Infamous for their lack of vehicular finesse (and numbers), taxicabs will now be allowed to legally use bike lanes to pick up and drop off passengers. more ›

The Taxi Driver strike planned for this afternoon has a set schedule this morning. According to KTVU, the cabbies plan to rally around City Hall and Civic Center between the hours of Noon and 2 p.m. During that time, anyone in the immediate vicinity can forget about trying to enjoy their delicious Liba Falafel balls on the plaza in peace: some 400 to 500 people are expected to turn out, with a parade of cabs circling City Hall, honking their horns until the walls come crumbling down they get a chance to ask Chris Hayashi, SFMTA's deputy director for cab services, to resign from his post. Or until 2 p.m. when demand for cabs picks back up, whichever comes first. more ›

As a brief reminder: scores of taxi drivers plan to strike tomorrow to protest new credit card fees and delays to cab fare increases. As one driver-activist in charge of rallying the cabbies told the Examiner last week, the idea of the strike is "to make taxi gridlock." In other words: don't expect to flag down a cab tomorrow. Meanwhile, Uber, a service that allows smartphone users to hail limos and towncars, hopes to use this opportunity to snatch up your business by offering towncar rides for the same rates as a San Francisco taxi cab. more ›

While you binge on margaritas, Tecate, and body shots tonight, please remember a few things. For starters, do not drink and drive. Ever. AAA Northern California will offer free tows to drivers who drink too much while celebrating Mexican heritage and pride. The offer, according to SF Appeal, "is valid within 10 miles of the driver's home, is offered between 6 p.m. this evening and 6 a.m. Friday. Call 800-AAA-HELP and tell the operator you need a "tipsy tow." Or, better yet, take a free cab home. more ›

Yesterday afternoon at City Hall, hundreds of cab drivers staged a protest and threatened to strike if the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency didn't give them face time to discuss critical issues. KTVU reports: "Representing many of the city's cab companies, including Luxor, Yellow Cab Cooperative and Green, the drivers were protesting a 5 percent credit card processing fee, implementation of electronic waybills and lack of SFMTA benefits, especially since the Taxi Commission merged with the SFMTA in March 2009." more ›

For your reading pleasure, yet another Weiner story: At today's Board of Supervisor's meeting, D8 Supervisor Scott Weiner will introduce "a resolution in support of a proposal by the Municipal Transportation Agency to increase the number of taxis on San Francisco’s streets during peak hours." Why? Because we need more cabs. And how. more ›

The Examiner came out with some handy tips on catching that elusive cab tomorrow night, or any busy night, for that matter. The biggest suggestion is to learn the city's traffic patterns and look for cabs on major arteries heading toward downtown, such as Geary or 19th Ave -- regardless of whether you're actually going that way, or look for a queue of cabs at the nearest hotel. more ›

If you've ever been tossed from a taxi for necking with a same-sex paramour, sporting leather and chains en route to the San Francisco Armory, or harassed by your cabbie for donning drag designs, a smart new option will now safely whisk you around San Francisco. It's called Homobiles, a 24/7 queer car service that caters to LGBT folks around the city. (However, you don't have to be gay to use it; all kindhearted souls are welcome.) more ›

According to a report in today's Examiner, taxi providers are asking for more cars on the road. (Hallelujah.) Some 25 percent of people who call Yellow Cab for service, it seems, are never picked up. Jim Gillespie, a manager at Yellow Cab, explained to the Ex that "more medallion holders would help drivers because the increased number would give San Francisco residents more confidence to call cabs for service." Which: yes, yes, and yes. However, "spokesman Mark Gruberg of the United Taxicab Workers, a drivers association, said more cabs would hurt an industry still recovering from the dot-com bust and post-Sept. 11 downturn." Read the entire article for more details. more ›

Most cabbies in San Francisco are hardworking, chatty ilk who, if you're nice, might even let you smoke inside the cab. They have the best stories, most bizarre and/or accurate philosophies, and will always reveal their celebrity clientele for the day. A few, however, are dreadful skidmarks in need of a good finger wagging. Take, for example, a Town Taxi cabbie who, according to the Bay Area Reporter, berated a gay SoMa bar owner after giving him a ride. more ›

In an effort to fill the large, gaping hole of necessity for more cabbies in San Francisco, it makes sense that imposter taxicabs try to fill that need. According to today's Examiner, "at least 30 illegitimate cab companies are operating in San Francisco." Which means that there are almost as many illegal cab companies in San Francisco as there are legal ones. (SF has 32 licensed companies.) Last year alone, the article goes on to say, there were "nearly 200 illegal cab pickups in San Francisco last year and officers on taxi detail arrested 33 drivers in December alone." The problem, if there is one, is that illegal cab companies don't perform criminal background checks on their employees, and fake cabbies tend to overcharge their passengers. more ›

What with St. Patrick's Day synonymous with binge drinking, the number of drunk drivers on the road increases. Obviously. So, instead of trying to weave home after your ninth round at your favorite local pub, why not catch a cab home paid for Berg Injury Lawyers. See, their the Safe and Sober Free Ride Home for St. Patrick’s Day program will give residents in Alameda, Oakland, SF and Berkeley rides home for free. more ›

Dear SF Cabs: more ›

Although we are occasional cab riders -- this is San Francisco, after all, not NYC -- we have nothing but mediocre cab experiences. Never horrible, never exceptional (except for one nice cab driver who knew the nearest cross street of every address we gave him -- awesome!!). That's what makes this tale from Mission Mission so incredible. more ›

In some four-day old news that managed to limbo under our radar, two cabbies (allegedly) racing with one another down Fulton Street on Monday night crashed into parked cars at around 11 p.m. Lovely. According to KTVU: more ›

Over on KQED's food blog, Stephanie Lucianovic writes about her spoiled fine-dining engagements due to San Francisco's crippling taxicab companies, which fail to pickup/deliver in a timely fashion. This tardiness, you see, can cancel a reservation. Also, according to her: more ›