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tv   [untitled]    April 11, 2015 5:00am-5:31am PDT

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this year thank you. >> >> thank you. next speaker please. >> (clapping.) (calling names). >> good afternoon. >> thank you. i agree that the fees should be wavered for the medallion renewable but have a separate hearing to see what the proper amount of the fee should be going forward there's 0 only two resources one is a form we give a fingertip every year the former 1095 and the other to produce a medallion with the metal plate so so $250 to recovery this over the time the reason the fee got how the city considers the medallion is property but now seven hundred people have bought the medallions and several paid $250
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with heavier loan payments it is not reasonable to have this not related to the impact on the staff the other things that director reiskin and director nolan and director heinecke will work with the mayors and convince them there's 15 thousand tmcs if those were not around you'd have a lot of revenue the city is losing because of the this stubborn policy (clapping.) >> before we get to the next speaker i assume that a lot of people are here to talk about that exact issue can i see a show of hands for people that are in support thank you very much. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> (calling names.) >> good afternoon mr. haas.
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>> i'm david haas a long time can be driver 35 or 40 years losing track and hoping you'll resend the annual medallion fee it happens in today is paper the business section an oral uber jumping far ahead ever san francisco in the expense reports one statistic sums up that 71 percent of rides go through an expense management company during the first quarter 71 percent of rides were certified were for uber 29 percent used taxis obviously an unleveled applying in the can be industry is hemorrhaging shifts are going
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unfiled and medallion owners can't be paid because their cab drivers not will i belittling to work for low wages we'll urge to resend the medallion fee thank you (clapping.) thank you. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> (calling names.) >> who's the next one. >> rick arena (calling names). >> good afternoon, sir and good afternoon. i'm rick arena i'm here to try to figure out with the mta is going with last august i put my medallion up for transfer and i was told at the time i was if i was to pass away from the transfer the monies will go to my wife and child
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recently, i respect to the mta and talked with the staff she said that's no longer the case now in i pass away the medallion the fees go back to the city i don't understand that is what they mean to do hurt the families that are in this room there's a lot of old-timers here it didn't make sense i thought you gave us an out i don't see it thank you. >> please. >> (calling names.) (clapping.) >> good afternoon, everyone. >> good afternoon, everyone. i drive for a yellow cab i want to speak about this i
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want to talk about the fee for the medallion fee every year our income dropped over 50 percent you have 20 thousand tmc running all over the city with no regulations at all there's no regulations at all for them to do business no way you can rent a regulate bus and an unregulate business seattle has limited to 6 hundred and other cities take action i don't know san francisco let's everything under the sun now we're charging $5 a ride for customers and uber is contemplating the drivers this is - there's no way knot with
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tmc they can do anything they like why we're regulated by the city so something has to be done again with the tmc companies that's all (clapping.) (calling names). >> good afternoon. >> good afternoon director nolan march with the san francisco taxi workers alliance the sf t w a will be issues of importance to you and the rest of the city including the tmc and safeties issues i want to thank you dave and others for keeping the safety issues afloat it is really, really important i wanted to talk about the medallion renewable fee and
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other fees because this agency is collecting according to the budget about $10 million a year from the taxi striate a time when drivers are suffering, our industry reeling you're using this is a cash cow for other projects but i note that your birthing budget is increased by 24 percent over the past 4 so that you are engaging in large increases in transit service we're paying for that that's not right to be taking it from an industry who's been hurt so badly and the city refuses to do anything to help what i'm saying you should no longer be charging those medallion fees you should
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no longer be charging drivers a card fees giving a break to the medallion holders is called for but the ordinary driver needs a break they're hurting and suffering you're not doing anything but taking money from our industry i'm pleading with you to change that policy all taxi revenues collections go back for taxi purposes thank you (clapping) (calling names). >> good afternoon. >> my name is jim temple tony started driving a cab in 1973 the last thing we should be pleading with those people those people don't give a damn about us cab drivers don't give a damn you've got 15 thousand completely deregulated cars running around the city a no
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insurance (clapping.) you people regulate every nut and bolt in this city not you but the powers that be in the city are getting paid off not with an envelope of money but called examining i heard your son and daughter is out of stanford yeah, we'll get them into google i have friends you regulate apartment buildings and everything how big the dents in the cabs are going to be and you've got to be one of the president a be silicon valley person running a business and not charging him a dime (clapping.) and your cowards you better start we need some of those ubers okay. we can't handle everything on friday night and
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when it's raining where seattle maybe a thousand they need commercial plates and commercial insurance (clapping.) and don't beg those ass holes they don't care a thing about you. >> thank you. >> (calling names). >> good afternoon, sir. >> hello, i'm ving the holder a medallion member 744 been a taxi driver in the city for 41 years i want to point out the transportation services have dramatically cut into the taxi services the services are allowed to work without the training the licensing and the criminal background check and the things that did at the scene drivers have because of the this and unfair best practices lib
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uber give rides for less than they're operating costs the workers restraining order struggling to make a woermdz i've asked to eliminate the medallion fee as well as the lack of regulation and oversight and the unfair best practices thanks for letting me speak. >> (clapping) (calling names). >> good afternoon. >> good afternoon. my name is it ron collins a yellow cab driver and medallion holder on behalf of of the guys that are here and those who canned because they're working i'm asking you to waiver at
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medallion fees not only for this year and next year but the a card fees cab drivers take a 50 persecute in pay i remember talking to you director i said if those cabs keep coming out and uber comes they can drive a yellow cab mushroom and uber can drive a yellow car those cars don't have medallion fees or a cards yet those guys have a million dollar insurance for every cab i'm asking you, sir in the words of harry truman the buck stops here you can stop the medallion fees now do what harry
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truman did the buck stops here (calling names). >> good afternoon, sir. >> i'm ron walter driver for san francisco green can be urge you to wave the medallion fee and wave the a card fee it westbound a small amount to help us after what we've endured in the newspaper they've published an article rides for medallion based on our numbers we're down by 60 percent in the last two years and wanted to say about the stress since the tmcs came out one driver mentioned the expedition composition where people are in a level the playing field this is not competition in game is rigged
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(clapping.) we have been disappointed over the last few years by your action and inaction i think this is a good time a few years back they were under the tmc order to cease and desit no one directed enforcement you need permits to hire now we see those people out here not business licenses as someone pointed out they're commenting insurance fraud why not directing your attention to that i expect it i told high passengers they've talked about it the other people end up with similar costs no they're lying and cheating you know please we need help thank you (clapping.)
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(calling names). >> herbert wiener now there's been talk about the shuttles and the marina they charge of dollars a pop to take people downtown they're a weather - those shuttles are like red aunts attacking a corps and unfortunately, the corps is mta you should go over after those shuttles for fees they're a symptom of a serious problem of public transportation as to the medallions i have a proposal i think each mta board member should pay a renewable fee of goiblt of $100 a year for serving on the board what applies to the taxi drivers
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should apply to the board now $100 is not much you owe it to the public you're so money hunger your socking to the public you pass prop a and the public is $5 million poorer for it with no guarantee of service now you guys don't take an uber or lift or others but you sock to the taxi drivers you you know what mta stand for more trouble ahead (clapping) (calling names). >> good afternoon. >> hi madeline on another note i
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want to thank the mta more quickly implementing the near term improvements only polk street they're effective not one hundred percent but ami i've seen the changes in behavior i want to address one of the main reaps that the mta policies have met with unreasonable opposition a lot of protest offender works a letter that was submitted a twurz derailed the northbound trains to california i'm familiar with the merchants and revisited them of the named merchants in that letter of two years ago several have changed management and some are gone because of development and several new businesses two of whom are welcome to opening the nerves they've relocated because they want the neighborhood to be
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safer because of the inches n ichts i know they've used the data i've explained to the letter writer of two years ago his block has a significant nuke of crashes they can full-time the best cycle of design they said the quote the city can do what it wants i'll take that as a request to go back to the design according to the change that was dysfunction relatively at the last minute i want it 0 block reinstated to the design i'll collect letters from the businesses i've spoken to. >> >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> (calling names.) >> good afternoon you know the taxi industry is dying
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but it is seems to strange to me because you have a plan and the plan is more buses, more taxis, more bicycles and this plan can only work if you continue to support the taxi industry buying buses is not going to do anything if you don't support the taxis as well we in turn support you with million dollars and that only works if people are buying medallions but they're not really buying medallions those days and soon you could be in a position of having to give money back to the financing companies who in the initial projects you agreed to guarantee the price of the medallions
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and this is because you don't support us do you know uber subsidies drivers on certain routes whether to the airport their charging $15 and uber gives them oath 25 now forget your regulations that's illegal under the puc because it infers they have now become employees maybe you showed you talk to the puc and tell them their illegal so for the minute cut the medallion fee thank you (clapping.) (calling names). >> and good afternoon.
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>> thank you directors i guess you've heard another stand out in the technique industry we're in a crisis maybe a few facts 9 hundred taxis at least 20 percent of those cabs are parked on a daily bases sitting around on the streets on a daily basis and mentioned the drivers income is off 60 percent unfortunately for those medallion holders and drivers their rent didn't go down and other expenses stayed the same only dealing with less income they've mentioned the tmc 10 to 15 thousand in the streets of san francisco as far as the regulations are concerned i am involved i go to the state they've passed legislation last year that requires an now and
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then insurance it didn't go into effect until july 1st this year there's in the bill in the state capital that will pass not until september and law in january that requires background checks drug testing and identification on the vehicles and so forth but again, this is 8 or 9 months away we need your help now as mentioned the fees seem unreasonable to us because they're continuing to medallions so the drivers are really, really hurting to waiver the medallion fees thank you (clapping.)
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>> good afternoon, sir. >> good afternoon. i'm marseille a medallion holder with yellow cab director nolan it is hard to address the board and not show anger i'm angry over the taxi in city and county of san francisco i'm disappointed with our mayor with the position he's taken on this board to wave the medallion fee and educate our mayor on this issue it's not okay to charge a quarter ever a $0 million for a medallion at the same time i promote and facilitate unfair driving thank you (clapping) (calling names). >> good afternoon. >> my name is tom
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i've been a medallion holder since 19989 a driver since 75 and i know everyone is here about regulating the tmcs but it is hard on your part to do that being the sate you're under whatever i feel it is more in your power to unregulate us i mean didn't have to be catastrophic unregulating but a simple thing like letting us use the same exemptions as muni and look at it us as a transportation system and an extension of muni so for instance wherever muni buses make a left-hand turn it would be helpful to make us more efficient and more competitive if because if we can do that and the tmcs can't it will give you an advantage and one section in
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particular that drives me crazy is howard and sutter we cannot make a left-hand turn we have to go up to bush street and stockton to all those angles that makes it hard for us to get around the city especially on market street if we have left-hand turn on second and 11th that will let us assess south of market that is growing like crazy and has access to the freeways and other events that happen south of market so if you can look at us liquor an extension of muni and treat us as a transportation system i think that will help our cause and you'll be able to collect our medallion fees like in the past up to $2,000 so thank you for your time thank you (calling names.) (clapping.) >> good afternoon mr. lee.
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>> good evening director nolan and the members please bring our voices to the governor's office and the mayor's office as i know you get this job because a assigned by the mayor but the - he is not the boss. >> a human being principle i hope you people have the courage not to challenge the governor but bring the voice of the taxi low income fees people above their struggle and fairness in the fee we should liquor puc no more running our taxi like maybe a low rate the thing you have two much require so, please redefine the taxi industry and bring our voice to the governor's office
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got because you agree to challenge the boss a mayor or state or anything because this is about the principle one time at the love history it was ready to collapse it was the administrator they don't knows who is royalty - bear a good he's year is out that's why our country is great we have a democracy if the mayor or whoever is a patient he'll be anti sooner or later corrupt is you corrupt i saw a lot of corruption i'm so upset, of course, the 5 foot principle is not for our boss is your boss is no good you have to stand up and be a man, i saw a lot of cab drivers die already last week
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another arabic driver device again, it's not about just being a city driver (clapping) (calling names). >> good afternoon. >> good afternoon board of directors i'm evelyn the president and general manager of the alliance cab i'm here to petition of wavering the medallion fee i ask the renewable fees be waived as well the taxi try is in total choose the continued deterioration of no apparent result in sight over 10 thousand documents site cards you're going personal vehicles compared 0 our 19 hundreds cabs they find a loophole in our
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system existing they've aggressively taken over our cab services free of the controls all the city has the legal authority to control the effects like the congestions the significant wear and tear on the streets the city has not asserted that horticulture puc has taken over the city with their 5 to $6 cab rates when our cabs go to the airport they're outnumbered in the city the airport complains and wants to raise the airport fees if the puc has taken over 70 percent of the airport rides and three to four hours for a fair the domino effect is the reduced income to all the drivers forcing them to seek employment to other places
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and some color schemes in shops they've reorganized and the rest desperately seeking to keep their heads above water this is the elephant in the room when the medallions were - >> thank you, ma'am your time is up. >> i urge you. >> chin (clapping) (calling names). >> good afternoon. >> good afternoon, members of the board i'm going to try and speak to you with a balance of reason and emotion i think i'll go for the emotion first, i have a message for travis san francisco cab
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