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Commission Decides Against Adding Cabs

The number of authorized taxis in San Francisco will remain at 1,381 as the result of a unanimous decision of the Taxi Commission not to approve more taxicab permits. The vote took place Feb. 28 at the commission’s public convenience & necessity (pc&n) hearing, held annually to determine whether the public is being adequately served.
Although demand for cabs has picked up recently after a string of bad years, there was virtually no support for more taxis at the hearing. The commission received a few letters from members of the public asking for more cabs, but none appeared to testify.
Two studies were performed prior to the hearing to determine if more cabs were needed. A Taxi Availability Study done in October measured availability through street flags, dispatch, at hotels and at the airport. It found service to be adequate in all categories except dispatch, which was worst on Friday and Saturday evenings. Interestingly, flagging a cab was easiest on those shifts.
The Controller’s Office did a survey by mail of three zip codes in October and November, receiving 548 responses. The areas covered were the Castro and Noe Valley, Bayview/Hunter’s Point and the Outer Richmond. Of the areas surveyed, Bayview/Hunter’s Point residents reported the longest waits for taxi service.
UTW opposed the issuance of more permits, but asked the commission to consider ways of improving dispatch.