Supervisor Scott Wiener Opposes Fare Increase for "Inadequate Taxi Service"

Has visceral feelings about the MTA

​Yesterday, we told you about how the Municipal Transportation Agency was seriously considering making San Francisco one of the most expensive cities in the nation to travel by taxi.

And if anything riles residents into raging convulsions it is Muni delays, parking tickets, and the idea of shelling out more money for a three-minute taxi ride.

Supervisor Scott Wiener isn't taking kindly to the proposal either. After learning about the plan to jack taxi fare rates by more than 20 percent, Wiener went public with his feelings on the matter. He is planning to go on record at today's Board of Supervisors meeting as officially opposing the higher fares.

In fact, this proposal goes entirely against what Wiener wanted two months ago -- more taxicabs during peak hours citywide.

In March, the supervisor was quoted as saying that the city has "insufficient taxi service," and called on the MTA to issue more permits during peak hours or find some way of making more taxis available. But instead of following that direction, the agency decided to take the easy route and ask for higher fares.

"Anyone who has tried to flag a taxi during rush hour or phoned for a cab on a Friday or Saturday night knows that the city is underserved by its current taxi fleet," Wiener says. "But instead of trying to put more taxis on the street, the MTA is proposing to charge people more for the same inadequate service. This is not the right direction for our transportation system."

Does Wiener consider this plan "beyond incompetent?"

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