Credit Card Readers | TRANSPORTATION – Noisy Taxi Protest At City Hall – But Drivers’ Strike Fails …

June 25, 2011 by Admin
Filed under: Bank withdrawal system 

SAN FRANCISCO — Scores of San Francisco taxi drivers, protesting credit card charges and the city’s law of taxis, delivered their summary loudly and evidently – but often loudly – by disposition on their horns and pushing around the Civic Center in packs Tuesday afternoon, snarling lunchtime traffic.

But a in jeopardy taxi strike, scheduled from noon to 2 p.m., unsuccessful to take grip downtown, where cabs were bountiful and traffic was light.

Around City Hall, though, gridlock, lawlessness and the continuous roar of taxi horns prevailed. About 20 taxis parked on Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, before Polk Street, outward City Hall, and military finally closed off the block, rerouting rows and rows of taxis onto within reach streets.

“It went wonderful,” mentioned Tariq Mehmood, a taxi motorist who orderly the protest. “It was so great that traffic was shut off on Polk Street past Golden Gate and a long way down McAllister. Cabs were everywhere you could put your eye. It was super-huge.”

On the stairs of City Hall, cabbies carrying “On Strike” signs bloody the Municipal Transportation Agency’s taxi management, mainly its use of requiring taxis to take credit cards but permitting taxi companies to assign drivers 5 percent of any transaction. The taxi drivers were assimilated by a cluster of Muni operators there to lend support. One carried a pointer reading, “Same enemy, same fight.”

Inside City Hall, a couple of dozen drivers tangled in to the MTA Board of Directors discussion to voice their violent behavior at the credit card charges, skeleton to electronically follow taxi drivers’ trips and adjournment of a taxi scale increase.

Tom Nolan, chairperson of the MTA board, mentioned the transport enlarge and other taxi problems could not nonetheless be deliberate since legally compulsory environmental studies have not been completed. The problems will be deliberate at the board’s Aug. 2 meeting, since the house does not have a periodic discussion scheduled in July. The cabbies booed Nolan’s reason of the delay.

But many directed their critique at the 5 percent credit card charge, as well skeleton to setup rear-seat credit video screens and credit card readers, that they blamed is to size of the new charge. Most merchants pay 2 to 3 percent for transactions.

“Cabbies shouldn’t be charged 5 percent,” mentioned Ruach Graffis, a motorist for more than 20 years. “We do not have illness care; you do not have retirement. And right away MTA is permitting the companies to assign us 5 percent.”

Several cabbies, and a few taxi firm representatives, mentioned the MTA was using the taxi attention as “a money cow,” that they deliberate unfair. Drivers moreover criticized the agency’s efforts to put more taxis on the thoroughfare during the busiest movement hours.

While the objection combined a ruckus in and around City Hall, it unsuccessful to start taxi service – at least in the downtown districts where suit-wearing businessmen and businesswomen, conventioneers and tourists tally on cabs to obtain around.

Cabs were bountiful around Union Square and in the Financial District. They were lined up outward hotels and a few cruised the streets in looking of fares.

“Today’s type of slow,” mentioned Peter Ng, a doorman at the St. Francis Hotel. “So there are lots of cabs out there. But if this was a Friday or a Saturday, there might be a problem.”

In front of the Parc 55 hotel, maestro cabbie J.D. Nelson sat in his taxi watchful for a fare. He wasn’t participating in the strike, he said, since he had only schooled of it that morning, didn’t know the groups at the back it and mentioned he didn’t intent to the credit card fees.

“It’s only segment of the cost of carrying out business,” he said.

Mehmood, outward the MTA house meeting, mentioned the taxi drivers’ next action might be a full-day set upon – unless the group comes up with a negotiate on credit card fees, backseat terminals and electronic tracking, and stairs up coercion against unlawful taxis and limousines.

E-mail Michael Cabanatuan at mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com

This essay appeared on page C – 1 of the SanFranciscoChronicle

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