SFO Taxi Protest - On Monday night, cabbies with the San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance held a taxi protest at the San Francisco International Airport for two hours, clogging lanes, blocking terminals and refusing to pick up passengers. However, the SFO taxi protest which began about 9 p.m., may just have backfired.
"This vehicle has full-time insurance, 'TNCs' (transportation network companies) do not!", read the signs posted in the cabbies' windows, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Other spews at the SFO taxi protest include statements that the TNC drivers are unlicensed, that their cars are uninspected, that they are unsafe and unreliable.
SFO duty manager John Gintry said that travelers reported complaints of long backups coming into and going out of the airport because of the SFO taxi protest.
However, it is apparent on Twitter reports that the SFO taxi protest has not only limited passengers at SFO from using alternative ride-hailing apps, but the SFO taxi protest has also created a major gridlock for anyone wanting to get in or out of the airport's terminals.
According to officials, the SFO taxi protest has backfired since it only resulted in a lot of headaches on Monday.
Passengers who were left stuck in the traffic tweeted their plight during the SFO taxi protest, whilst also warning others of unsafe conditions.
Cabs apparently protesting @uber at SFO. Backing up traffic. Makes me never want to use a taxi again. #backfire pic.twitter.com/yF4Nk7agAD
— Jeff G (@jjgilz) November 18, 2014
I am all for strikes but my experience with SF taxis is soooooo bad they don't have a lot of sympathy from me. Also I want to go home :( — Jane McGonigal (@avantgame) November 18, 2014
.@avantgame @marcslove just got out of SFO. It was madhouse, very unsafe for drivers and especially pedestrians.
— Dustin Allen (@dusteallen) November 18, 2014
The SFO taxi protest resulted from tensions escalating between the taxi industry and smartphone app-enabled ridesharing companies in San Francisco and elsewhere, according to HuffPost.
In June, state regulators gave ridesharing companies Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar, cease and desist notices for operating at SFO without permits, reports Tech Crunch.
However, the companies were able to reach a deal with SFO, allowing Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar to pick up and drop off passengers at the airport.
After the California Public Utilities Commission provided the ridesharing companies with a legal framework in the state, there has been a significant drop in cab rides. This has been in part due to lower prices from these new upstart competitors.
According to the head of the local taxi industry however, their situation has gotten from bad to worse, and that they might not be able to continue operations in just 18 months.
The number of taxi rides plummeted 65 percent in just 15 months, a detailed a report presented to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board in September.
The SFO taxi protest comes as SFO has become one of the first airports in the U.S. to welcome ride-sharing services at airport terminals. SFO is now also the first state in California to have made a deal with the ridesharing companies, and the second in the country to do so, noted local CBS affiliate KCBS.
As for the results of the SFO taxi protest made in an effort to raise awareness of the plight of the local taxi industry, SFO spokesman Doug Yakel said there is an irony to the taxi drivers' SFO taxi protest which caused a gridlock.
"It's difficult to really get people on your side when they're being inconvenienced," Yakel told KCBS.
Meanwhile, ride-share companies say they are simply replacing an outdated industry which currently isn't meeting the transportation needs of the city any longer, reports the SF Gate.
Apart from clogging multiple lanes of the airport drive during the SFO taxi protest, the cabbies also made known their discontent by handing out flyers warning that by issuing permits to Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar, SFO has effectively signed a death warrant for the local cab industry.
Skot Ballard, a local cab driver in San Francisco who has been working for six years, said his main reason for participating in the SFO taxi protest was the roughly $4-per-trip airport fees that they, cabbies must pay, and which ride-service companies don't.
He added that ridesharing vehicles aren't entirely safe for passengers.
"They don't know where they're going because they don't know the city," Ballard said. "They're always looking at their phones, which just isn't safe."
Ballard, who broke his horn by continuously blowing it during the protest, said people should expect more of this type of labor action.
"Our income has been cut so bad," he said, "you'll definitely see more of this."
At this point though, it reportedly appears unlikely that the SFO taxi protest will result in the protesters' desired outcome and that SFO will reverse its decision to issue permits to the ride-sharing companies.
The SFO taxi protest's main complaint is the insurance issue. However, these days' customers reportedly care far more about service and reliability than unfair competition. The quick success of rideshare services could mean that traditional taxis just aren't the choice of many consumers any longer, reports the Huffington Post.
"Convenience and ease are the primary reason people are so open to not trying, but permanently switching to ride-sharing apps," said economy expert Rachel Botsman. "The current taxi experience is often frustrating and unreliable," she said.
The SFO taxi protest, which lasted until 11 p.m., is the latest episode in the conflict of local taxi drivers and ride-sharing companies.
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