Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data
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Dumped on the Highway, Passengers Fought Uber Secrecy in Court

01.07.2020
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After an evening of socializing in Santa Barbara, Margaret Schimmel and her brother, Joseph, hailed an Uber to take them home, but the ride turned into a nightmare, according to a lawsuit they filed against Uber and the driver in San Francisco Superior Court. The case illustrates Uber’s use of secrecy in responding to lawsuits that accuse it and its drivers of injuring people — and the hurdles that accident victims can face in trying to hold the nation’s largest ride-hailing firm accountable.

Elections

Proposition D

10.24.2019
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A 2018 study by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority found that people take about 82 million trips in the city each year on Uber and Lyft combined, and most of those drivers live outside San Francisco.
In light of the report, legislators initially tried to take aim at Uber and Lyft with a gross receipts tax, a tax on company revenue. But after weeks of negotiations, that proposal gave way to what is now Proposition D, which the companies support: a fare tax of 3.25%, with shared rides and rides in zero-emission vehicles receiving a reduced rate of 1.5%. Passengers would pay the tax.

If you want to hear more about Proposition D, here’s an excerpt from Civic’s conversation with Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez about the proposal:

“Civic” Podcast
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BART’s Proposed Ban on Panhandling, Performing Slammed as Unconstitutional

09.27.2019
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A proposal to ban panhandling and performing on BART is slated to go before the BART board of directors in October. When it heard about the potential ban, the ACLU told the board that such a law would be a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech.  Abre’ Conner, a staff attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, addressed issues of free speech and, in particular, how they affect homeless people. Conner details how such a ban would unlawfully restriction this constitutional right. 
“It’s a good opportunity for BART to remember that they are a government entity — that does not isolate them or insulate them from having to adhere to people’s free speech rights.” — Abre’ Conner, ACLU Foundation of Northern California staff attorney

Muni
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No Story Is Too Weird for Online Journal ‘Muni Diaries’

09.26.2019
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“Muni Diaries,” an online journal, collects and shares Muni riders’ stories in its blog, podcasts and live events around San Francisco. Co-founder Eugenia Chien and producer Peter Clarke provide a glimpse of what’s happening in the world of buses, streetcars, transit stops and stations around town.

“Civic” Podcast
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Bike-Friendly San Francisco Still a Work in Progress

09.26.2019
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The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition promotes the bicycle as everyday transportation and pushes for better and safer streets. Executive Director Brian Wiedenmeier highlights what’s happening on the streets of San Francisco that is good, or bad, for bicyclists. He-gives a shout-out to the Bicycle Coalition’s valet bike parking at the new Chase Center, where automobile parking may be scarce. In the works, he said, are reconfiguring Page Street near the freeway to make it bike-friendly by protecting the bike lane and eliminating atraffic bottleneck, finding out what riders want to see on Market Street,  and working toward Vision Zero — zero traffic deaths by 2024. “And for people who drive, the better and safer we make it to get more people out of their cars, the easier it’s going to be for those folks who do still need to drive.” — Brian Wiedenmeier, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition executive director