San Francisco Taxi Drivers Protest Uber's Market Street Offices; Cry Unfair Advantage
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— You may have noticed how hard it was to get a cab in San Francisco Wednesday afternoon. That's because many taxi drivers protested in front of Uber's offices on Market Street between 10th and 11th streets.
If finding a cab was too much of a hassle, you might have opted to use your smartphone app to order a ride on demand from one of a few Transportation Network Companies (TNC) available in the city such as Uber or Lyft.
Things got noisy when frustrated taxi drivers who claim the TNCs have an unfair advantage when it comes to competition and that they aren't held to the same strict guidelines began to honk their cab's horns.
Karri Lewis of the National Taxi Union Alliance paraded in solidarity with the cabbies. She said aside from the guidelines, taxis adhere to vehicle codes to provide service for the handicapped.
She also talked about the differences in insurance between cab drivers and TNCs.
"There's not adequate insurance so when you're a taxi driver, you're required to have a million dollar policy. The insurance for TNCs and Uber drivers is very low in comparison," she said.
An Uber driver stopped by the protest and said much of what is being said is a smoke screen for the real reason taxi cabs are upset and that they're only mad because the TNC or ride on demand drivers are cutting into their profits.
While many city officials want to keep the cab companies up and running in the city, they say more regulations are going to be needed to bring everyone into compliance.