As we wrap up 2019 and end our first full decade since launching Uber, we wanted to take the opportunity to thank the City of San Francisco, as well as riders, eaters, restaurants, delivery people and drivers for a great year of progress. Over the past twelve months, we worked closely with the SFMTA and the Board of Supervisors to pass important new legislation, improve pickup experiences in the Uber app, and implement new app changes that will help riders move around the city more easily and efficiently. Here’s a quick review of the highlights from the last 12 months:
- San Francisco City Tax: On November 5, San Francisco voters passed Proposition D by a two-thirds margin. The San Francisco City Tax will go into effect on January 1, 2020, and will apply between a 1.5% – 3.25% tax on all rides that originate in the city of San Francisco, depending on various factors related to the ride such as the pick-up and drop-off location or vehicle type. Uber supported the proposition in partnership with Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Aaron Peskin and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority Chair, both in the state legislature and on the 2019 ballot.
- Legal loading zones and curb access: We worked closely with the SFMTA to identify highly-trafficked areas that would benefit from our electronic pickup tool, and implemented the new technology in several locations across the city to help improve curb access – including zones on Valencia Street, as well as near the CalTrain station and other high-use areas.
- Local grants: In January we announced that we are working with three local organizations – including Mayor Breed’s Opportunities for All initiative – to help train the next generation of technology leaders in San Francisco. As part of the partnership we gave $100,000 to each organization and also helped to provide training and resources. In September, we started a fellowship program with one of the organizations (DevMission) that will see participants work with volunteers from Code for San Francisco on a project of their choosing that benefits the local community.
- Journey planning: Also in September, we launched Transit Journey Planning in the Uber App in San Francisco. The feature gives riders the ability to plan door-to-door transit journeys with step-by-step directions, complete with estimated fares and travel times provided in real time by a third party. To build it, we worked closely with the SFMTA and several other transit agencies around the Bay Area to develop data information-sharing agreements.
- Better Market Street: In September, we stood with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and other groups in support of the redesign of the Market Street corridor. We published a letter supporting the initiative and attended an event in support of the initiative with riders.
- JUMP ebikes and scooters: We continued to see strong adoption of our ebikes in San Francisco – which have already had an impact on helping to reduce car trips on the platform – and also won a permit from SFMTA to launch our JUMP scooters in October.
These initiatives demonstrate Uber’s unique ability to partner with local municipalities to help improve life for local residents. Thanks again for a great 2019 and we can’t wait to see what we do together in 2020!
Posted by Uber Editor