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UberX slashes fares to compete with taxi e-hail and ride-sharing services
TransportOn-demand transportation startup Uber is making a serious commitment to its UBERx service, making on-demand rides with hybrid cars and community drivers less expensive. Today on the Uber Blog, the company confirmed what we reported last week — that it will be cutting fares on UBERx rides in an effort to be more competitive with [...]
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Hotels and cities with “LGBT-friendly” reputations poised for growth
DestinationsLGBT festivals, fairs, and events are among the activities LGBT travelers are least interested when taking a trip; however, an “LGBT-friendly” reputation is one of the leading motivators for selecting a destination. Similarly, an “LGBT-friendly” reputation was the third-most important factor in selecting a hotel, after price and location, according to an online survey executed [...]
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San Francisco’s efforts to make Airbnb, FlightCar and the sharing economy legit
DestinationsSan Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee has long been outspoken in his support for new laws that would foster a thriving environment for the emerging sharing economy. How does he describe the laws that restrict the growth and legality of travel startups in the the Valley? “Outdated.” It turns out that other state stakeholders are open to the idea [...]
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America’s Cup in San Francisco: The event that nobody really wants
DestinationsSo much for smooth sailing. With less than three months before the start of the America’s Cup races in San Francisco Bay, locals are lining up lawyers, insisting on written contracts about concert hours and signing petitions to shame Larry Ellison into covering the city’s bills. San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos, a ready critic of [...]
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San Francisco’s new museum celebrates the city’s reputation for innovation
DestinationsThe Exploratorium, San Francisco’s hands-on science and technology learning museum, is set to open up next week in its brand new location at Pier 15 right on the Bay, and we got the chance to head inside a few days early and take a look at the new digs. Many cities have science museums, but this one has [...]
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Golden Gate Bridge goes high-tech with all-electronic tolls
TransportDrivers approaching the majestic Golden Gate Bridge will experience something new for the first time in 76 years: no human toll collectors. The toll takers were removed in favor of cheaper and faster electronic transponders, and a camera system photographs every license plate that comes through, mailing an invoice to each motorist who doesn’t prepay. [...]
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San Francisco considers renaming airport in honor of Harvey Milk
TransportA San Francisco lawmaker on Tuesday planned to introduce legislation asking voters to rename the city’s airport after slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk. A charter amendment sponsored by Supervisor David Campos would put the question of creating Harvey Milk-San Francisco International Airport on San Francisco’s November ballot. If five of Campos’ colleagues agree to [...]
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San Francisco looks to legitimize ridesharing in a possible win for Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar
TransportState authorities will begin a formal investigation into how to regulate ride-sharing companies such as Lyft, Sidecar and Uber — an inquiry that could eventually legitimize the controversial businesses. For the past two years, the California Public Utilities Commission has struggled to provide oversight of the burgeoning industry…The commission has issued cease-and-desist orders to the [...]
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The growing pains of San Francisco’s app-driven amateur car service business
TransportLate for a pickup basketball game without a taxi in sight, San Francisco resident Shobeir Shobeiri summoned a nearby driver with a few taps on his smartphone. Five minutes later, Shobeiri, 31, found himself in the back seat of a silver Scion sporting a furry pink mustache on its front bumper. The car is one [...]
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Mozio launches site to ease flyers’ search for airport transportation
TransportMozio is attacking a new traveler pain point with the launch of its search site for ground transportation to and from city airports. The San Francisco startup aims to become the Expedia for ground transportation by comparing prices for all of the local transportation options available to arriving flyers. In San Francisco, that means that [...]
