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Taxis protest limo drivers, doormen 'stealing fares'
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Related Topics: SAN FRANCISCO
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San Francisco taxi drivers are protesting what they call fare-stealing by limo drivers and doormen who work in cahoots to steer customers to limousines in violation of state law. It is illegal for limousines to pick up passengers unless the ride has been pre-arranged.
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - Some hotel guests today may experience a different kind of solicitation by taxicab drivers who say they are getting a raw deal from limousine drivers whom they accuse of disobeying state law to steal fares.
Cab drivers said they would gather at hotels across the city to distribute literature and hold protest signs decrying what they characterize as a corrupt disregard of state law by limousine drivers and hotel doormen.
Under California law enforced by the Public Utilities Commission, limousine drivers may not spontaneously pick up fares, but must only give pre-arranged rides, United Taxicab Workers spokesman Mark Gruberg said. He said limousine drivers in San Francisco routinely collaborate with doormen, to whom they pay kickbacks in exchange for the doormen steering customers to limousines.
The loss of taxicab revenue, especially on rides to San Francisco International Airport could be in the millions on busy weekends, Gruberg said. Because of the difference in licensing requirements—cab drivers must go through a four-day training and a police background check, while limo drivers need not—Gruberg said it is unfair to allow limousines to operate in the same way as taxis.
The protest comes on the heels of an announcement that San Francisco will issue 50 new taxicab medallions in the next few months, increasing the size of The City’s taxi fleet.
“Every time you put more cabs on the street, it’s going to have some effect on demand,” Gruberg said as he stood in front of the Hilton hotel in downtown San Francisco. He said with the extra cabs coming, and unfair competition from limousine drivers, experienced cabbies may be squeezed out of business.
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8:51 PM MST on Sun., Apr. 6, 2008 re: "Taxis protest limo drivers, doormen 'stealing fares'"
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Examiner Reader said:
To the palace hotel guest wanting a short taxi ride: How many times have you been steered into a limo upon checkout to the airport? Did you think the doorman was doing you a favor by telling you the limo will charge the same? Would you even think about it if asked? What about on short fares - why don't they offer the bandit limos parked in front of their doors? Cab drivers get irrate with short fares because they see their "good" fares stolen from them day after day... screw you ignorant yupees.
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Vegas Cabbie said:
The issue is PRE-ARRANGEMENT. Nobody is against Limos serving the public and making their drivers a living, cabbies in SF as well as Las Vegas are against having THEIR RIDES diverted into Limos without any type of legal PREarrangement. Part of why Limos are special is this element of prearrangement. If they are as handy as a cab, are they really worth 4 times more to use? If anybody off the street can hire a limo are they that special? The laws protect not only cabs, but more so Limos and their excclusive nature and thus higher fare. Much of this issue is more about blatant Racism than it is about hailing a cab or limo. If most cabbies were white you would probably not be seeing this theft or the whiny complaints here.
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goose said:
there is a difference between riding a cab or a limo. with a limo, you look like someone important or maybe a star. in a cab, however, you're trying to get there as fast as possible without crashing or that the driver looks like a kook working for a living. either way, it's business. someone is going to try to scam for more bucks.
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Examiner Reader said:
That is just one cab driver. Aren't you mature enough to know that that is just ONE individual . You are stereotyping ... and from just ONE cab driver. Get educated. DUH!!!
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Otto Rite said:
So we have a Taxi-cab commission and a SFPD " Taxi Detail" charged with enforcing the myriad of regulations that apply to Taxis in San Francisco but no mention of their take on the practice of "livery" cabs which are unregulated limos or "cars" that skate customers away from the hardworking and licensed Taxi cab drivers. HMMMM????? Is there a lot of cash floating around in these transactions? Aren't kickbacks like this totally illegal according to San Francisco taxi cab laws??????? Of ocurse they are! Maybe MORE resignation letters ought to be sent to the Mayor's Office.
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Examiner Reader said:
let me tell you about the last time I tried to get a yellow cab at the Palace hotel downtown. I had my 8 months pregnant wife, elderly mother, and 5 year old niece with me, and the cab driver said he wouldn't take us to the new SF Shopping Center Mall because it was too close. Nevermind that I would have tipped well. Screw SF taxi drivers, that's what I have to say about it.
135 agree | 146 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I have never paid a kick back in my life but often take reservations from clients who stay at some of the best Hotels in town and they do not do Taxis. Taxi companies across the uS are crying over spilled Milk and over nothing. They simply dont understand the Need by some clients for Limousines. I do not own a single Sedan but only Stretch Limousines and I do a brisk business downtown and always book in advance. Their crying over revenue is stupidity at its worst and just a ploy to detract from the real issue at hand which is service, cleanliness and promt courtious drivers well groomed and who garner a higher wage for the services they offer. No one wants to put Taxis out of business BUT Taxis would Love to see a Ban on Limousines across the board and it is uNfair that they can Threaten a strike and make their demands and be heard as though life depended upon then when if they all quit tomorrow the Void would be filled in Hours in truth.
147 agree | 91 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
OH MY GAWD - taxis in this town bite. Good luck trying to get a cab in the richmond/sunset anywhere that is not downtown or the marina/cow hollow even then you have to be on certain streets We need more cabs not less. Quit whinning. And maybe if the cab drivers did not attempt to rip everyone off like they were tourists (taking the long way) you would get more sympathy.
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Examiner Reader said:
At 6am this morning I called a well known cab company in the city and proceed to wait 10min. I needed to get to the office early this morning and ended up walking down the street and hailing a cab. We need more medallions or at least a better despatch system!
131 agree | 98 disagree
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