In 2007, longtime taxi driver Mark Gruberg and his colleagues decided to change how their industry worked. Tired of corrupt, top-down companies, they built San Francisco Green Cab—a driver-owned, environmentally responsible cooperative. Every driver became a part-owner, and they launched the city’s first all-hybrid and first driver-owned taxi fleet.
Business grew, reaching nineteen cars. Then came Uber and Lyft—both born in San Francisco—offering rides at artificially low prices and leaving cab drivers earning half of what they once made. While San Francisco taxi medallions cost $250,000, Uber and Lyft did not (and still don’t) need medallions to operate. Today, driverless cars like Waymo cruise the streets with no drivers, no medallions, and no human touch.
Still, Mark believes there’s always room for people behind the wheel. Green Cab drivers do more than drive-they load groceries, lift wheelchairs, guide blind passengers. “We do what machines can’t,” he says.
When the company needed a wheelchair-accessible van, the city promised a grant, but payment would take time. LEAF’s loan bridged the gap, allowing them to buy the ramp cab immediately. “We’re grateful for LEAF to help get us the new van,” Mark says.
The best part, he adds, is the people. The drivers—hard-working, diverse, loyal—stay because they believe in each other. “Being a cooperative creates a whole different atmosphere. If a cab breaks down, someone helps. Everyone pitches in.”
Through changing times, San Francisco Green Cab endures—still green, still driver-owned, still human.