yellow Cab - $70 A Gypsy Cab - $40 Both too high, but I must say that was the first time I went with a gypsy cab.

sf_bikebike

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:50:14 -0800

There digging there own grave.

travin

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:41:43 -0800

Who run barter town?