It Might Get Easier to Get a Cab in San Francisco, But It Will Cost More

Tuesday, the SFMTA approved a plan to add 87 cabs to the streets of San Francisco. These extra cabs are slated to appear on the roads during peak travel times.San Francisco cab strike is called off as Muni approves measures for higher cab rates and more taxis

But the extra cabs come with a catch – they will cost you more.

Starting in 30 days, San Francisco taxi meter rates will increase by 50 cents every mile, and 10 cents for each minute stuck in traffic. The cost to just get in a cab is going up too, from $3.10 to $3.50. This is the first meter rate increase in San Francisco since 2003. The new meter rate hikes raise the cost of a 3-mile trip by more than $2. Under these new rates a three-mile trip would increase from $10.75 to $12.85 – making San Francisco cabs the third most expensive in the country.

Cabmaggedon Called Off

Cab driver Tariq Mehmood, who has organized several cab protests, announced that he called off Tuesday’s planned 24-hour taxi strike. The strike was planned in reaction to a new 5% surcharge taxi drivers have to pay on any debit or credit card transactions and the increase in San Francisco cabs. Mehmood said the proposed increase in cabs would cut drivers’ business by 10 percent.

Stay tuned as we continue to follow this story…