RSG226: Driving a Yellow Cab

In this episode, RSG226, I chat with the CEO of Yellow Cab of San Francisco, Chris Sweis. Drivers want reliable earnings, and riders want reliable rides, and taxis can help bridge the gap that rideshare can’t. We’ll chat about how Yellow Cab is a family business for him, what it’s like to drive for Yellow Cab, and the pros and cons of driving a taxi with rideshare.

Intro to Chris Sweis

  • CEO of Yellow Cab of San Francisco since 2017
  • Chairman of the SFMTA Taxi Advisory Council 2010
  • Co-founder of the Flywheel Taxi App
  • Been in the taxi industry since the 1980s – father started company

Yellow Cab SF

  • Operating in SF and the airport
  • 30k trips a week, largest fleet in SF
  • Goal is reliability and consistency
  • Best candidates for driving a taxi: people who don’t want the traditional 9-to-5, creative people

What It’s Like Driving a Yellow Cab

  • Pre-Uber and Lyft, earnings were fantastic
  • Still have high-earning drivers – February’s top driver made $17k in one month – did work long hours!
  • Market has changed – but high-earning drivers aren’t picky
  • SF is a busy market

Opportunities with Taxi Driving

  • Drivers feel the pinch at the pump, Yellow Cab helps to reduce maintenance costs, fuel costs, etc.
  • When driving a taxi, drivers have access to transit lanes that rideshare-only drivers don’t
  • Historically, perception is that there’s a taxi cartel – couldn’t be further from the truth!
  • Yellow Cabs in other cities aren’t related – independently owned

Show Notes