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No Taxi Ballot Measure This Year

Many drivers were pleased when Supervisor Matt Gonzalez decided not to go ahead with a measure intended for this November’s ballot that would have allowed transferability of taxi permits. United Taxicab Workers strongly opposed the proposal, and dozens of drivers testified against it at hearings held at the Taxi Commission and a committee of the Board of Supervisors the week before the ballot deadline.
The measure may not have gone forward, but the issues underlying it remain. During the course of discussions on the transferability issue hosted by Supervisor Gonzalez, representatives of UTW and other drivers presented several ideas for dealing with questions of permit turnover, disability and retirement — pointing out that most non-permit holding drivers have far less to fall back on when they can no longer drive than most permit holders do.
Here are some of the proposed suggestions:
* Allowing or requiring permit holders to set aside a certain amount per month into an investment fund payable to them upon retirement.
* Amending Proposition K to allow permit holders a cushion of years in which they would be able to hold their permits without having to drive once they reach retirement age or become disabled.
* Allowing permit holders to derive retirement income for several years after surrendering the permit through a charge upon the new permit holder.
UTW will be considering these ideas and others in formulating a proposal for a future ballot measure.