Uber, Lyft Drivers Racking Up San Francisco Traffic Violations
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF & KCBS) -- Two thirds of all the tickets handed out for traffic violations in San Francisco between April and June were given to Uber or Lyft drivers.
According to the San Francisco Examiner, of the 2600 traffic tickets written for violations in downtown San Francisco, 1700 went to ride-sharing company drivers.
A breakdown revealed that 67 percent of the the tickets handed out for illegally driving in bus lanes were issued to ride-sharing drivers as were 77 percent of the violations for obstructing a lane of traffic or the bike lane.
Other violations included failure to yield to pedestrians and making illegal u-turns.
"I don't see how they've gotten away with what they have been doing for so long," said Mitch Lebron, a doorman at the Hyatt Regency hotel. "I personally never have ridden in a bike lane or stopped in a bus lane, but I see them do it all the time."
San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin said he'd like to see the city sue Uber and Lyft over the continuing violations.
"It is outrageous," he told KCBS. "I have asked the city attorney to consider filing a lawsuit against Uber and Lyft for nuisance violations."
The traffic violations report follows a study that found that ride-sharing services account for 15 percent of all vehicle trips in the city. The increased congestion already had the city supervisors considering a crackdown on the services.
Supervisor Jane Kim has called for a 20 cent 'per ride' fee with the money going to fund improving traffic control measures.
"They use our roads to make a profit," she told KPIX 5. "I think when you use our city and public infrastructure that you should give back to the community that you're a part of."