Tag Archives: demand

Taxi driving: conferences + tourists = seasonal demand

My shifts were busy and lucrative this past weekend. Two big conferences were in town: the Apple WWDC and some sort of diabetes convention. Two special events — the Haight Ashbury Street Fair and the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon — … Continue reading

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More Bay to Breakers

This is a continuation of a previous post. Toward the end of my shift, around 3pm, I picked up an elderly Chinese couple hailing on the street downtown. They were heading all the way out to the deep Richmond on … Continue reading

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Driving Bay to Breakers

This weekend the City hosted its annual Bay to Breakers run. Bay to Breakers (B2B) is a 7 mile run through the heart of San Francisco. B2B starts from the east (bay) side of the City at the Embarcadero and … Continue reading

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Cab earnings update: seasonal rise in demand for taxis offsets increased fuel and gate costs.

San Francisco cab drivers face two recent cost pressures: a recent gate fee increase combined with the recent climb in gas prices. Fortunately, these cost pressures come at a time when aggregate demand for taxis in the City is increasing. … Continue reading

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Driving the day of the Olympic Torch run

I was not originally scheduled to work today, but I had to make up for a missed shift from earlier this week. More to the point, I wanted to experience San Francisco during the historic procession of the Olympic Flame … Continue reading

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Driving highlights

It was a tough weekend. It was slow Monday and Tuesday in the City. I am learning, albeit slowly, to let go of the natural feelings of elated success or critical failure that come from a high or low earning … Continue reading

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Fire destroys low-income resident’s apartment. Archaic rent control forces her to leave City.

The Chronicle has a touching and well-written article about the aftermath of the Mission District fire that completely destroyed a 30-unit apartment building Monday evening. Central to the article is the story of Griselda Paleo. Ms. Paleo is 59 and … Continue reading

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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

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“Peak Medallions” are the answer to evening cab rush.

You have a 7pm reservation with friends across town in the Mission. It’s 6:30 and you know MUNI won’t get you there in less than an hour, so you have to cab it. You walk to the nearest busy street … Continue reading

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There’s no free parking.

This excellent article in Slate discusses the hidden costs of parking. I won’t attempt to summarize, it’s worth reading in its entirety. Link It got me thinking about the cost of parking in the City, especially residential parking permits. Is … Continue reading

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