Ride-Hailing Companies Agree to Tax in San Francisco

Essentially, Uber and Lyft chose a tax on rides instead of a gross-receipts tax.

1 minute read

August 13, 2018, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


City by the Bay

mandritoiu / Shutterstock

"San Francisco lawmakers want to tax Uber and Lyft rides, and both companies say that’s OK with them," reports Carolyn Said.

"The proposed tax, which applies only to trips that originate in San Francisco, would levy a 3.25 percent tax on net rider fares for single-party trips and 1.5 percent on shared rides," according to Said.

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority will be responsible for spending the $30 million in expected revenue generated by the new tax on transit projects, if the State Legislature grants San Francisco powers to tax ride-hailing trips.

The ride tax eliminates the need for a ballot initiative planned for November "that would have asked voters to tax ride-hailing companies’ gross receipts at rates up to 0.975 percent." Rachel Swan reported in more detail on that proposal by Supervisor Aaron Peskin in April 2018.

The potential for a political fight over the gross-receipts tax paved the way for the new tax on rides, according to Said.

Tuesday, July 31, 2018 in San Francisco Chronicle

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive