Say NO to unfair taxi fare increases in San Francisco!

The San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency is hearing plans that could raise the fares of some rides by more than 70\%. And if you're picked up from home during rush hour, your fare could nearly double.

This includes a $5 surcharge for at-home pick up during rush hours and a $1/mile increase in meter charge.

Taxi fares have not been increased since 2003 whereas we have experienced a 19\% inflation since then. In addition, gas prices have nearly doubled.

It vital to ensure that the drivers are compensated fairly with a living wage and provided with health benefits. The "gate charge" that taxi drivers must pay as their rent for their cabs have risen sharply. In addition, the taxi drivers have been hit hard by gas prices because they must pay for their own gas.

However, it is not fair that the SFMTA's only solution is to make San Franciscans and tourists pay dramatically more when there are many other solutions to this proposed taxi rate increase.

For example, the taxi companies could change their fleet to hybrid cars, saving the taxi drivers money on gas while saving the environment. In addition, we can help the taxi drivers get more business by urging the SFMTA to put more efforts into installing a city-wide dispatch system for more efficient service, making it more convenient for drivers, dispatchers, and customers.

Using new technology and Gov 2.0 practices, we can all work together to make the taxi system more efficient and profitable to help the drivers, passengers, SFMTA, and San Francisco.