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Limo Campaign Sparks City Action

Shivji Jayram rallies fellow drivers at City Hall during UTW’s March 1 protest against illegal activities by limos, town cars and others. About 100 cabs participated in the protest, circling the building and honking their horns.

Police, Airport, Parking & Traffic
Stepping Up Enforcement Efforts

United Taxicab Workers’ campaign against limousines and other vehicles acting illegally as taxis is starting to bear fruit. Every city department involved in the issue is taking steps to help end the plague.

Here is a brief resume of recent developments:

* The Police Department’s Taxi Detail has increased its enforcement operations and is educating all patrol officers to recognize and take action against illegal activities.
In the past few months, police have made at least nine arrests and towed six vehicles. They are currently concentrating on out-of-town and unlicensed cabs, but plan to do more limo enforcement as the summer tourist season approaches.

* The airport is planning increased enforcement against bandit limo operators who solicit passengers outside and inside the baggage claim areas. “We’re going to be aggressively going after these flagrant violators,” said Alice Sgourakis of SFO’s Landside Operations.

* The Department of Parking & Traffic (DPT) is discussing how to enforce white zone restrictions in front of hotels. White zones are supposed to be used only for dropping off or picking up, but Town Car drivers park in the zones for as long as it takes to get a ride to the airport from an obliging doorman.
DPT is planning to hold a town hall meeting on the subject of white zone enforcement. It decided to hold the meeting after the San Francisco Taxicab Association maneuvered to exclude members of UTW, other drivers and even taxi commissioners from meetings with DPT.

* The Taxi Commission has recommended to the Board of Supervisors a proposed ordinance giving police the authority to examine limo waybills to verify prearranged transportation. The ordinance would implement a provision of the UTW-sponsored state law, AB 2591.
While the city has been responsive to driver complaints, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has refused to entertain changes to its rules on prearrangement. But it recently hosted a meeting of taxi regulators from San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego to discuss the limo situation.