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Category Archives: econ
Transit fun fact: Fillmore Street developed as a commercial zone because of the 1906 quake.
(Photo Credit) Here’s another cool factoid from the amazing (out-of-print) book on the history of the San Francisco Municipal Railway. We know Upper Fillmore Street today as a bustling commercial district with high-end shops and restaurants married closely with its … Continue reading
Posted in econ, transit
Tagged 1906, build, cable, cable car, car, development, earthquake, econ, economics, fillmore, japantown, line, lrt, muni, pacific heights, public, public transit, rail, rebuild, san francisco, sf, train, transit, transport, western addition
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UCSF makes its own power. Why?
This past weekend I took a guy home early in the morning at the end of his night shift at the University of California, San Francisco‘s power plant. At first I thought he meant he works to maintain the big … Continue reading
Posted in econ
Tagged cng, coal, education, electric, electricity, gas, generation, higher, higher education, lng, natural, natural gas, pacific gas and electric, pg&e, plant, power, power plant, san francisco, sf, uc, ucsf, universities, university
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Reason #4395 to love Starbucks: They’re open on Christmas day.
Starbucks haters, feast on this: Starbucks slaves its poor employees on the day we celebrate our good Lord’s birth. How can they be such careless, soulless, evil human beings as to force poor hourly employees to brew coffee instead of … Continue reading
Crazy Idea: What if City cabs had variable pricing?
What if each City cab were to have a bright green light which, when lit, indicates fares are half of the normal price? During off-peak times I can cruise for nearly as long as an hour without a fare. When … Continue reading
Posted in econ, taxi
Tagged cab, demand, econ, economics, market, microeconomics, muni, pricing, supply, taxi, taxicab, thought experiment, variable, variable pricing, variable supply
2 Comments
Is Fair Trade coffee really ‘fair’?
Is Fair Trade coffee really ‘fair’? The short answer: no. EconTalk’s Russ Roberts chats with Duke Econ Prof Michael Munger about the concept of Fair Trade Coffee. It’s a very difficult challenge to ensure that a consumer price increase correlates … Continue reading
Posted in econ, marketing
Tagged aid, artificial, beans, ceiling, certified, coffee, developing, development, econ, economics, fair, fair trade, floor, free, free trade, international, labor, price control, pricing, trade
6 Comments
Crazy Idea: 700 MHz may be better suited to challenge cable/satellite operators, not mobile operators.
In 2006 the United States’ Federal Communications Commission decided to axe analog television. Analog TV, the kind of TV you received before you had cable and tweaked with rabbit-ear antennas, will go dark in 2009. Broadcasters have been transitioning to … Continue reading
Tourists hibernate for winter. My earnings decrease.
Tourism is San Francisco’s top industry by revenue. San Francisco is the 3rd most popular destination for overseas tourists. (1) (2) During the summer at least a quarter of all of my fares were tourists. Sometimes these visitors are aggravating … Continue reading
Posted in econ, taxi
Tagged business cycle, cab, cycle, earnings, econ, economics, industry, local, local economy, san francisco, season, sf, summer, taxi, tourism, tourists, winter
4 Comments
More cabs on City streets in 2008, but we still need peak medallions.
The Examiner reports the City will finally see more cabs on the streets in 2008. As both a cab driver and a City resident, this is bittersweet. As a resident, this seems like City progress. Finally, I’ll have a better … Continue reading
Posted in econ, taxi, transit
Tagged cabs on the street, medallions, peak medallions, san francisco, sf, taxi, taxicab
1 Comment
San Francisco Supe proposes taxi gate fee increase. Drivers need gradual implementation.
The Examiner reports Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier recently proposed a significant increase in taxi gate fees charged to cab drivers. (Quick background: A ‘gate fee’ is the rental fee charged to a taxi driver for a shift. Taxi drivers pay the … Continue reading
Posted in econ, taxi, transit
Tagged cab, excessive, fee, gate, gate fee, increase, local regulation, paratransit, san francisco, sf, taxi, taxicab
7 Comments
How much is a San Francisco taxi medallion worth?
The Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley prepared an analysis of the City’s taxi medallion scheme in 2006. Read it if you have a spare hour or so and if you enjoy these sorts of things. Here’s a … Continue reading
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