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Committee recommends private-transit permit for Chariot-style services, setting fines and data rules
Summary
The Land Use Committee recommended a Transportation Code amendment to require permits for private transit vehicles operating wholly within San Francisco, imposing data-sharing, ADA and route-complementarity requirements and a $5,000 fine for operating without a permit; supporters cited labor partnerships and drivers testified in favor, while some neighborhood commenters urged caution on enforcement.
The committee voted to send an ordinance to the full Board that would make it a violation to operate a private transit vehicle (PTV) service without a permit and to affirm the SFMTA’s CEQA determination. Philip Grama, enforcement and legal affairs manager for taxi services at SFMTA (speaking in Alex Johnlin’s stead), said the program updates regulation for app-based private buses and vans operating entirely within the City and County of San Francisco and that the MTA board approved the permit framework in October 2017.
Key program features described include requirements that operators stop in safe, legal locations (yellow and white zones, driveways with permission), new routes complement rather than compete with Muni, provision of equivalent service for persons with disabilities, GPS and ridership data-sharing obligations, and permit terms and fees. Grama said a violation for operating without a permit would result in a $5,000 fine for each instance.
Public comment included calls for cautious enforcement and concerns about staging, idling and use of bus/taxi/handicap zones (Edward Mason), while Teamsters representatives and Chariot drivers described a cooperative relationship with the company, positive workplace changes since unionization and support for the permit program as a way to bring operators under enforceable rules (Tony Delorio, Kendra Watkins, Nima Rahimi). The committee agreed to send the item to the full Board with a positive recommendation.
