Order Taxis from your iPhone or Android phone.

You can track your ride from the moment the driver accepts your fare & we'll show the Cab's color scheme along with the car number, so you can sit back and relax knowing your Taxi is on the way.

Sign up for Taxi Mojo today, its free and easy to use:
http://www.taximojo.com/index.html

What is Taxi Mojo?

Taxi Mojo is a mobile Taxi marketplace: we match up Taxi orders with local drivers and we provide real-time status updates to both drivers and passengers.

Our commitment to Taxi Mojo Passengers is to make Taxi booking easy and stress-free.

Our commitment to Taxi Mojo Drivers is to help them stay productive day-in, day-out, whether during rush hour or on a slow day.

How does it work?

The second you place your order from the application, Taxi Mojo takes over and starts hunting for the best possible driver available, while keeping you updated every step of the way. You can look up the status of your ride at any time in the application, or you can go about your business and rely on the notifications we will push to your phone whenever there is a meaningful update to your order.

Does Taxi Mojo vet Taxi drivers?

While we do our best to make sure that we send you Drivers with a good reputation & legitimate credentials, think safety first and don't get into a car if you have reasons to think the cab company or the driver are not legitimate (e.g. the car doesn't have proper markings).

Is my data safe?

Yes! All sensitive information between your phone and our servers is SSL-encrypted, and we only keep minimum amount of data necessary to provide you with the best possible experience. In particular, payment information is 100% handled by PayPal, we don't even need to know what your PayPal email address is!

About Bounties

What is a Bounty?

A bounty is a reward for the driver who picks you up within 10 mins of your order. Use bounties to jump the lines when taxis get busy on Sat & Fri nights!

How much is a Bounty?

The amount is typically $10 to $20 depending on location and time.

Why should I ever use a Bounty?

Taxi drivers are independent workers, for every new fare they make a 'yay' or 'nay' decision depending on how attractive the fare is. If you're out of the way or you need a cab during rush hour it could be a long time before a driver agrees to come pick you up. That's where the Bounty comes in: an additional $10 to $20 will help tip the scales in your favor, and you'll be on your way when everyone else is left stranded.

How does a Bounty work?

Before you can use Bounties, you need to pre-approve payments from your PayPal account (see 'Rush Options' on the order screen).

Once payments are approved, Taxi Mojo starts a 10 min countdown immediately after you submit an order with a Bounty. We then use GPS to track the progress of the approaching driver: if the driver reaches your pickup location within the time limit, your PayPal account is automatically charged for the Bounty amount which gets paid out to the driver.

Taxi Mojo will prompt you explicitly before sending an order with a Bounty so you'll never get charged accidentally.

Does a Bounty count as Tip?

If you're happy with the service provided, you should still pay a tip on top of the fare as you normally would. The Bounty compensates the driver for driving on empty to come pick you up, and the s/he will still be expecting a tip for good service.

What happens if I cancel a fare?

If a driver has already accepted the fare, we notify the driver of your cancellation immediately. Note that if you cancel a Bounty fare before the timer is expired, the Bounty will be paid out to the driver to compensate for his time and your PayPal account will be charged accordingly.

MTA Board approved the two taxi items on its agenda

Yesterday, the MTA Board approved the two taxi items on its agenda: an additional 40 cents on the flag drop, and 87 more cabs. As a result, a meter increase bringing the flag drop to $3.50 and the distance and waiting time to 55 cents a click should go into effect around the beginning of September. The new cabs will probably take longer, especially if there is an appeal to the Board of Appeals (which seems likely).

The cab decision was exactly as had been proposed: 25 full-time medallions to the list; 10 full-time medallions to be sold directly by the MTA; a trial program for 50 single-operator permits (which could, however, have two operators); and aqn experiment with 2 battery-switchable electric vehicles.

Cab companies were out in force opposing the proposal for more cabs. Not that they were trying to save their drivers from added competition -- quite the contrary. Yellow, Luxor and DeSoto management have been pushing for 500 more cabs, with the permits going to companies rather than drivers. They want to kill single-operator permits because they can't make money from them, and because the SOPs (?) stand in the way of the corporate medallions companies want.

In my mind, these part-time permits are far preferable to full-time medallions. They'll be on the streets only about 1/3 the time, so they won't be hurting drivers during the slowest hours. There are some controversial aspects to the idea, however. The permits are to go to the most senior drivers in the industry, circumventing the list. The hours of operation will be flexible, which will best serve the public, but enforcement may be a problem. Retirement for permit holders is an open question. And, most ominously, a monthly lease fee will be charged for the permits. The fee can be reduced or eliminated by taking dispatched orders, but it sets a bad precedent, and creates a swamp of micro-regulation where the MTA is going to have to count every dispatch call these cabs take (or, more likely, rely on someone else's count). Nonetheless, I still believe this is better than hundreds of full-time permits in company hands. It's a trial program, so if parts of it turn out to be unfair or unworkable, they could be changed. And if the whole idea turns out to be a bust, it will go away.

Also ominous is the direct sale of 10 medallions by the MTA. At $250,000 apiece, the agency will pocket $2,375,000, with the balance of $125,000 going to the Driver Fund. This is a brand new source of revenue for the MTA. Up to now, the agency has directly sold only existing medallions returned to it after death or revocation. In light of the MTA's chronic financial problems, these 10 new medallions are only a hint of what is likely to come -- unless we do something about it, which we must. The MTA has a conflict of interest between its regulatory duties and its financial interests that cannot be allowed to stand.

Although the hearing lasted over an hour, driver turnout was not as robust as at previous meetings. It seemed that about half the public speakers were from cab companies. Maybe fatigue has set in.

The vote of the Board approving the cab proposal was 6-1. The "no" vote was cast by former Taxi Commissioner Bruce Oka. It appears the cab companies convinced him to take their side.

MTA staff did not discuss credit cards or electronic waybills at the meeting.

Mark Gruberg

United Taxicab Workers

Support Taxi Drivers Pin - San Francisco Taxi Advocate

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140579198409&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

This is Rich: The SFMTA Would Like Your 'Feedback' In Re: Nat Ford's Replacement

Former Muni executive director Nat Ford has finally left the building with his $384,000 golden parachute, and with this news we were both relieved and disgusted. Debra Johnson, meanwhile, who was formerly Director of Administration, Taxis and Accessible Services, is serving as interim executive director until a new hire is made by the SFMTA board, on a schedule they've yet to announce. But, trying to play nice given what horrible press they've gotten — and given, ahem, what a majorly mismanaged organization they are with trains that have a penchant for breaking down during rush hour a couple of times a week — they're seeking some public commentary at this time. In other words, you now have a chance to make your opinions heard, via a handy online survey, about who they should hire as the next person to direct the agency and incur our wrath.

The survey is here. It's entirely unclear how big an impact this survey will have or whether this is just them going through the motions before appointing Ed Reiskin to the job. And we just started taking the survey and we're already unleashing our anger in the write-in, "Other" option on the first question, which is "In your opinion, what is the single most important task for the new ED/CEO?", with choice A being "Maintain quality service."

To which we angrily reply, in D) Other : How can one "maintain quality service" when current service is so infrequently of any "quality." How about creating a higher standard of quality service, improving on-time performance, and eventually reaching that 85% on-time goal??

Yeah, anyway, it's better than attending a public meeting. Those things are horrible.

http://sfist.com/2011/07/12/this_is_rich_the_sfmta_would_like_y.php

Mayor Outlines SFMTA Chief Qualifications as List of Candidates Narrows

Mayor Outlines SFMTA Chief Qualifications as List of Candidates Narrows

by Bryan Goebel on July 13, 2011

Mayor Lee on SFGov TV during question and answer time yesterday.

The future CEO and executive director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) should be a visionary who can focus on implementing a labor agreement with transit operators, improve Muni reliability, make more taxis available, focus on pedestrian safety and expand bike facilities, Mayor Ed Lee told the Board of Supervisors yesterday.

“There is not just one person that can lead the MTA. It’s got to be a very dedicated team. I also want to make sure that the person exhibits a high level of collaboration,” Lee said during question and answer time. He was responding to a question from District 4 Supervisor Carmen Chu.

Lee’s mention of Muni centered around meeting on-time performance, a feat that has seemed impossible since San Francisco voters first passed the 85 percent on-time mandate in 1999. He mentioned the labor agreement first and reliability and on-time performance second.

“Even the on-time performance is not just Muni alone. There are so many other entities that affect the streets,” he said. “We also want to make sure that someone has the ability and the willingness to…build relationships with everybody and strong relationships with its own workforce.”

This week, SFMTA Chair Tom Nolan, who has said that he would prefer someone local, began sifting through the resumes of more than 30 people who have applied for the job since the agency begin accepting applications three weeks ago. Ed Reiskin, the head of the Department of Public Works, is seen as the inside favorite, but sources told Streetsblog that Transportation Authority Executive Director José Luis Moscovich, SFMTA Transit Director John Haley and Acting SFMTA Chief Debra Johnson have also applied for the job.

The SFMTA Board is charged with naming the head of the agency, but no doubt the Mayor will exercise significant influence. Nolan told Streetsblog that directors have given him the authority to narrow the list of candidates, and he expects that up to four top picks will be interviewed in closed session at the board’s regular meeting Tuesday. However, Nolan said directors will not vote on a candidate at that time, but would aim to have someone in place by September 1.

“We have to do some kind of background checks on people, especially if we don’t know the person, and also references. And then there’s the matter of negotiations. We might pick someone who we think is just wonderful and that person might have a different idea of what the compensation should be,” said Nolan, who predicted the salary “won’t be cheap,” and should be comparable to what transit directors are making at other agencies.

SFDPW Chief Ed Reiskin is seen as the inside favorite to head the SFMTA. Photo: San Francisco Water

Former CEO Nat Ford, who was asked to leave the agency July 1 after a five-year stint, was among the city’s highest-paid employees, earning more than $300,000 a year. He was given a $384,000 severance package, which was blasted as a golden parachute by several critics, including State Senator and mayoral candidate Leland Yee.

The speedy process of picking Ford’s replacement has drawn scrutiny from Supervisor John Avalos, who feels things are moving too quickly. In an interview with Streetsblog, Avalos said there should be a more robust public discussion about what kind of person “we want to see in there.” He thinks Reiskin is a “great public servant” but that other candidates should be given serious consideration.

“I don’t just want him to be considered as the heir apparent. I think there should be a process and it should be a thorough process and one that is at the national level,” Avalos said. “I’m not sure we’re giving it enough time to make that happen.”

Nolan said he is consulting with several transit advocates and community groups, and has asked for feedback from a broad spectrum of people, including Avalos and his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors.

“We’ve invited all kinds of stakeholders to tell us what they think. We’ve sent out a fairly elaborate questionnaire to all MTA employees, to a number of the interest groups,” including the San Francisco Bike Coalition, Walk SF, disabled and senior groups, and others, said Nolan. There’s also an online “employee and stakeholder survey.”

District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener said given the uncertainty at the SFMTA, it was better that the board make a decision as soon as possible.

“I’m not saying rush at the expense of having the best candidate you can have, but I think there are a number of very good candidates that have surfaced and in my view the sooner the better,” he said.

http://sf.streetsblog.org/2011/07/13/mayor-outlines-sfmta-chief-qualifications-as-list-of-candidates-narrows/

A taxi driver was robbed at knifepoint

A taxi driver was robbed at knifepoint in San Francisco's Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood early this morning, police said.

The robbery occurred shortly before 1:50 a.m. near the intersection of Sutter and Baker streets.

The driver, a 70-year-old man, had picked up the suspect and driven him to that intersection, according to police.

When they arrived there, the suspect pulled out a knife, put it to the driver's throat and demanded money, police said.

The victim complied, and the suspect, described only as a man in his 50s, got out of the cab and fled with the cash, according to police.

The taxi driver was not injured in the robbery.

Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.

Dan McMenamin, Bay City News

San Francisco Taxi Driver Ripped off by Ramp Taxi Class

I went to a Taxi Ramp School held by Cheryl from Damico Consulting on June 4th, 2011.

I was told in advance that the class would be from 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m. which I stayed the whole period of time. I also paid a 75.00 fee for the class when I first got to class. I needed this class for employment purposes. At the end of the class a final exam was given to each student. I finished the exam. I asked Cheryl what to do because I had to go to work. Cheryl and her assistant said that I would have to stay even though the class is over. I waited until almost 4:20 (Twenty Minutes after the class ended) and just had to go work, I have a family to feed. I handed my exam to Harold Miller who was taking the class at the same time as I.

About 5:00 p.m. I called and spoke with Harold and asked him if I passed the San Francisco Ramp Taxi Class, he told me no. I called to speak to Cheryl the instructor about the exam and the class. Cheryl told me that she would not grade my exam although I stayed the expected time and paid the 75.00 for the certificate and class. Cheryl was rude to me on the phone and said she did not have time to speak to me about this issue. Cheryl than handed over the phone to her assistant, I could hear her and her assistant in the back ground. The assistant said he does not want to talk to me and called me a MORON. Very unprofessional. Cheryl got back on the phone than offered I could come back to the class and "do her" for 25.00 dollars, or if I wanted I could come back at 11:00 a.m. but it would cost me more. Cheryl spoke with Syam the person I was going to work for and told my potential employer I have an attitude problem.

I am very frustrated speaking with Cheryl, and feel like she only wants more money from me. We had a problem like this in the industry once before in San Francisco with another instructor for taxis. He ended up in jail and indicted on fraud charges. I wish some government agency would assist the cab drivers in San Francisco from this type of unscrupulous activity. Please help with this issue.

As for the class itself, I am a credentialed teacher in the State of California by the way and drive taxi to supplement my income because my spouse is out of work. The content of the class was great and I learned a lot.

Cheryl did not have a class room policy sheet nor nothing hanging up on the walls, No agenda was provided for the students, and no class expectations or check list of things you must complete for the class. If Cheryl would have had these things there would have been no misunderstanding of what needs to be done in class. I am concerned that I am being penalized when I really needed to start work with Syam for something that is out of my control. I simply want my certificate that I feel I earned.

I was at the class for 4 1/2 hours, did the practical application part and completed the final exam. I would like a certificate from Cheryl Damico:

Damico Consulting & Training

1405 Birchwood Ct
San Francisco, CA
941 34
(415) 333-6965

A photo of Cheryl who teaches the class: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1417235870