and now they are tacking it on the other end, which is a higher fee, which makes it more expensive trip in the long run for everyone, so i think that ultimately i want to support the recommendations. i thank everyone for your input and for coming down today and for being respectful, and i am looking forward to further input. chairman nolan: thank you. >> hopefully, we will come back with something for the taxi drivers to use. we hear you. we can work to make is less interested, and we can proceed with electronic waybills.

chairman nolan: what kind of action? >> some time in 2012 we will have enough to come back to you with. after the rfp is done. chairman nolan: do you want to reiterate anything? >> no, i just want to thank you and the others for their wonderful feedback. we will go through the comments. chairman nolan: on what to say that i appreciate you are being here. it has been three hours. happy holidays. thank you. next item. secretary boomer: item 17. chairman nolan: we have been

asked to have a break. do we have any speakers? secretary boomer: chairman nolan: we are at night -- item 17. secretary boomer: there are a lot of people signed up. we will go with items 17, adopting and amendments to make 8 wheelchair pickups per month, change the expiration date for permits, exempt seismometer vehicle tax in medallions from permit application and a renewal fees, eliminate the provisions authorizing jitney permits,

clarify that a holder of a purchase medallion may sell the purchase medallion regardless of age or disability status, provided that a qualified medallion seller will lose his or her eligibility to sell the medallion if he or she declines to execute a sales agreement within 15 days of notice that the sfmta has located a qualified medallion buyer who is prepared to proceed with the sale, and reopen a pilot program to specified medallion holders, an amending article 310 of division ii, to include a fine for failure to make the required number of wheelchair pickups per month. [reading names] chairman nolan: good afternoon. >> it is not my intention to embarrass anybody or myself. in 1977, a group of cabdrivers

got together and bought yellow cab co-op, or yellow cab, which turned into yellow cab co-op. the next year, things changed. they took away transferability, and then they took it away, then they gave it back, took it back, they would turn the faucet on and shut the fossett off. this is people you are dealing with with families. this is not that easy. if you do not sell your medallion now, you cannot sell it. everyone has a different circumstance. in my case, i have kids at home i am trying to take care of. you just cannot turn on and turn it off. you have to have one policy for once and for all. you might as well just line as up and fireless downstairs and gas us hassid you can get all of

the profits now. -- and gas us now. it is not right. it is morally not right, and the intent is almost criminal, you know? let us exit this with a middle pride in a little respect. [bell] thank you. chairman nolan: thank you, sir. secretary boomer: [reading names] >> directors, i am here basically to urge you to continue with the present pilot program, which has been so well thought out and implemented and which has been so successful since its implementation, with one sole change, and that would be the age at which a medallion holder would be able to sell.

this attempt to exempt all pre- k medallion holders, and i must say that i am a post-k medallion holder, so this does not affect me. preventing them from being in the to sell something they had during the pilot program is not something that is inherently unjust, it is against part of the principle of the whole pilot program, which is to make the medallions available to drivers who are completely shut out at present, from given any state in our industry. i started driving over 20 years ago, and there was the fact that you would not allow me to purchase and become an actual owner of my own business, and it took me almost 20 years before i was able to finally get a

medallion. like i said, that is basically coral. this is 300 medallions that you'd be taking out of the pool of potential purchasers. chairman nolan: thank you. secretary boomer: [reading names] chairman nolan: mr. >> i will try to be brief with an eye to the clock. first of all, item 17 includes a beneficial set of changes to the rule with a type of taxi service, and i urge you to adopt those changes. and the other main change in the provision has to do with the medallion sales program. very briefly, because i know you will hear about it, dropping the

distinction between pre-k and post-k, it is an arbitrary distinction, and most affects the most senior members of our industry. that is it. thank you. chairman nolan: thank you. secretary boomer: jim gillespie. is mr. sheldon miller here? [reading names] chairman nolan: mr. gillespie? >> jim gillespie with yellow cab. one thing i want to mention, this but -- this pilot program has been very successful. it would be initiating something like 1400 people who wanted to purchase and a much smaller number that wanted to sell.

it would seem to me that they would want to expand that reservoir and not diminish as -- it. i am a post-k medallion holder. i had my name on the list for 18 years before i got my medallion. i certainly feel that we should continue the pilot program. all of the medallion holders who are disabled or over a certain age. but not differentiate between pre and post k. it does not make any sense to me. secretary boomer: is mr. jenson here? [reading names] you are first, and then richard fogel. is mr. fogel here? >> good afternoon, everybody.

my name is emil. i have been driving and serve in the community for years and years and years. and i am part -- glad to be a part of yellow cab. we have been having a great time with yellow cab. yellow cab is my home. i love yellow cab. i had been waiting and waiting and waiting, and then i got my dream, you know? they sent me a letter. gisele medallions. i was so happy. eventually, i am going to get something. we waited for a free medallion, but i do not think there is a chance to get a free one, but now my ability to purchase a

medallion and to be a medallion under, i am going to create jobs in the city. at least you know your or three people at work. so please, give us the opportunity to buy this medallion, to purchase it, to build our american dream. god bless america. thank you very much. secretary boomer: [reading names] chairman nolan: good afternoon. >> objective. -- how to do it. how to make its a people can do it. there are people who want to do this to make the industry

better. to buy a medallion we currently have in place. i am ready. let's make it possible to transfer medallions from disengaged owners. from those not interested to concerts -- to contribute any more, in order to expedite this process, let's openness for those 16 and above. let's make another step towards a healthy system of medallion ownership, for the taxi service of san francisco. secretary boomer: richard fogel, followed by it -- [reading names]

i cannot hand them out at this point. >> some of you have seen the letter i sent by email. for those of you have not seen it, it is just 1.5 pages, and i think he will understand it. with the documents i have handed it to roberta, it includes my personal phone numbers, and i invite your questions and comments 24 hours a day, seven days a week. you have all of my information there, and i'll be happy to talk with anybody about anything. those of you who have seen the letter already, any questions -- questions now, will be happy to speak to them. chairman nolan: thank you very

much. >> and finally, i do not have any interest in getting money returned to me for the medallion i bought, but i am asking to get my medallion returned to me. there was a meeting of the minds with the predecessors, and they agreed to sell me a transfer medallion. i agreed to buy it. now i am asking for it to be returned. chairman nolan: thank you. next speaker. secretary boomer: [reading names] chairman nolan: good afternoon. >> good afternoon, members of the board. i am with yellow cab. i have been with yellow cab since the beginning in various capacities, manager, and i am here to address the restrictive provisions. what this cab industry needs is stability. these restrictive provisions do

not give us the kind of assurance, the kind of time to consider, to evaluate things in a manner. they do not need to be there. i would urge you to find a policy whereby the individuals who have medallions are allowed to require transferability rights. individuals and can become qualified to sell, they should have the same rights, and i think this would be very helpful to the industry for the comfort level of all that we need. thank you. chairman nolan: thank you, sir. next speaker, please. secretary boomer: [reading names] >> i have to agree with the previous speaker, and i would also like to add the fact that i

believe we need more time to go to the feasibility. the current program is expired. the profit the sfmta is making selling the dalliance is unacceptable. to read agency control of the business and at the same time make a profit out of it, it is a conflict of interest. i think it has got to be stopped, ok? thank you for your time. chairman nolan: thank you, sir. next speaker. who is next? secretary boomer: [reading names] chairman nolan: good afternoon. >> good afternoon, a board of directors.

from the very beginning, there are several repeating concerns, cash -- repeating concerns, including the non responsiveness of the mta as well as the failure to disseminate information, as to when the meetings are, access to the notes from the nygaard study. the pair transit program, which your scheduled to vote on today. these issues were identified years ago and most recently five months ago. ban still, what is difficult to accept is one of the mta has not address these very real concerns, it is nonetheless proceeding with its vote as

scheduled. we were actually advised that our concerns would be addressed next year, which is an exercise in futility. the wheelchair minimum pickup will be voted on today. now, earlier, there was a boat in a bond issue, pending your review of additional information. you can do the same with wheelchair minimum pickups. [bell] we are requesting if you could please delay this particular vote until the proposed changes and the problems that we have identified have been reviewed. those issues were brought to you by a long-term member of the taxicab industry. the question is, why hire an outside consultant when you have access to relevant information provided to you for free.

chairman nolan: thank you. director: excuse me, miss. who do you represent? >> arrow checker cab. secretary boomer: [reading names] >> hello. i am glad your first speaker brought us back to what this business is. it is a bunch of cabdrivers that got together 30 years ago and bought a cab company and medallions and have been operating and have been a leader in the industry in providing services and features and things like that. we will continue to do that. we are cabdrivers. however, the city streets taxes and generally considers this a

medallion. and yet, your committee has passed on a report to you that takes out a specific group of people and deprived them of a privilege offered others. it is discrimination. it will go to court if it is presented that you are depriving the civil rights of people who have been treated by a city government equally, and yet when it comes time for an opportunity, it has been denied them. chairman nolan: thank you. next speaker, please. secretary boomer: [reading names] chairman nolan: miss? >> bafta years of doing back

seat work, i teach new drivers and a tax the class, and all of these things contribute to our industry. the only part of it that is really disturbing is that you are excluding people if they want to sell their medallion. anybody, anybody should be able to sell their medallion. i understand that it is important to try to restrict the age, but there are drivers that are 60 and older that would prefer to get out, i am sure. yellow cab is cabdriver-owner operated. it is not one guy. it is 300 guys and girls that

out and operate the company. we are all here for you guys. thanks. chairman nolan: thank you. next speaker, please. secretary boomer: [reading names] chairman nolan: good afternoon. >> my name is richard. i am with yellow cab. i have said several jobs and duties over the past 40 years, so i have some experience. i want to reiterate that yellow cab is a driver-owned, driver- managed company. we do not do the whole city. we need a permanent medallion sales program. one that includes all of the medallion holders and one that is ongoing. not one that starts, stops, and

includes some, excludes some. but a niggardly excluding the pre-k medallion holders, when they knew there is going to be a proposal to make them nontransferable. at the time they bought their medallions, they were transferable. i urge you not to exclude the pre-k medallions from being able to sell. you want to sell? this is what you have to do. you want to buy? this is what you have to do. determining the price of medallions, the city can use the money, and it is part of our system. at least tempering medallions for the next four years, which

would cover the people buying cars, began whenever your study comes out, i do not think anybody in the industry would be against the issuance of 100 more cabs. i am sure we need way more than that. but 100 with least relieve some of the pressure. chairman nolan: thank you. secretary boomer: [reading names] chairman nolan: i do not see that one man. secretary boomer: ok. larry toronto. >> good afternoon. larry toronto. some of this was not invented at town hall meetings, but some of this has been changed from the extent where you see so many people speaking, there is a reason. we did not have a chance to review it. i spent maybe two or three hours

reviewing it, and since there are changes to the code, it should be 10 days. you should really said and then send an email out. everyone should be told that this is a link to this document so we can review it. we should get a chance to do it. i believe there is a 10-day requirement for certain codes, and we were not given a 10-day notice, and that is not fair. but there is some stuff in here that should probably be done. there is the reamp taxi stuff. the only problem is that the onus should be more on those who are not being irresponsible in fulfilling the requirements to pick up people in wheelchairs'. the medallion holders should be part of the process. the medallion owners are responsible.

they are to participate in the operation. the next issue that chris explained very clearly, the reasoning for some of these changes she made, and they are very well done. about the pre-k, they cost less than 10,000 dollars, and they do not have to drive the cab. they make a lot of money without even driving. the post k have to give up the medallion if they do not want to drive anymore. sfmta taxi services. mta staff. that is wrong. i think that has to be discussed. we never discussed this issue. chairman nolan: thank you. secretary boomer: [reading names] >> good afternoon.

my name is -- i am with yellow cab. as the previous speaker said, yellow cab is owner operated. we have our own managers through the secret ballot, and it is an excellent company. the reason it looks like people complain about yellow cab, the influence in the cab discussion, a lot of medallion holders of with yellow cab because it is excellent. that is also documented by the fact that a lot of drivers -- i urge you to support the sale of medallions, regardless of age and regardless of pre or post k.

please give us transfer rights for our families. we have no benefits. we have no pensions. everything we do, we live from day to day. if something happens, our families have nothing. i urge you to consider the transfer rights so that our families can sell the medallions if something happens. i think you very much. -- thank you very much. chairman nolan: thank you. next speaker. secretary boomer: [reading names] >> in the first years, there was regulatory neglect, and the lack of foresight and oversight in particular led to where the

medallion permitting mechanism had been integrated so badly it was sort of vague kafka-esque. at retirement age when their name came up, and yet there is a full-time driving requirement. in the consequence of this malfeasance policy, it led to major accidents, big insurance liability payouts. general industry dysfunction. we had a couple of suicides are even more by k medallion holders and did not want to go through the humiliation to get the medallions back, and there have been many lawsuits in state court. i mention this because there are people in the room who want to glorify and romanticize this, but there is a willful denial that it is a failed experiment. the medallion sales program has createden