Uber Adds San Francisco Taxis to Ride-Hail Fleet
Uber's latest local partnership allows San Francisco taxis to pick up customers through the ride-hailing app.
A deal inked Monday with Yellow Cab SF (operator of the YoTaxi app), CMT's Arro, and Flywheel Technologies could mean Bay Area travelers who request an Uber will get a ride from one of the city's 1,075 taxis, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
"San Francisco taxi drivers will have more access to demand and cities will get fewer empty miles driven, which is a win for drivers, riders, and the cities we serve," Dennis Cinelli, Uber VP of mobility for the US and Canada, said in a statement to PCMag.
Uber, which recently announced a goal to put every taxi in the world on its app by 2025, signed a similar contract with the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission last month, promising to list the five boroughs' roughly 14,000 cabs starting this spring, in an effort to ease driver shortages and alleviate high fares.
Taxi drivers will be eligible for Uber's temporary gas surcharge of $0.45 to $0.55 per trip, assuming it's still in effect when they join forces.
Passengers, meanwhile, have a larger pool of cars and more chances of catching a lift; expect to pay about the same for trips in a yellow taxi as a standard UberX. As an added perk, cabbies can see expected earnings before a trip and decline rides—a luxury not afforded to Uber drivers.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency this week also greenlit a one-year pilot that lets taxis accept flat upfront fares, which may differ from metered rates, for third-party e-hailed rides.
Uber is also reportedly adding trains, buses, planes, and car rentals to its UK app this year—a pilot that could eventually expand to other countries. According to CNBC,
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