Two of San Francisco's most bitter rivals have now unexpectedly become allies – rideshare giant Uber and taxi cabs.
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Uber recently announced the new partnership between the company and Flywheel and Yellow Cab SF in the city.
"We're excited to partner with taxi software company, Flywheel, and Yellow Cab SF, as we continue to update our taxi offerings throughout the country. 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," said Dennis Cinelli, VP of Mobility for US & Canada in an emailed statement to KCBS Radio.
Over the next few months, the partnership will enable all of the city's 1,075 taxi cabs to be available on Uber's platform.
Using the apps already operated by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's partners, Flywheel, Yellow Cab SF's YoTaxi app and Creative Mobile Technologies' Arro, Uber will integrate access.
"This partnership is a win/win: San Francisco taxi drivers will get more access to demand, cities will get fewer empty miles driven, and riders will have access to more transportation options," said Uber in the emailed statement.
The new partnership in San Francisco is one of the steps in Uber's goal to continue to grow the company's relationships with the taxi industry around the world.
"…as we look at the next five years, we strongly believe that there is no world in which taxis and Uber exist separately. There is just too much to gain for both sides," said the statement.
The company has already executed similar partnerships in other cities and countries, including New York City, Spain, Germany, Colombia, Austria, Turkey, South Korea, and Hong Kong.
With the recent gas shortage, taxi drivers may be eligible for the recently announced driver fuel surcharge, an additional $0.45 or $0.55 per trip, depending on when the partnership goes live.
Earnings for the participating taxi drivers will be calculated the same as UberX drivers. In some cases, this may mean taxi drivers could make less or more than they would using meter-based earnings.
Before accepting a trip, taxi drivers will have access to an earnings estimate, and they can accept or decline accordingly.
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