Exciting Changes Coming to San Francisco Taxis!

Exciting Changes Coming to San Francisco Taxis!
By

Exciting Changes Coming to San Francisco Taxis! 

A new way to hail a taxi is coming soon, San Francisco! Yesterday, our MTA Board of Directors approved an amendment to the pilot program to test upfront fares, which was approved back in September 2021. This amendment will now allow Taxi E-Hail app providers to dispatch trips that originate with third-party entities, which may offer upfront fares that are not based on taximeter rates. In other words, you’ll soon be able to pick up your smartphone and check the cost to your destination and book a ride via taxi with a few swipes.  

Allowing taxi customers to select a flat rate advance fare is intended to improve customer service, enable customers to price shop among similar services and minimize meter anxiety that occurs when customers feel that the Taximeter rate is increasing beyond their expectation. The price flexibility is intended to increase the number of taxi trips and allow taxis to be more competitive in the for-hire transportation marketplace. 

Background

On September 7, 2021, the SFMTA Board authorized the Director of Transportation to create the one-year Taxi Upfront Fare Pilot Program (Pilot) within six months, to test the concept of providing customers with a flat rate fare estimate through a Taxi E-Hail app via cellphone. Under the pilot, the customer will have the option of choosing the upfront fare or paying for the trip based on the taxi meter amount.  

Since this approval, our staff has been working with taxi industry stakeholders to develop the Pilot program rules. During this process, both the YoTaxi E-Hail app and Flywheel E-Hail app requested that the SFMTA allow them to partner with Uber to dispatch taxi trips that originate with Uber based on Uber’s rates rather than the taximeter. The original intent of the metered fare system was to provide price certainty and protection to customers. The SFMTA and other taxi regulators around the world utilize the meter fare system to ensure a functioning taxi market in which customers and drivers have certainty that the fare is transparent and equally applied to all customers. Although the fares are standardized and posted in every cab as well as on sfmta.com, as the meter clicks up incrementally during the trip, riders may experience meter anxiety watching the fare increase based on time and distance, and some passengers may be confused about the additional fees for exiting the airport, fees for traveling long distances, and bridge tolls. 

We updated the Taxi E-Hail requirements in mid-2021 to require functionality that customers have come to expect. Although Taxi E-Hail apps are required to provide a fare estimate, a taxi customer is not currently able to lock in that fare prior to taking the trip. The Pilot will allow this additional functionality and allow Taxi E-Hail apps the ability to offer customers an option to lock in the upfront fare. After today’s amendment was approved by the MTA Board, taxi customers will soon have the option of choosing the upfront fare through the Taxi E-Hail app, their trip may originate as an UberX trip and be provided by a taxi, or they may choose to request a cab through traditional phone dispatch or street hail and simply pay for the trip based on the meter amount. 

We look forward to continued support of the taxi industry. Visit our website to check out all the ways the SFMTA is supporting this industry, and be sure to subscribe for updates on the launch of our Upfront Fare Pilot Program.  

Published April 07, 2022 at 12:08AM
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Sunday Streets 2022 Season Returns

Sunday Streets 2022 Season Returns
By Pamela Johnson

In San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood, the Sunday Streets SF season returns on April 10th, 2022. It will take place on Larkin Street, Golden Gate Avenue, and Ellis Street from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. The 2022 Sunday Streets season happens between April and September in six of the city’s neighborhoods. The Second Annual Phoenix Day event, which calls for a simultaneous "Sunday Streets Event Celebration" in all districts, will be celebrated on October 16, 2022. 

The historic Sunday Streets annual season of events reclaims car-congested streets for community health. The affair transforms streets into car-free spaces for all to enjoy— neighbors to gather, kids to play, and organizations and businesses to connect. Sunday Streets combines public health, community-building, economic recovery, and good old-fashioned fun, allowing residents to gather in an authentic setting.  Local nonprofits and community groups will host everything from live music to free bike repair, pickup soccer, health screenings, yoga, hopscotch, interactive art, and cultural performances. 

Also, the SFMTA will bring its new Mobile Sales Van to all Sunday Streets events. Customers can purchase their pre-loaded Clipper Cards, Monthly Lifeline passes, day passes,  and parking meter cards from the van. They can avoid traveling downtown or to the Civic Center area to make these purchases. Customers may also pick up or drop off parking and fare discount program applications and pay their parking/transit citation at the Mobile Sales Van. Payments are accepted in cash, credit/debit card, or commuter check. 

Sunday Streets is about communities coming together to celebrate healthy fun as San Francisco continues to reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 Season is an opportunity to support the city’s economic recovery and continue the city’s progress in combating Covid-19. The San Francisco Department of Public Health will provide drop-in Covid-19 vaccinations, boosters, and testing locations at the Sunday Streets SF events. People are asked to wear masks in crowded outdoor spaces and indoors,  use hand sanitizer, and stay home if they are sick. 

For 14 years, the SFMTA and Livable City have brought "Sunday Streets" to San Francisco neighborhoods for communities to come together to celebrate healthy fun with family, friends, and neighbors.  

The La Ciclovía initiative inspired Sunday Streets in the Colombian capital of Bogotá. Since starting the program in 2008, the nonprofit Livable City, in partnership with SFMTA and the City and County of San Francisco, has grown Sunday Streets into one of North America's premier open street programs serving 100,000 residents in diverse neighborhoods across San Francisco. 

2022 Sunday Streets Event Dates 

• April 10 - Tenderloin  
• May 22 - Bayview  
• June 12 - Excelsior 
• July 10 - Mission 
• August 21 - SOMA 
• September 18 - Western Addition  
• October 16 - Phoenix Day  
• Visit Sunday Streets SF to learn more about Sunday Streets 2022 and  the open streets program.  

See you at the Sunday Streets affair on April 10th and be sure to check out the SFMTA’s new Mobile Sales Van. 

Published April 05, 2022 at 02:11AM
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BRT Service on Van Ness to Begin Tomorrow

BRT Service on Van Ness to Begin Tomorrow
By Jiaying Yu

Tomorrow, April 1, we will cut the ribbon on San Francisco’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor on Van Ness Avenue. The public is invited to join and celebrate this historic moment in front of the War Memorial. The ribbon-cutting will include speeches from local and state leaders, performances from local musicians and giveaways. After the ribbon is cut, there will be an inaugural ride on the new Van Ness BRT corridor to North Point where the celebration continues with live music.  

BRT service on Van Ness is part of Muni’s Rapid Network, which prioritizes frequency and reliability for customers. Muni and Golden Gate Transit customers are expected to experience 32% shorter travel times. With dedicated transit lanes in the middle of the road, enhanced traffic signals with Transit Signal Priority and new platforms and shelters, the Van Ness BRT corridor will be the fastest way to travel north-south in this part of San Francisco.  

In addition to these transit improvements, the Van Ness Improvement Project brought several other features to the corridor. Some of these improvements were underground, while surface improvements include:  

• Bulb-outs that extend sidewalks at intersections to shorten the distance for people to safely cross the street 
• Median refuges that provide people walking with a safe place to wait while crossing Van Ness
• Countdown signals let people walking know how much time they have to cross the street, and accessible auditory pedestrian signals provide verbal directions to bus platforms for people who are blind and low vision
• Landscaping, new trees and shrubs, new sidewalks and a colorful public light sculpture on the Geary/O’Farrell boarding island

We are excited to introduce you to the new and improved Van Ness.  For details go to Van Ness Improvement Project.

Published April 01, 2022 at 03:20AM
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