(June 2009 update) Every year thousands of unsuspecting visitors to San Francisco are ripped-off and picked-clean by dangerous illegal scam cabs.
Scam cabs are unlicensed, un-registered, illegal cabs. They are nothing more than some crooks' private car that has added signage and a roof-top light to make them look like taxi cabs. The drivers are criminals and the passengers are victims.
This is nothing new in San Francisco. Back in the Barbary Coast days, which was the late 1800's, San Francisco was full of Shanghai joints. Bartenders would spike the drinks of selected victims with Mickey Finns (knock-out drops) and serve the unsuspecting victims. Before long the victim would pass out, be dragged into a back room, and hauled off to a waiting sailing ship. In the morning the poor victim would awake and find himself at sea! For the next number of months -often a full year - the victim would be a slave-labor sailor. Vacationing in San Francisco in those days could be a life-changing experience!
Victims of the taxi scammers don't end up at sea, but they do end up paying three or four times as much as they should and, in some cases, they may end up being dropped-off in dangerous parts of town where they may indeed become crime victims yet again.
The message is clear:
When you come to San Francisco -
WATCH OUT FOR SCAM CABS!
The San Francisco Taxicab Commission is a branch of the City and County of San Francisco with offices at City Hall. The Commission regulates all taxicab operations in San Francisco and has some very important information that EVERYBODY should know:
1) If you have a San Francisco Taxicab complaint (if inside the City of San Francisco) call 311. If you are calling from outside the City of San Francisco call .
2) Before you hail a taxi in San Francisco, be sure to read How to Spot a Real San Francisco Taxicab. The document is in .pdf format and I suggest you download, print and carry a copy during your visit to San Francisco.
3) Limousine companies and limousine drivers are also under the authority of the San Francisco Taxicab Commission. How to avoid illegal limousine services is also covered in How to Spot a Real San Francisco Taxicab.
4) Here is a map of all authorized San Francisco Taxi Stands throughout San Francisco. You can enlarge and print the map for future use if you wish.
5) The Commission provides a complete and full list of all authorized, licensed and approved San Francisco Taxicab companies along with a link to a photo of each company's cab design that will show you what the cabs look like (markings, color, etc), the address of their principal office and the telephone number to their central dispatch as well as the phone number to their head office. You will also find the rates of fare for San Francisco. Remember: taxicab rates of fare are set by the San Francisco Taxicab Commission.
6) If you become the victim of a cab scammer, immediately contact the San Francisco Police Department Taxicab Detail. Call them at (available 24-hours a day).
7) You may leave comments for the San Francisco Taxicab Commission 24-hours a day at or send them a fax at .
8) To contact the San Francisco Taxicab Commission by email, send your message to:
9) To reach the Commission's web site, go to: www.sfgov.org/taxicommission
10) If all else fails, contact Mayor Gavin Newsom's office at or send the mayor an email at: . You may also visit the Mayor's Office online at: http://www.sfgov.org/site/mayor_index.asp
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9 comments:
I'll give a damn about the taxi drivers in San Francisco once they stop doing stunts like never showing up to a call, refusing to drive to the Sunset or other outer neighborhoods because it's "too far" or blasting by little old ladies waiting outside Safeway for a ride home. They want protectionism and loyalty, they can damn well earn it.
By the way, got any stats to prove how "dangerous" the unlicensed cabs are? Didn't think so!
The Taxi Commission has reams of complaints, police reports, passenger complaints and more. You can read it all by contacting the Commission. Oh, by the way ... by the position you are taking, you wouldn't be one of those lousy, criminal scam cab drivers, would you? Why are you so eager to protect criminals who want to operate in our society under the table and beneath our ability to regulate? Why are you on the side of the crooks and not on the side of the people and the folks who come to our City as visitors? What kind of creep are you? That's the same sort of technique used by terrorist cells and organized crime.
I wish I had known about this BEFORE visiting San Francisco. Take it from a victim - this is something you should read and take to heart!
I've seen unlicensed illegal cabs parked in front of homes in the Bayview - Hunters Point district, in the Outer Sunset and over in the Visitacion Valley district. Why can't the parking enforcement officers ticket and report these cabs when they come across them? Why can't the Dept. of Parking and Traffic help identify where these cabs are parked? The SFPD taxicab Detail could go out and arrest those guys. A lot of them are in the country illegeally anyway. The federal ICE (immigration police)would catch of lot of illegal aliens. A lot of them work as illegal scam cab drivers. It's a great job for criminal trying to stay below the radar. These guys can be potentially very dangerous. Where is the Dept. of Homeland Security? Can't they handle a problem like this?
The safest place in the world for Osama bin Laden to hide is to work as an unlicensed taxicab scam driver in San Francisco. Nobody will ever find him.
Just for the record: sometimes taxis from outside of San Francisco may be seen driving in SF. Taxis fromn outside SF are permitted to drive into the City ONLY if they are bringing a fare to a location within San Francisco. They are NOT permitted to pick-up any new fares inside the boundaries of the City and County of San Francisco. Violators are subject to citation, fine and repeated offenders may find themselves on the receiving end of stiff fines and formal legal action against the driver, the cab owner and the taxi company.
"3) Limousine companies and limousine drivers are also under the authority of the San Francisco Taxicab Commission."
Limousine companies(and limo drivers too) NOT under taxicab Commission!!!!
The comment immediately above this, informing us that limousines are not under the jurisdiction of the Taxicab Commission, is wrong. The writer is mistaken. Limousines in the city and County of San francisco ARE INDEED under the authority of the City and County of San Francisco, both through the Taxicab Commission as well as the Police Department.
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For the past few years, there has been an explosion of limousines unlawfully soliciting passengers in San Francisco and out-of-town taxicabs operating without a permit. The volume and repetitiveness of continuing offenses are reaching epidemic proportions. Limousines and out-of-town taxicabs are filling up taxicab stands, which prohibit authorized San Francisco taxicabs, the ability to utilize these stands. For this reason, in 2002 the SFPD Taxi Detail began performing limousine and out-of-town taxicab enforcement team operations to combat these improper and illegal activities. Those operations continue today. Make no mistake about this: Limousines are regulated and controlled in the City and County of San Francisco. Don't believe the lies. Know your rights and know the law!
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Here's an official report from the San Francisco Taxicab Commission and the San Francisci Police Department. Read it yourself:
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In December, San Francisco Police Department's Taxi Detail led a sting operation in which five members of the CPUC's enforcement team and two members of the Taxi Commission posed as "secret shoppers" to see whether limo drivers were unlawfully soliciting passengers or operating for-hire cars without a license. The night of the operation, the Police made 12 misdemeanor arrests of limousine drivers and towed two vehicles.
According to state law, limousine operators may only carry passengers by prearrangement. Limousine operators may not operate like a taxicab by picking up street hails or by transporting unknown passengers. Passengers who wish to take a limousine must contract with them by advance reservation.
"We partner with law enforcement on surprise stings throughout the state at airports and undisclosed locations in an attempt to check for proper licensing," said Richard Clark, director of the CPUC's Consumer Protection and Safety Division, who noted that there are 4,000 licensed limousine operators in California. "We are looking forward to continuing our enforcement actions with the City and County of San Francisco."
"This operation is exciting in that it marks the first time ever collaboration by four separate agencies to address the ongoing issue of illegally operating limousines," said Heidi Machen, executive director of the Taxi Commission for the City and County of San Francisco. "Our goal is to protect customers from unscrupulous operators who may be both literally and figuratively taking them for a ride and to ensure an even playing field for business for our 1,400 metered taxis and taxi drivers that must adhere to strict regulations and inspections." The Taxi Commission is charged with licensing and permitting San Francisco taxicabs and drivers.
The San Francisco Police Department confirmed that illegal limousine drivers are a threat to public safety and they want to alert the public that the laws can protect them.
San Francisco Police Department spokesperson Captain Thomas O'Neill said, "Unless passengers pre-arrange their limousine ride with a reputable company, there is no way of knowing who is driving them or whether they are properly licensed and insured. Even hotel passengers who might mistakenly believe that they are somehow protected by a hotel doorman helping them into a limousine must take greater precautions for personal safety." The Police plan to continue sting operations and to alert the riding public to exercise prudence when seeking a for-hire vehicle. They advise passengers to either take one of San Francisco's licensed taxicabs or to pre-arrange their trip by limousine or town car, as required by law.
The CPUC requires legitimate limousine companies to be fully licensed and carry worker's compensation and liability insurance.
The 12 limousine operators were arrested as misdemeanors and were cited to appear in San Francisco Superior Court the week of January 7. Upon receipt of the case files, the District Attorney's Office will review the cases for charging. Prior to the operation, the District Attorney's Office also worked with the San Francisco Police Department to identify the legal requirements needed to prove the cases.
"We are sending a message to anyone considering doing illegal business here in San Francisco, and we want to discourage limousine drivers from operating illegally," said District Attorney Kamala Harris. "Our focus is on protecting the residents of this city, who might unwittingly get into an unlicensed and unregulated vehicle with an unknown driver."
FBI Probes California Officer in Bribery Case
A veteran San Francisco police officer in the department's taxicab detail was placed on administrative leave Tuesday as the FBI investigated allegations that he took bribes for issuing passing grades to drivers taking the city's taxicab license test.
Officer Paul Makaveckas, the target of the probe, was not arrested but was removed from his office Tuesday morning by authorities who attempted to question him. He was removed from the detail and put on administrative leave, said Sgt. Lyn Tomioka.
Makaveckas, who has been with the department for more than 36 years, refused to comment when contacted by The Chronicle on Tuesday night. The Police Department declined to comment further.
Authorities said he long taught an orientation course for cabdrivers, among other duties.
One source said that Makaveckas was ensnared with the help of a government informant who wore a wire during a transaction.
Joe Schadler, an FBI spokesman, confirmed that his agency is investigating Makaveckas, but he would not say how long authorities believe the alleged criminal activity had been going on - or the extent of the suspected bribes.
Mark Gruberg, a co-owner of Green Cab and a longtime taxicab activist, said he has known Makaveckas for many years.
"He taught the police one-day session in which they give you a little test after that," Gruberg said. "He was the gatekeeper that you passed through when you became a cabdriver."
Cabdrivers have long swapped stories about people who apparently had not taken the city-required four-day preparation course but nonetheless managed to pass the city's taxicab license test after attending only a one-day police course. Passing the license exam allows drivers to obtain a permit to drive cabs in the city.
Barry Taranto, an advocate for cabdrivers, said he thought Makaveckas had been doing a good job of investigating cabdrivers who lack permits.
"He's a congenial guy," Taranto said.
"I am worried - are they going to replace him? This is a major issue. The illegal taxicab drivers are all over the Mission District, South of Market and parts of Union Square."
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