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SFMTA outlines progressive discipline and new subpoena power as ramp-taxi access lags
Summary
SFMTA Director of Taxis and Accessible Services described a progressive-discipline framework and a new ordinance granting subpoena power; both staff and a taxi workers union acknowledged ramp-accessible taxis are hard for wheelchair riders to obtain amid competition from transportation network companies (TNCs).
Kate Torren, director of Taxis and Accessible Services at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, told the Board of Appeals the agency is formalizing a progressive-discipline process for taxi companies and medallion holders and will soon have subpoena power to compel testimony and documents in permit hearings.
"It is a public good to have a regulated taxi industry," Torren said, outlining enforcement steps that range from verbal warnings to revocation and noting the SFMTA is codifying those steps in Article 11 of the Transportation Code. She told commissioners the new subpoena authority will make investigations and hearings "simpler and more efficient."
Commissioners asked about wheelchair-accessible "ramp" taxis. Torren acknowledged the ramp program has "suffered" in recent years and said SFMTA is renewing attention to ramp-taxi recruitment and service; she credited field investigators and industry outreach for reducing the number of formal appeals the board now sees.
In public comment, Mark Lueberg of the San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance, which he said represents about 500 drivers, said ramp cabs have been harmed by new competition from TNCs and characterized them as "the victims of the TNC invasion," urging continued protections for drivers and de novo review by the board where drivers lack representation.
The presentation framed enforcement as balancing public safety, accessibility and industry stability; Torren said staff consider many factors before recommending revocation and that the SFMTA seeks uniform, transparent application of rules.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation; commissioners followed with questions for SFMTA staff about enforcement practice and ramp-taxi availability.
