Supervisors approve May 1 cutoff for taxi driver permit renewals; add guardrail to prevent automatic paratransit surcharge changes

The Finance Committee on Tuesday advanced two taxi‑related items aimed at clarifying permit renewal dates and synchronizing controller reviews of fares and the gate cap with the city's budget cycle.

Heidi Machen, executive director of the Taxi Commission, told supervisors the proposal to set May 1 as the annual cutoff for A‑card renewal would give the commission and the city predictable budgeting and help prevent drivers from operating with expired permits. "This legislation . . . allows the taxi commission an opportunity for better budgeting, and it also prevents drivers from driving on expired A cards," Machen said.

Industry and driver advocates largely supported the change but urged safeguards. Mark Gruberg and representatives of United Taxicab Workers welcomed synchronization with the budget calendar but warned that some draft language could be read as automatically renewing the paratransit surcharge without hearings. Gruberg urged the board to ensure drivers have notice and an opportunity to cure expiration before permanent revocation; the Taxi Commission agreed to preserve a notice practice.

To address those concerns, the committee added an amendment clarifying that any recommendation on paratransit pass‑throughs would not become effective without separate board authorization, and signaled support for adding a notice provision to the permit‑renewal ordinance. With those changes, the committee forwarded both items with recommendation.

Next steps: items will be transmitted with the committee's recommended amendments for final consideration by the full Board of Supervisors.