saying what this can and cannot be used for. this is big brother come home. i am askingto listen to these ds they speak and to do something about this, because they are not going to sit still. it is going to be -- thank you. chairman nolan: next speaker. secretary boomer: [reading names] and i cannot read this one. i am sorry. >> chairman, i hate to use this phrase, but you are operating in a critical way. you run this with an open hand, project open hand, but in compassion, why are you not being compassionate to people of color, people from different

countries, who are trying to do hard work and be the ambassadors of this city? [applause] why? the city of san francisco deserves to have an answer, and this is also a violation of your rules and regulations, and maybe i should read it out loud, because you do not know how to read. beginning in 2010 and every calendar year thereafter, the sfmta should hold a meeting to determine if the fees should be increased or remained unchanged. ok, what are you breaking your own law? what are you breaking your own regulation? -- why are you? there is the comptroller's report that says what to do. there are gas prices going up every day. these drivers may have hybrids, but they are paying more for it, and you do not care about it?

i was quoted in the paper that if you pay drivers more money, you get better service. i will say it again and again. why are you throwing these people under the bus, so to speak, you know, and not taking care of them? you have your own problems. i feel sorry for deputy director hayashi, because she has to go out and collect money to help pay for muni, and this is not her own faults, the problems going on in the industry. why are you gouging the drivers and not improving their ability to provide things in this state? thank you. chairman nolan: next speaker. secretary boomer: sayid -- i do not know the rest of it. [reading names] could you say your name for me

please? >> [unintelligible] why? that is the one point that i have. a credit card. why visa, visa, visa? where are our choices? and 5%, what are you not thinking about the cab companies? -- why are you not? alwa right here, and they can talk about it. we cannot come all of the time.

the second thing, the electronic bill systems that you're going to put into the cabs, right now, we do not have health care. you are making us more slaves. that is what i have to say. thank you. secretary boomer: mr. chairman, we have been advised by the city sheriff that we are violating the fire code by having everybody standing against the wall, so we're going to ask everyone who is standing to please move to an overflow room, which is room 408, so we will move on for a moment until we are either able to find a seat -- and i am going to read a bunch of names so that peoples whose names i read can stay.

ok, what is your name? >> the one before. >> ok. chairman nolan: let's get three or four names and then line up. secretary boomer: ok, [reading names], and then ken louie. >> i am a driver with were real cab. i am very concerned about the current situation in the cab business, especially that we are giving out of private information to some other state companies, and we are being damaged every day by paying a 5%

fee on credit cards, which we do not like. it has been a cash business for a long time, and we would like to keep it that way. sometimes, at the end of a shift, you cannot even pay for gas because you have all of these credit card slips and no gas. also, the hybrids, we would like them to be regular cavs, because hybrids do not last as long as regular cavs, and we do not have any spares. we do not have spares, and we lose wages. chairman nolan: next speaker. secretary boomer: [reading names] >> hi, my name is nabile. it seems that the cab business is always going down and down and down.

people have the perception that we are making more money. we are not making more money. we are paying more money for hybrids. we heard gavin newsom saying that drivers have saved millions of dollars. that is not true. the hybrid cars, they break down all of the time, and when you do not have a fair cab, -- a spare cavs, no health care, not even one time have you had a vote. why not ask the drivers about this? we are paying now 5%. the money that i get, it goes straight to my account. they do not tell me -- i get a lump sum, and i have to log on and figure out how much i may. i might do it. i and educated. i have a bachelor's degree, but how many drivers do not have email and cannot go online in check?

we are supposed to follow. thank you. chairman nolan: next speaker. secretary boomer: [reading names] chairman nolan: good afternoon, sir. >> good afternoon, directors. this is the first time i have spoken. secretary boomer: could you please speak your name, please? >> this is the first time i am speaking to the directors. all of these things, this is all i have been saying, and the people of new are sitting here, they are making these decisions. we are going to speak out. you will have to listen to us. there are so many cabdrivers here.

those who are not here, is not because they do not support us. it is because they cannot afford to come. on the top of it, the cab companies have all types of monopoly rules. we have to pay for the waybills, and we have to pay for our car. yellow cab is putting all kinds of laws on our head. now, we have to pay for a receipt for the customer. and then again, the people mid in the city, who work in this city, the drivers are not making money. the drivers have to pay for the

hybrids. the hybrids are not made for the cabs. they are probably good for the grandmothers, but not for the cabs. we also do not want to pay 5% because we are already paying the color scheme. thank you. chairman nolan: thank you. secretary boomer: ashwani, [reading names] chairman nolan: good afternoon. >> my name is ashwani. i do not want my information stored is some cd somewhere. it can be hacked. it happens all of the time.

also, we cannot afford to pay 5% in credit card expenses. we are already paying. cards are expensive. we have expenses maintaining the hybrids. also, the gas prices going up and down, and nobody is giving us a raise. in another city, i heard in chicago, the drivers got a surcharge for gas, and her nody ever does anything about it. please, help us. thank you. chrman nolan: thank you. next speaker, please. secretary boomer: [reading nas] >> i am agnst these, because

we are already paying for a new car, and then we are also paying ahigh gas prices, le everybody is saying,nd as you know, everybody has family. you never think about us. yelw in munich, they get together. they treat us like we are criminals, nd they ar always treating us like we are crimins. muni is making money every year. we would just like to raise our family. they always want our money. drivers are paying $2,700 per month. that is lot mone -- a lot of money, and then they

pay insurance, gas, $4.50 r gallon. what do you thinke are making? $100,000 per day? you know what i am talking about. and yellow and unique, they never think about ouhealth insurance. -- yellow and unique. we do nothave anything, you know? please, deny the 5%. help us with electroc waybill. please help us. we need your help. thank you. chairman nolan: thank you. secretary boomer: [reading names] chairman nolan: ms. boomer, is

this being broadcast to the room? secretary boomer: yes, it is being broadcast to room 408. [reading nes] chairman nolan: good afternoon. go ahead. secretary boomer: could you state your name, please? >> i have been in the cab business for 15 years. in the 15 years, and it is seen it go down and down and down. no one cares about us. you guys care about the business. the business means the cab drivers and the companies, not just the companies, not justice system. we need someone to care about us. you say that they work 10 hours

a day and sleep 10 hours a day. they do not have time to sleep or go to the bathroom. they have families. they need to eat and survive, and most of the cab drivers are immigrants. we are immigrants, but we are people. we work for them. it is not just for us, because everything we worked for, we spend here. i rais my three kids he. i am so glad. i love my job. i love to be a cab driver, but i hate to see our business bidding down because nobody cares about us. nobody givesespect for the cab drivers. we need respect. ok, you guys want to charge us

$5. i give you 5% of bp paid by credit card. is that fair? they never think, "ok, put $1 extra for you. i have to ask, ow much do you want to put on your credit card? " that is ridiculous. my job for people. that is not right. we need respect for that. thank you. chairman nolan: thank you. secretary boomer: [reading names] i will not read these names again, mr. chairman. [reading names]

chairman nolan: i think we have a speaker. >> i am speaking like everyone on the electronic waybills. american express, they are charging $7. so, you know, we have heard the same story from all drivers. we have everything going up and up. we have not had a raise and a long time. the cave -- cab driver has to pay more gas price.

there is no surcharge required from the city or anything like that. the same money five years ago, the same money now, and it is getting more expensive every single day. please help us. thank you very much. chairman nolan: next speaker, please. good afternoon, sir. >> good afternoon. secretary boomer: could you state your name, please? >> everything is expensive. we are working hard. we are not sleeping. we are not making money.

i work two or three days. we are just suffering now. america. i love america, because they tipped me, and they say thank you again. so now, i do not know. what do you call it? dpt? the tket. the plate number. they send the bill. they send us a bill. we are suffering. we have a family.

we love everything, you know? you have to help us. otherwise, we are not surviving. think you. chairman nolan: thank you. secretary boomer: is there anyone else in the room like to address this board under public comment? chairman nolan: the good afternoon. >> good afternoon, the directors. i am howard. a week or so ago, i went to a subcommittee hearing at the board of supervisors, and they were discussing problems on the 14 and the j, and mr. haley was there, explaining some of the problems on the 14th and what would need to happen, and they

have all of the solutions, but nothing happens. there are new dates. there are so many things that you can do to make me work better for your -- to make m.u.d. work better -- make muni work better for your riders. why can we not do it? what all of this stuff, we have to do a ceqa analysis. when we take it out, we should not have to do that analysis. when you made noticeable improvements, you get a small increase in ridership, and that means more fares, but not only in that line, but there are a few more riders in the whole system. they have a way of counting

this, but this is all true, and you need the support of your riding public. everybody can think of more ways to put more buses on, but you cannot do it, so do what you can. take out stop signs. maybe you can do it in a cheaper way. all of these things have to happen so we can get a new the -- get a muni that works. there are a lot of measures that have to come, and people have to vote. thanks a lot. secretary boomer: mr. lee. >> hello, my name is -- the electronic bill is not enough.

we have 99% of the cab drivers -- the drivers, they just know about the street. you know many years ago, the tobacco companies offer you a free cigarette. why did they do that? the got the teenagers to smoke, and finally, they pay more money in their lifetime. they had to pay more with their health, and now, the country has to pay a lot in medical care because people smoke. they gave free cigarettes. but offering the free equipment to the cab companies. the cab companies are greedy. they are taking it, and they send the bill to be taboo -- to be cabdrivers. we have to pay 5%. already, somebody paid it. the credit card does not make more money for us. we aremostly, a $7 charge, " the

you $10, and you make two dollars. last year, with the leak, the shutdown, and then they paid a big price. the same thing happened in japan. the tsunami came, and they knew they had to put the water right away, but they did not want to jeopardize the nuclear plant because it was a $5 billion plant. if they had to put the salty water, . but they had to. chairman nolan: koran thank you. secretary boomer: is there anybody else in the room? >> about the 5% credit card and

electronic waybis. anayi am against the credit card, he%. the bankschge%. hyo we have to pay 5%? hos king tt? are wemakinget for the cab company, or who is makingth? that is one issue. he oer issue is that the transaction does not go right away. subtracting 5 cents, 25 cents, on this issue should be stopped. the cab company is making he ne ndhe cabdriver is being targeted. o fs ve crse but our income is decreasing.

i am against ectron wbi. theres no privacy for us. sometimes we pick uoufamily. di vetrert at i pick up my kids? some customers are in private, and they donotwaanod to know where they're going. where we go, how we go, whatwe do. so i urge you to supportthis and not do it. you have the authority for the 5%. they do make money. they are making money, more than atouhink. ok, and i am paying for it. we should cooperate with each other. thank you very much. chairman nolan: next speaker,

please. good afternoon, sir. >> good afternoon. my name is doug woods, and i am the cab driver here in san francisco, and i have to tell you, i am not a foreigner. note i used to work at gmac commercial mortgage before the downturn, and when the downturn happened, i got a job driving a cab, and it has been an eyeopening experience, and today, in particular, i have got a bellyful. let me tell you a story. yesterday, i was involved in a very minor accident in front of union square, where another driver, to the front of my cab while changing lanes, clearly not my fault, but today, i had to go to the cab company, and in order for them to let me go out on the road, they extorted need for a $500 deductible. i might get that back if the case comes out in my favor or some portion of it depending on how much it costs them to fix

it, or whether they decide to pursue it at all, because they already have my money. i have no way to fight back. in the three years i have been doing this, we have been nikoled and dimed to death. in my previous job, i get a pension fund and health care, and now, i have got nothing. i work, and now, you guys are selling the medallions at 250 thousand dollars a pop, and we are losing. more guys cannot come in and pick up ships on their days off, so i am cruising on themes, and i have had it. i am here today. i had to run here after having to be in the caviar today, but i wanted you to know that i have had it. thank you. [applause] secretary boomer: if there is anyone else in the overflow room you would like to address the board, please make your way here.

chairman nolan: good afternoon, sir. secretary boomer: your last name? >> my last name is booya. most of the people, they just want to get out right away, but the credit card is not set up that way. they would give $10, because the way the business is right now, most of the cabdrivers are traveling, so if you have to pay another 5%, it is too much. also, he kept prices are too much. you need to think about increasing the meter, and that is what i would