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Updated Standards for Ramp Taxi Access to San Francisco International Airport 9.29.2020

Effective Date
Tuesday, September 29, 2020 - 9:00am
News categories
Taxi Industry

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for taxi service at SFO has been reduced; therefore, the Ramp Taxi Incentive Program is being amended to include temporary changes.   

Starting October 1, 2020, the Ramp Taxi Incentive Program is being amended to include changes highlighted below. These changes are temporary, until further notice. SFMTA will continue to evaluate the incentive program and reserves the right to update the program at any time.

  • SFO Short Pass: Ramp taxi drivers that have completed 30 wheelchair trips per month, of which at least 10 must be completed in the outlying area of San Francisco or after hours. Of those 30 trips, at least 20 must be provided to SF Paratransit wheelchair users. Of the 30 wheelchair trips, drivers must serve 8 unique paratransit riders in the month.
  • The SFO Short pass will no longer allow for unlimited access for the month. The SFO Short pass will allow eligible drivers to have a maximum of 15 short trips per month.

Existing Ramp Taxi Incentives and Program Requirements That Remain in Effect

  • $10 per paratransit trip incentive: for every wheelchair trip provided in a ramp taxi to a paratransit customer, driver receives a $10 incentive.
  • $10 per public trip incentive: for every wheelchair trip provided in a ramp taxi to a general public customer, driver receives a $10 incentive.
  • $15 per trip incentive for trips after 8:00pm and before 6:00am: for every wheelchair trip provided in a ramp taxi to a paratransit or general public customer during the hours of 8:00pm to 6:00am, driver receives a $15 incentive ($10 for IVR transactions).
  • $15 per trip for wheelchair trips which originate in outlying areas (see map on page 3): for every wheelchair trip provided in a ramp taxi to a paratransit or general public customer in the outlying areas of San Francisco, as identified on the map on page 3, driver receives a $15 incentive per trip ($10 for IVR transactions).
  • Expedited Access: Ramp drivers that do not meet the threshold for the Short Pass will still be allowed access to SFO in the expedited line (P line), as will ramp drivers who have earned the Short Pass and have exceeded the Short Pass threshold for the month.
  • To be eligible for the ramp incentive program, all ramp drivers must be logged onto an SFMTA-approved e-hailing app (currently Flywheel only) for at least 80 hours per month. Eligibility for credentials will be based on trips provided two months prior (i.e. credentials distributed in October will be based on trips provided in August).

Only one incentive type may be collected per trip. In order to receive credit for general public wheelchair trips, ramp taxi drivers must submit the online trip record within two hours of trip completion. The general public wheelchair trips are subject to regular video audits, and SF Paratransit ramp taxi trips may also be audited by video. Any wheelchair trip that cannot be verified through video will not be counted. Paratransit manual receipts (IVR) submissions for wheelchair trips will automatically default to the $10 incentive regardless of the location or time of pick-up. 

Airport staff will receive notification prior to the beginning of each month with the names of ramp drivers who have earned the 15 short pass trips for that month. Any fraud or misrepresentations will result in the offending driver losing access to the airport incentive program for a minimum of 12-months and may be subject to other SFMTA administrative action.

If you have any questions about the new ramp taxi incentives or requirements for the SFO short pass, please call 415.701.4400

Map of the Outlying Areas of San Francisco

map 2

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