Category Archives: taxi

Oops! NYC taxi GPS system has a few security holes.

Posted on December 24, 2007 by kfarr

Despite mucho complaints and an unsuccessful strike by cab drivers, all New York City cabs were still outfitted with touch-screen GPS systems. Some drivers protested because of tax concerns — with GPS tracking there will now be a permanent record … Continue reading →

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Rainy Monday night and Tuesday morning

Posted on December 19, 2007 by kfarr

During the shift It rained. It rained a lot. It rained from the start of my shift (12:30 am) until the end (11:30 am). I took a gay Filipino guy from the Castro out to the Sunset. He was a … Continue reading →

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Driving the holidays.

Posted on December 18, 2007 by kfarr

During my Sunday (day shift) and Monday (night/morning) shifts I took a couple Mexican guys home from the Tenderloin area to the Mission Sunday night. They were in a (drunk) chatty mood, but didn’t speak much English. I tried what … Continue reading →

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SFPD says 80% of taxi security cameras don’t work.

Posted on December 15, 2007 by kfarr

At the December 11 meeting of the San Francisco Taxi Commission SFPD Sergeant Reynolds admitted 80% of the time they were unable to pull images from taxi security cameras.

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A busy Thursday in the City

Posted on December 14, 2007 by kfarr

I showed up as an ‘extra’ to work on Thursday. I wasn’t regularly scheduled to work, so that makes me an ‘extra’. I show up to the garage around 6am and wait for a car to become available. As a … Continue reading →

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Distribution of cabs in San Francisco by company

Posted on December 11, 2007 by kfarr

I always wondered what the exact makeup of cabs were on our City streets. To answer that question, I threw this pie chart together from data available on the Taxi Commission’s website that lists current medallion holders and company affiliation. … Continue reading →

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Tourists hibernate for winter. My earnings decrease.

Posted on December 11, 2007 by kfarr

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 →

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Sunday by day, Sunday by night

Posted on December 11, 2007 by kfarr

This past weekend I worked Sunday 5am-3pm, slept from 4pm-11pm, and then worked Monday from 12am-11am. A group of about 6 hipsters flagged my van down in the Mission around 1am: It was a friend’s 21st birthday and they got … Continue reading →

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Driving the graveyard shift

Posted on December 6, 2007 by kfarr

I switched my shifts around. I stopped working Saturdays so I could get my Friday nights back. I kept my Sunday (5am-3pm) shift and added Mondays and Tuesdays from midnight-11am. (That’s the only time they have available for newbs like … Continue reading →

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GTA vs. Real Life: Taxi Driving

Posted on November 30, 2007 by kfarr

Above: The intersection on Hyde and Lombard Streets, just above the start of the curvy portion of Lombard, as seen in real life and Grand Theft Auto. Note the GTA version shows the Transamerica building clearly to the east although … Continue reading →

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