discussion about what an idiotic idea it is for the cab industry to be used as a revenue stream by the sfmta. this cannot last. it won't last. i would like to leave this for mr. ramos' welcome. i would like to say whatever happens in regards to the sfmta and the cab industry moving forward, i'd like to put in a good work for christiana. i'd like to see what she could do if freed from this idea that the cab industry should be enslaved here. >> next speaker, please? >> john hawn. herbert winer. >> good afternoon. i hope that the -- >> state your name for the record. >> john hawn, san francisco cab driver. and i hope that the board of directors would not take the suggestion that was suggested in a may 6 memo that regarding the

allocation of credit card fees, that you simply endure the firestorm of the protest and the strikes and then just move on. i hope that you would consider some ideas and suggestions, one that i have would be that the rear seat payment terminals is causing the credit card fees to be superfluously high, 5%, and that removal of the credit card fee -- i mean, removal of the pims from the waiver requirement could conceivably bring our fees down to 3%. i've talked to a number of drivers who have said they'd go for that. i think that's much more driver friendly and an amiable way to deal with protests and make them go away.

>> transit first, writers, motors, buses, frail and elderly last. success, you through so many under the wills -- under the wheels. there could have been improvements made bringing quiet and peaceful streets to an end and eliminating runs so crucial. many thrown under the wheel and now the wheels welcome you but not the victims. you're buses finally crashed, your run is over, you must leave by the rear doors. i want this to be inserted it minutes of meeting and also a copy signed. >> good afternoon.

>> solo. i may very proud crowd driver in san francisco. for almost 23 years, i must say that i hate personal attacks of any kind and in the old days, the democrats and republicans used to fight like hell and then go have a drink together. there used to be some more of that feeling around here and i don't like to see people being attacked right now. i am very much against the back seat terminal. we have tried our best. we don't want that corporate advertising, we don't want the fact that people get hit on like this other backseats that they tried. we feel that 5% is way too much, 3% would be more fair. the electronic waybills are an issue except for those that don't want to fill them out. i will say that i do believe that the director has been trying hardest to be fair.

she has been fair about the financing and trying to affect the people buying the medallions. >> next speaker, p>> i have beei around here. i would like to say then that i don't want to operate a taxi and i don't want the way bills. >> thank you, sir. >> good afternoon, sir. >> i am a cab driver. i am so disappointed and feeling betrayed and that the meter

increase is off the table. it was falsely reported a month ago that you people approved a meter increase than and you gave good service to a meager increase. the director thinks to increase services is to put out more dalliance and -- more medallions and needed to be postponed. i think it is outrageous. gas prices are still up, we are paying 5% which we did not pay for credit-card. we are told -- we are feeling totally peseta on. if you look out the window, you are not seeing at all because the police are able walkaway in each direction. >> mr. ford, the two items are

on this calendar because of the review that was required. >> we went to the planning department and they said they could not complete the review in time for this meeting so that will be completed and those items will be on the meeting of the 28. >> thank you. >> net speaker, please. >> good afternoon. i've invested 26 years in this industry as of this spring and i would not do it over again, believe me. we have all had the plans of we had known our fate and what was going on today. i would like to say that i am for open access.

i think that would be a much more efficient way than to put out more cabs. i am a cab driver and i don't have a place to park. i thought to the cab drivers every day and they go by and i'm walking my little dogs. they are all racing down posts between height and union square line for a ride because there are not many. it is foolish to put out these camps. gillette's try to be innovative. -- let's try to be innovative. it is very difficult to hear mr. high on she attacked. she has done well by us when she started. she told us we would not get everything that we wanted but that she would do if she could. >> we appreciate it.

>> we put up with these protests, everyone will go away. i wonder who is responsible for these policies and why you're wasting our time at these town hall meetings. they are nothing but window dressing this is not nice. i wonder where the truth is. about the electronic bills. i have not seen the survey. whoever is creating these policies should have more sensitivity to the drivers. so many of these pictures where they have been spied upon.

we don't have any care for private property, we're taking it away, too bad. "another driver here today is outside. >> i am a cab driver. many here always drive because most of the drivers, we believe that the operator permit is unfair to the working drivers. the full-time working driver has been working in the city whether it is slow or busy and the driver came out offered the city. they have a business advantage

is than the regular working drivers. the mta should not create the permit or the regulation that is only favorable to a small group of people. the sf mta gives the reasons why they have to create it because the city has a peak rush-hour. people have been waiting for more than 30 minutes. with the mta create the permit? >> next speaker, please. >> 10 years ago, voters greeted a taxi commission because the powers that be convinced them that that would be good and it did not work and then it was thrown out a couple of years ago but the voters did not throw

out everything the way it has been construed. i'm saying that the proposition did not eliminate proposition k. the way the taxes were operating under the police department was much the fare. selling the balance is so immoral, illegal, and unethical. there are people waiting on the list many years for their medallion and now they do not want -- they will not get it because the city would like to balance the budget with sales of medallions and revenues which have doubled. [applause] >> next speaker, please.

>> the most important factor in determining the caliber of service in terms of our industry, we will not have a world-class industry without the drivers and we cannot keep good drivers if we remove the opportunity to earn a decent living. in less than three years, our drivers have lived through 49% increase in their competition. 49% increase in competition in three years. not only is no one studying the effect on them but today, we are considering a further increase and yet you have no system nor any plans for examining whether drivers will be able to earn a living. how can we pretend that this this is the concern was service when the system refuses to examine the most vital components of that service? >> ok, thank you. next speaker.

>> i would like to thank the mta for the united san francisco cab industry through its corrosive policy and the sale of medallions and the rear seat terminals which has awakened there are long tolerated abuses from the mta. you should not be running our industry. they have been instrumental in reaching critical mass and we will not go away. we will return again and again until our voices are heard. [applause] >> good afternoon.

i am the public relations officer for the arab cab company. we're the third biggest cab company in the city of san francisco. we offer the second largest dispatch service in the city. with me are copies of our second complaint against the assets mta the tailing the use of power which has continued which constitutes harassment and equal treatment under the law. as you can see, the san francisco taxi industry continues its protest against the sf mta. we are asking you to take our complaint seriously and remedy inequities against us. otherwise, the assets and ca will be liable for the continuing problems that we suffer under your watch.

>> because we are exceeding the fire codes, we are setting up an overflow room if you could please fill any vacancies, people on the sides here, we need you to sit down or we will have to move you to the north light in order to comply with the fire code. >> next speaker, please. >> good afternoon. i'm a cab driver in san francisco and you will see cabdrivers' showing up and every time, it we represent the drivers. i really appreciate what she was doing for the drivers and instead of adding more cabs, we get the open taxi access and it would help everyone living in san francisco and the drivers.

however has the idea, thank you. you unwelcome to drive my cat in november and december. i will be happy to let you do it. -- you're welcome to drive my cab. please, do not screw up and let the people of san francisco have a good thing. [applause] >> at first, those cab drivers that they don't know what they have done. they're supposed to be 50 million extracted from the industry and funneled to the ss and g8. they were trying to reduce this to 10 million.

-- this appears to be five been extracted from the industry and funneled to the mta. she put everything forward, all of the facts. there are some issues because she jumped see much that she wanted to accomplish so much in a short time, some issues did not get enough significance. for example, you did not see any gps. why? it is because you're not guilty unless it is proven guilty. there is a criminal element operating in san francisco and there is no reason for you to be controlled. >> thank you. [applause]

>> i would like to have the board look at these pictures. this is embarrassing. we are calling 700,000 people a day on tires that look like that. you should be ashamed of yourself, mr. nolan. you are the chairmen of this board. you're supposed to make sure that stuff like this does not get out there to serve the public of san francisco. we are driving coaches like this with no protection around the steering wheels. i have sustained an injury because of your negligence and behavior and in respect to making sure that we have adequate working equipment, and i am tired of getting hurt

because it your negligent behavior. you need to step up to the plate. if you don't step up to the plate, i will make sure that the proper authority makes sure you step up to the plate. >> thank you. [applause] >> ok, next speaker, please. >> i'm an operator for san francisco. what you are dealing with the cab companies, what you're doing in the back terminal and the way you do your --, you are trying to turn us into machines, people without faces. this is dehumanizing, degrading and this will backfire on you. we are just human beings trying to do a job. the thing i want to speak to

quickly is that the -- i had a meeting with the state director and nothing happened the night. since then. what you need to do is have a full investigation on these coaches. someone will get killed out there and the blood will be on your hands. i will be happy to go over this with you. >> could afternoon, sir. i am a representative of the -- cabdrivers.

we don't want anything happening right now. there are the medallions increasing. at the town hall meeting, this is a communicator between ss mta and the taxi drivers. there is an agenda that is moving to the next session. when we heard the questions why these are being kicked alive -- kept alive, the answer she gives is that her bosses wanted it. the cab drivers wanted it. there is the answer. >> ok. next speaker, please.

>> thank you so much. good afternoon, chairman. i may taxicab driver. if you care about the general public then you need to the operator permit. there are bloody -- are many tourists. many times because of too many around the city because they could not get a cab in rush- hour. this is very slow. we cannot afford to have any regular medallions. this is like 10 or 11.

this is going to those stuck in the city. >> would anyone else care to address the board? ok, the public comment is closed. members of the board, a couple of points for made here that we're not supposed to go into detail in discussing. i was wandering about the 5% versus. we're looking for things in which we can be responsive. the other thing is the idea and

i cannot state that differently. if we can take another look at those, maybe. we have all kinds of boats working on this. for one, i would be interested in seeing if there's some room to do something at that point. we have the newest member of our tax the advisory commission. >> let's go ahead. >> good afternoon and thank you very much.

my feelings of that cabdriver's should not be charged for the fees. we don't have health care, we don't have retirement and now the board has seen fit to allow cab companies to charge us up to 5% for the credit charges. if you go to a store, the merchant is normally charged to and a half percent. the mta is allowing companies to not only charge the drivers but to make money off of them. that should be criminal. [applause] i would have to say that as a cabdriver myself, yes, i still drive because there is no

retirement in this job. this is a big safety issue when cab drivers don't want to take credit cards. the easiest way to make a safe is to make a cash list taxi. when you allow the police to charges for the credit cards, you discourage cab drivers from taking those credit cards. you will be responsible for having some of us slide some day. [applause] >> good afternoon. >> i would like to think chris

for running these meetings that when on. this was done under a great dress and under relentless personal attacks. -- this is done under great duress. some issues have not been resolved, the credit card issues and the back seat terminal. that has put an end to the electronic waybills as far as i can see. we should be having a meter increase and i don't know what happened to that. i guess you have a technical reason. they think that you did that because you are stonewalling them. it was a bad decision on your part to take it off of the agenda. at any rate, i have said what i had to say.

>> good afternoon. >> good afternoon. the point i want to address because i'm sure you have heard much from other drivers about the immediate issues that of the before you. the first things that you did when he took over regulation was to figure out a way to get the first 20 million, then 15 million, they had to settle for 10 million and so far you have gotten $10 million out of us. as far as we can look down the road, you will be seeking money for your own purposes and that is not legitimate, that is a

conflict of interest. we will not be your cash cows. >> i have opposed every motion and have made in the past two and a half years related to the taxi business in the city and county of san francisco. i have opposed the appointment of --, you or more of the most incompetent individuals in san francisco. you did not have the ability to take of the mta let alone the tax commission but th