San Francisco cabbies protest mayors visiting Uber headquarters

By Tom Vacar : ktvu – excerpt – (video)

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) – The battle between San Francisco taxi drivers and Uber took center stage Monday as taxis drivers protested a visit to the company’s headquarters by mayors for other cities.

The mayors were attending a national conference in San Francisco. The group got to tour three high-tech companies, including Uber. The city’s ailing cab industry was waiting for them with noise and fury.

Though the cabbies are fighting for their economic lives, it may be too late unless things drastically change.

San Francisco taxi drivers rallied and picketed at Uber’s Market Street headquarters Monday afternoon. A steady procession of cabs circled the rally as well. Their stated goal was to warn every mayor who’s attending the National Conference of Mayors not to tour Uber headquarters.

“We thought we should warn the mayors of the country what it means if you let Uber into your community; what the harm is,” said Kim Waldron of the San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance.

The taxi workers said Uber and other companies like it are choking the streets with wandering cars that pollute the air. They added that ride sharing companies are not equipped to pick up the disabled or transport their service animals for free… (more)

SFO taxi protest causes gridlock, headaches

By Kale Williams : sfgate – excerpt

A taxi driver protest against ride services such as Uber and Lyft caused gridlock and a lot of headaches at San Francisco International Airport on Monday night, officials said.

The cabbies wouldn’t pick up riders and were blocking lanes starting about 9 p.m., SFO duty manager John Gintry said, and travelers reported long backups coming into and going out of the airport.

Signs were posted on many of the taxis reading, “This vehicle has full-time insurance, ‘TNCs’ (transportation network companies) do not!”

Flyers were distributed among many of the cabbies by the San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance with instructions for the protest, telling them to circle the terminals from about 9 to 11 p.m… (more)

Taxi Drivers to Protest Lyft, Uber, And All Other Ridesharing Services

By Erin Sherbert : sfweekly – excerpt

If your taxi driver seems a little cranky on the road these days, just know it’s not you, it’s Lyft. Tomorrow, a crew of cabbies is planning a lunchtime protest to show their utter disdain with San Francisco’s ridesharing companies, including Lyft, Uber, and Sidecar. Specifically, the group is miffed with the status quos which lets these ridesharing services “sidestep regulations” to which taxis are forced to adhere.

According to The United Taxicab Workers:

We are protesting the blatant disregard of taxi and other passenger transportation laws by companies that are using creative language to sidestep regulations. This is devastating the legal taxi industry and putting the public at risk. These so called “Rideshare” services such as Lyft, UberX and Sidecar, are nothing more than unlicensed “bandit cabs” with smartphone applications, a Facebook account, and sometimes a pink mustache. California Public Utilities Code §5353(h) specifies among other things, that “ridesharing”cannot be for profit, yet all of these companies recruit drivers with the promise of making $35 to $50 an hour.

These illegal taxi services falsely claim that as “ridesharing” they and their drivers are exempt from regulatory accountability, including vehicle inspections, driver qualifications and insurance requirements. By giving them his blessing, Mayor Ed Lee is ignoring
a clear public safety hazard.

… (more)