For those of us who are fascinated by the San Francisco taxi industry, there’s an interesting report from the city Controller’s office here. It relates to a few pieces of legislation that are coming up in the next few weeks. Sup. Michela Alioto-Pier wants to raise the amount big cab companies can charge their drivers to lease cabs — but the report shows that the big companies are all doing just fine, that revenue is up and that profits are healthy. That would suggest to me that they don’t need more money — which would come, of course, at the expense of the drivers, who would lose, according to the United Taxicab Workers, as much as $5,000 a year on the deal.
And let’s remember: According to the controller, the average driver nets less than $110 for a ten-hour shift, which is barely above the city’s minimum wage.
Alioto-Pier has backed off her initial plan, but there is likely some gate hike on the horizon — and in my mind, it needs to be combined with a fare increase to keep the drivers’ income from dropping.