Fog City Cab

I have taken a lot of taxis in a lot of countries, with meters, without meters, with doors that fell off, with interiors that choked you with gasoline fumes, with dashboard swag that put those fuzzy dice to shame. But I have never been in a taxi with as cryptic and underhanded practices as Fog City Cab.
I was informed upon getting in the taxi that my rate from SFO would be at 1.5 the standard fare because it was outside the city. He pointed out a tiny notice pasted inside the door on a laminated card outlining the fares. I assumed this must be some weird standard for SF-​based taxis that I’d never heard of. My flight had been canceled and I’d just spent the last hour fighting with a series of less and less helpful customer service reps, so I didn’t have much fight left in me. I just wanted to go home, even if I paid a little extra. The driver tinkered with the meter before we got going. I assumed this meant that it would now be calculating my fare at the appropriate rate. Which seemed at the outset to make sense, because the fare was much higher than I expected.
By the time we got to my destination, I was annoyed but resigned at the fare I saw on the meter, which was over $ 50. The driver asked how I wanted to pay, and I pulled out my credit card. I was confused to see him pull out a Square reader and attach it to his phone, when there was already a touch screen and card reader attached to the passenger seat. He looked at the meter, punched in some numbers, swiped my card and handed the phone to me for a signature. The screen showed no numbers. I signed.
Then I asked him for a copy of the receipt so I could try to submit it to the airline for reimbursement alongside my canceled flight. He assured me it would show up in my email, so I pulled out my phone to make sure. A minute later, an email from Square showed up, informing me I had just paid over $ 100 to «Fog City», with no mention at all that the transaction was for a taxi fare, and no itemization at all to explain why the fare was suddenly twice as high. I told him it must be wrong and asked him how he had calculated the fare. He waved his hands at the meter and spouted off some math that made no sense about how and when the extra fare was being added in, and some stuff about an extra dollar amount being shown on the meter (the airport fee) needing to be multiplied in too (multiplied?!). It was a scam through and through. It was clear I was not going to get far asking for a refund or to speak to his manager or anything, so I asked at least for some kind of itemized receipt that I could give the airline that would make it clear that it was a taxi fare (Ha, not that they’re going to look kindly on my plight now). He printed one out from the meter that stated it was from the Yellow Cab Co-​Op and listed the fare as exactly what the meter stated, no more, no less. I may get reimbursed for that amount, but the other $ 50 is a complete loss.
Every other city I’ve been to in the US has had fare standards and best practices for their drivers, and their drivers have generally been honest and hardworking. I don’t know how to feel about taxis in SF now. It’s almost like they WANT Über to corner the market and drive everyone else out. I will certainly hesitate to take a regular cab in SF from now on, and Fog City will never get my business again.

Took a Fog City cab 1016 from SFO to Santa Clara, middle of the night, no traffic.
Driver runs the machine at 1x rate so he can under-​bill his company, but bills me 1.5x on his square so he can pocket the difference. He can’t do the math in his head, so he just rounds it up to $ 145.
Then he GIGGLES at me while he asks how much of a tip I want to give him on top of that.
Online fare estimator puts the whole trip at 125 with traffic and tip, of which there was neither. so I was basically robbed.
Thanks taxi racketeers, laugh it up until Über puts you all out of jobs.

Having lived in San Francisco for quite some time, I have sadly become accustomed to the aggressive, often inconsiderate and frankly, sometimes frightening cabdrivers in the city. It is rare, however, that I have been moved enough by a cabdrivers actions to take the time to write a review.
I am not a customer (not will I ever be) of Fog City Cab, but I did just get almost rear ended by one, who then honked at me and drove recklessly around me –very clearly to almost sideswipe me and scare me, only to immediately slam on HIS brakes. I was doing nothing illegal or reckless — this was simply a very angry man who should not be behind a wheel, let alone working as a driver.
Sorry, fog city cab, but I’ve had enough of this in my city and I’m letting the public know. Cab #844.

There’s a reason why I’ve become addicted to Über and Lyft, cabs are dangerous drivers. Cab 254 of Fog City Cab just drove like crazy from the airport to the city. After more two years of not riding a cab I’ve tried. Nope things haven’t changed, back to Über and Lyft

We needed a taxi cab from our SF hotel to the Club Fugazi, the hotel called these guys, and Kevin arrived. He was personable and attentive, the conversation turned to Lombard Street, and we agreed that we would like him to take us on a small detour to drive us down the most windy street in the world! It was really fun, and our taxi ride turned into a tourist adventure. Big tip for Kevin, the best cabby in The City!

We took a Fog City Cab from the San Francisco airport to the Park Central San Francisco (formerly the Westin Market Street San Francisco) hotel downtown. Like other airports, there’s a designated taxi pick-​up location at SFO. Fog City Cab just happened to be the taxi cab service we ended up with when it was our turn next in line.
The trip from SFO airport to the hotel, which is located in the Financial District, Union Square, and SoMa area, cost $ 52. This wasn’t an unreasonable price given standard cab fares around town. However, upon arriving to the hotel, the cabbie insisted we pay cash so he could avoid merchant fees. I prefer to pay with card, in part because it makes finances easier to track, and found his insistence and unfriendly demeanor to be offputting.
After paying with cash, I had to ask for a receipt. It’d have been nice if he asked if I needed a receipt. Instead, I had to remember to ask for one. For folks who need receipts for expense reports and happen to forget to ask, they’d be out a cab fare. This is one advantage of newer transport services, such as Über and Lyft, which automatically email receipts to their riders.
As for the ride itself, it was fine. The cabbie got us from the airport to the hotel in good time. He definitely sped 15+ MPH on some stretches, but I never felt too unsafe. The cab was a standard, run-​of-​the-​mill, yellow, four-​door sedan. It had its share of wear and tear, but the overall condition of the vehicle was clean and good enough. The cabbie helped us with loading and unloading our roller bags from the trunk.
I can’t say I recommend these guys and definitely prefer Über or Lyft if needing a ride within the city. If you’re left with no other options, Fog City Cab can work in a pinch.

I just had the best cab experience of my life! Last night, I caught a cab from SFO to Noe Valley last night and enjoyed a nice conversation all the way back home. My driver, Omar Chebli, was courteous and knowledgable. When we parted ways, I dashed home with my luggage and settled in.
About an hour later, I realized I had lost my backpack somewhere in between the airplane and my house. My heart sank. I called the airport, but their lost & found isn’t open on the weekends. I was returning from a trip to Nashville and my camera had some of the only photos of the birth of my baby niece. These photos are invaluable to me and are irreplaceable. I almost cried.
This morning, someone buzzed my doorbell. When I opened, I saw Omar standing there with my backpack! I gave him a huge hug. I had left my valuables (some of them quite expensive) in the cab, and he drove them back to my house instead of making me pick them up. This is the kindest and best experience I’ve ever had with a cab company.
Omar, if you read this, good luck with your studies and thank you again from the bottom of my heart. You’re a great human being. Thank you Fog City Cab!

Because their driver almost sideswiped me, I feel inspired to leave a one star review. Avoid like the plague.

At SFO, Fog City was the next cab in the queue. The cab driver was patient, professional and a good drive. He even asked me the preferred route to my destination, which he gladly followed and complimented me in knowing the city streets. I would have given 4 or even 5 starts, however, at the end he said his credit card machine was not working and did I have cash. What is the deal with this?

dirver in car #630 today on hwy 101 was TEXTING & DRIVING and was wearing earbuds. All these activities are illegal. He then proceeded to cut me off in which I almost crashed, then he gave me the finger 3 times. Nice.

Caught one of their cabs at SFO. Gave him $ 40 for a $ 23 fare & gave me $ 10 in change. When I requested more change since he decided to give himself a 30% tip, he threw a couple of dollars at me & said that’s all he was going to give me of my own money (!!!) when I got out the cab & thanked him for leaving all of my luggage in the middle of the street in the dark of late night, he said, «F@*! YOU, A$$HOLE, B@$#*, F@*! YOU…» as he drove away & I had to retrieve my luggage before an oncoming car ran me down. Unacceptable — period. Hope they go out of business. I’ll decide what I tip, thank you very much. His English was mostly unintelligible & I had to give him step by step directions. Rude, unprofessional — don’t let this happen to you.

Last night I arrived at SFO at midnight. The good news I was able to get a taxi. The ride into the city was nice, but I left my bag in the taxis. I called the company last night and got a voicemail. This morning after many conversations I was informed that it would be 48 hours before they can tell who took my fare and be able to ask if they had my bag? This seems odd. There was only one Fog City, bright green, taxi at SFO at midnight last night and I only saw one take me home. So why is it taking so long. The wonderful stories of how others got their belongs back makes me think «BS». Prove you give good service and return my belongs make an effort at least. I will never take another FOG CITY, bright green, taxi. Makes me think of highway robbery. USE at your own risk.
Update:
The driver that drove me home contacted me by leaving a note on my door. I have my belongings. The moral of this story. Take note of the drivers number when you get into a taxi and also double check and triple check the back seat when you exit. This ended well. Thank you to the driver for being honest. Thank you to the universe for returning my belongings.
Why three stars? Well, the people at HQ for FOG City should have been so easy to deal with as the driver. I am not a fan of the company. But the driver has my vote.

Got a Fog City Cab driver at SFO. Our driver was a surly ass who didn’t know how to drive with only one foot — constant stop-​go jerking while driving down the freeway. It was absolutely ridiculous… probably the worst ride I’ve ever had in a car.
Dude was also the most aggressive driver I’ve ever experienced (driving in the shoulder, cutting people off on the freeway, etc.). I’m a «spirited» driver from So Cal so I can appreciate aggressive driving, just not ridiculous to the point of completely unsafe.
And he refused to accept a credit card, even though his machine was functional. Pretty sure this is illegal.
Yep, never again — avoid these guys.

Left my purse in the cab while in town for a conference and the driver returned it within the hour. THANK you!

Twice in one week, I’ve hailed a fog city cab and found myself with a driver that is clearly not the licensed cab driver. It’s a friend borrowing the cab instead. These guys don’t have a clue where to go, they drive dangerously, and obviously aren’t the person in the ID badge!
All the fuss the licensed cab drivers make about Lyft, and then there’s these random people driving «licensed» cabs?!

The. Worst. Ride. EVER!
OMG where to start? We got into this cab (#1147) at the airport. Right from the beginning, the driver was in a BIG rush, throwing our (fragile) things into the trunk randomly.
Driving north, we had a very difficult time articulating where we going and he was very interruptive (and his English was pretty poor). We neglected to tell him the neighborhood (oops) and when we told him he started YELLING at us! The entire rest of the trip he’d launch into his tirade about directions, over and over, until I asked him to give it up. This while nearly careening into cars in the next lanes.
Taking an exit he veered across across lanes, speeding. In the middle of this crazy driving his phone rang — and he answered it! By holding it with a hand to his ear. Talking loudly. While driving crazily. At high speed.
When we got to neighborhoods he ROCKETED up very narrow streets with parked cars inches on either side.
I think I sucked up about six ounces of seat padding by the time we reached our destination.
At the house he INSISTED we pay with cash. This was weird — he had the card imprint machine already in his hand when he asked for cash. Of course he’s yelling and rude the whole time.
Unloading stuff, he kept yelling at me to clear out the trunk faster. Finally when he drove away I could still hear him yelling! Probably still pissed about the neighborhood thing.
This was the rudest, most dangerous taxi driver I’ve EVER encountered. Ever.
I will never never never take Fog City Cab again! If you value courtesy, and if you value your life, stay away!

Unfortunately, the scale does not go low enough.
My driver today:
— did not even know the way
— ran through several red lights
— was speeding
— talked on the phone while driving
— almost had several accidents
When I refused to give him a tip for that, he got so angry, didn’t let me out of the car! Refused to give me my luggage and threatened me until I gave him the tip he wanted.
Avoid this company and this driver!
Very scary!
Avoid

Where to start?! I wish I could give zero stars to this particular driver. First off-​this is my first review on here ever. Im not one to complain but I have never been so ticked off from a driver– usually I make friends with them! And I have been in a ton of taxi’s in cities all over. This isnt my first rodeo.
Cab #2243 this past Saturday night was the absolute rudest (if that even constitutes as a word) cab driver I have ever had in my life. He starts off by accusing me of hiding alcohol in my CLEAR WATER CUP while entering the car. Then decides to pull over and tell my boyfriend that he has «bad vibes» and needs us to get out.
WHO DOES THAT?!
I can assume that other drivers for Fog City Cab are not as bad but first impressions last and that guy was my first. Never again…

I was in cab #2224 around 2pm on Sat 11/​5, our other friends hailed a cab at the same spot headed to the same location. Our driver asked if we were ‘from here’ (SF), I said yes, I was, he must have thought I was lying.
Took us WAY out in a loop around Market, literally a loop, we ended up two blocks from our hotel again and we were at $ 10. For trying to get over to the marina it was an absolutely stupid route. The fare? $ 22. Our friends’ fare? $ 13. We were too shocked at the time to start arguing, so we paid sans tip.
I wish I got the driver’s name/ID…he should know better.

When your driver has my cell phone…
and my cell phone has been sounding an alarm for the past 2 hours…
and I tell you exactly where I was picked up and dropped off when…
and you’re in a far better position to tell me which cab driver it was…
and you yell at me that «you’re busy» and I’m making «accusations about your driver committing theft» and that I need to «calm down» after I simply reiterated the fact I can see my phone is still in the cab so could you please just have him drive it back to me…
and then I watch my phone, after 2 and ½ hours of riding around in the said cab, gets shut off…
that’s when I file the police report against your driver. Because since you’ve been so unhelpful. my phone has officially been stolen, my sim card flipped out, and NOW I’m making accusations against your driver.
Thanks for absolutely nothing.