The long slow death of the 74x,” and “Hey, Remember That Taxicab Medallion-Selling Idea? We didn’t, either.
Way back when, in the halcyon days of early January, when the budget deficit was still a manageable less than half billion and the special election was still a twinkle in the progressives’ eyes, Mayor Gavin Newsom had a moneymaking idea that didn’t involve sulfites, tannins or tropical waterfront real estate.
He wanted to take a page from New York’s heavily-taxed book and sell off some taxicab medallions — the very permit that allows someone who’s lived in the city for about a week inform you on Thursday nights that Grant and Green do not in fact intersect, and he’ll be damned if he’ll take five people in this here minivan!
That never did seem to go anywhere, so Gavin can hardly cry foul when Muni discusses stealing that idea so’s it can close a $130 million budget gap of its own.
It is unclear exactly how much Muni thinks it can reap and/or which medallions it wants to pawn off; an e-mail to agency spokesman Judson True got caught in his spam filter (or so we assume, Judson), but the agency does need to get a balanced budget together, otherwise it’s emergency time — which means fares go up, to perhaps late 20th-century levels.
There’s plenty of what-ifs and maybes, but it seems as though certain things will happen no matter what: the “Just $7!” 74x Culture Bus will be put out of its goddamn misery, and we’ll also bid adieu to the 4-Sutter, 7-Haight, 20-Columbus and 26-Valencia.
Beyond that, it’s just — wow. An awful lot to chew on: numerous lines might be shortened by blocks or miles; all non-owl service could end at midnight, not 1 a.m.
But at least there’ll be more cabs! Right…?
What: SF MTA Board of Directors Meeting
When: 2 PM
Where: City Hall, Room 400
