Green Cab
98 Pennsylvania St
(between 17th St & 7th St)
San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 626-4733
121 reviews
Neighborhood: Bayview/Hunters Point
"My go-to cab company. I always call these guys first when I need a cab. Of course there are occasions when I can't get through and I am…" read more »
39 Reviews for Green Cab
WOW...finally a cab company in SF that gets it right. I took a Green Cab from SFO back to the city this morning. The hybrid car was spotless and very comfortable - a huge step up from the old, stinky Yellow Cabs with the screeching breaks with all four windows permanently rolled down to air out the smoke smell. My super friendly, chatty driver was one of the owners of the company. He described their unique, eco-friendly business model that is poised to succeed as the other cab companies in town buckle under the weight of increasing gas prices.
I highly recommend Green Cab the next time you need a ride!
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I echo all of the other positive reviews about this cab service. Professional, prompt, friendly conversationalist, and they're environmental-friendly. Come on, what more could one ask for in a cab service?
I made my reservation for pickup to take me from my hotel back to SFO a few hours in advance of when I needed to leave, and about five minutes before the arranged pickup time I got a phone call from my cab driver informing me that he was parked across the street. A cabbie that's -early-?! Inconceivable!
It's a good thing that a friend recommended that I reserve a cab in advance. Apparently it's extremely challenging to flag down a cab in downtown SF during the evening rush hour and on top of that, catch a cabbie willing to go out of the way to SFO. My driver made a similar point of stating that I was quite wise to pre-arrange transportation, because I would have likely had a severe challenge in finding it on the fly. I'm all about absorbing wisdom from those who know better than me, what can I say?
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I've ridden with many of these drivers before they formed Green Cab ... they were swell then, and they're swell now. If I wasn't already well-established as a regular with another dispatch Green Cab would be my only ride ...
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I had the BEST cab experience ever in a green cab. My driver was a lovely lady ( I love girl cab drivers), she was friendly, a little cooky in a good san francisco kind of way...she actually had a flower in her hair...who knows if it was a shtick but who cares. She was lovely and put me in a good mood all day. I am going to go out of my way to use Green Cab from now on.
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Earlier in the day on Saturday during our trip to SF, we happened to see a Prius cab. Wow, that's unique I thought. Then again, it is San Francisco. Well, fast forward to 1:00am or so and we're ready to head back to the hotel from a little bar we were hanging out at after going to Gary Danko's restaurant (shameless mention for you to read my Gary Danko review). We hail a cab and what do you think pulls up, a Prius with "Green Cab" on the side. And, it's a female cab driver, another rarity! So we start heading back to the hotel and as we're talking to her about our stay in SF, we find out she's on Yelp. Bonus points! Anyway, she told us about the Green Cabs, that they have 5 cars right now and are working on converting an SUV to be eco-friendly. Clean car, super nice driver and hey, helping the environment doesn't hurt either.
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How cool are these guys. And expanding in SF! Awesome! Dispatch wasn't totally unreasonable, and every time I've called I've gotten a Green Cab, not anything else (like some horror stories here). Though, they will be partnering soon with a different cab company that is "better" (according to the cabby). There have been a couple times that I've called and not gotten through to anyone... hmm... Otherwise, go Green Cab!
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go, green racer, go!
prompt service, knowledgeable drivers and a fleet of 5 hybrid cars.
please try calling them first.
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I want to give them more stars, and I want to like them, but they just can't provide a cab most of the time.
If you prebook for an airport run, it's fine. If you call up during the day hoping to get a cab in say the next 15 minutes, forget it. You can even listen to the dispatcher radioing out and getting no response from the drivers.
Lemme ask you a question, all right? Let's say you're *really* into organic, sustainable, local agriculture. You never shop for eggplants, but one day you need one, so you head to the only store in town that sells the organic-et-al variety. Except when you get there, you find that they're mushy as cottage cheese, covered with mold, and exuding a rotting stench. Ordinarily, you might change your recipe but today you absolutely gotta have an eggplant, and down the aisle there's a nice-looking specimen of the un-PC variety...
Buy the edible eggplant, people -- Green Cab ain't food.
I called these guys on a Saturday morning, 7am. I asked how long the wait was for a cab to the airport. The guy starts interrogating me:
GC: Why? Did you already call another place? You called another company, right?
ME: Uh, no, you guys are the first I called. It's just I'm in a hurry, so I want to know how long.
GC: All right, fine. It should be about fifteen minutes.
Well, okay. I told the guy okay. But I was running late, so I called Arrow to see if they could do it faster, and they could.
Now at this point, a lot of people would just take the second cab and screw the first company entirely. I confirmed this with my Arrow driver, actually -- he said it happens all the time.
Being the nice guy I am, tho, I don't think that's cool, so I called GC back to do the courtesy of letting them know. I even spent $1.75 to do it, 'cause I had to call directory assistance to get their number. You know what the dispatcher said to me?
"You're a f'ing a'hole," and hung up.
Ever had a proprietor call you an f'ing a'hole, when you haven't done a thing to deserve it? Doesn't he know that's bad for business?
Hybrid's are most excellent, and if I bought a car I'd strongly consider one, but I take a cab maybe twice a year. I'm just not gonna sweat it -- not so long as the only "green" veggies available are full-on moldy.
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Okay, I just read my last 5 reviews, and they involve me: making out with a FOINE black woman who thought I was gay, getting laid because of an awesome dinnner at SPQR, being accosted when I was fully naked at the gym, and making out with a toothless lesbian with saggy tits.
Lest y'all think that I live in some sort of hedonistic pleasure sphere, let this be a lesson to you because this is code for I AM SO FUCKING DESPERATE FOR MEANINGFUL HUMAN INTERACTION THAT I NOW USE AN OTHERWISE LEGITIMATE 2.0 WEBSITE FOR PERSONAL ADS DISGUISED AS RESTAURANT AND BAR REVIEWS IN ORDER TO RECEIVE FAKE DIGITAL COMPLIMENTS OF ADORABLE LITTLE PINK HEARTS ASKING ME IF I MODEL.
Anyways, if I can't get any, at least I'm gonna hella get SOMEONE some action.
Ladies (and gents if you sway that way) - next time you see a Green Cab driver, fucking sleep with him. Seriously. Don't even think about it - just do it. It will be good. Because they're all the fucking nicest cab drivers in the world, they will give you a ride home, they all realize how important being green and environmentally conscious is, they all try to put a dent in Yellow Cab's horrendous monopoly on taxicab service, they all drive hybrids, and they all get excellent gas mileage and don't pollute the air and are not as debilitatingly worn out or dependent on foreign oil and unnecessary wars like other less-fortunate cars are. Also, I've only seen four drivers, but they're all exceptionally extremely good looking.
Actually nevermind, don't sleep with the cab driver. Sleep with the fucking car. And also what the fuck is wrong with me, I try to get some good people some action, and I end up horny for a fucking Prius.
I need to get out of San Francisco.
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I love these guys. And I love what these guys are doing.
It goes beyond the service these guys offer or just being cab drivers.
These guys are actively trying to change the world. That was why they started Green Cab.
When I first flagged down a Green Cab almost a year ago...I hopped in and just started firing away with the questions. I happened to get one of the co-owners of the Green Cab company and he enlightened me. He started it with a couple friends. At the time they only had like 2 or 3 cabs. They were self-proclaimed environmental activists, Kucinich-supporters, trying to get GWB impeached, and holding environmental rallies all around the country. This Green Cab thing sounded like it was a side job.
When you hop into a Green Cab, you're not just getting from one place to another, you're getting enlightened by some extremely well-educated guys. Last night, I got into a very in-depth socio-political-environmental-economic discussion about the state of global warming, the effect of China's growth on it, the thawing permafrost in Canada and Alaska, the fragile state of the world's political situation and how things will pan out...
...in an effing CAB!
I know that hybrids may not be the best for the environment...and that we still have a ways to go to make a change, but it's encouraging to see folks going above and beyond in order to make a noticeable impact in the world and to positively affect those around them in their everyday jobs.
In terms of being a business, Green Cab is a solid cab company that overachieves in terms of the quality of service and the vision.
(DISCLAIMER...because Green Cab is growing, you may not always get one of the owners or partners or environmental activists...you might eventually get someone from my homeland)
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I'm making the switch to Green Cab! From now on, I'll always call Green Cab first. Today they arrived in the pouring rain in the promised 5 mins. The driver was a great driver who provided excellent service- actually came to knock on my door and then opened the car door for me. All this and a hybrid to boot. What's not to love?
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AWESOME IDEA!!!! FRIENDLY DRIVERS. Oddly enough, their drivers speak english, are friendly.
A Prius has decent leg room. I noticed that the passenger seat was pulled forward which impressed me.
The cabs are clean.
The drivers are not assholes: MANY YELLOW CAB DRIVERS. Like the one who called me "putta madre" when he tried to play chicken with me as he was to impatient to wait behind a slow moving vehicle. Amazing what a gas pedal and a horn will do...... Bet he didn't expect that....asshole.....Yeah, my car has some scratches and dings on the front end....Bring it on!!!!
I'm currently sitting waiting for a flight at SFO courtesy of the prompt, courteous and efficient service of Green Cab.
I suddenly realised I hadn't booked transport for me and the OH to get out here, so I called at 2pm for a 3pm pick-up, and lo and behold at 2.50 the cab was outside the door. We went down at 3 to discover a charming, friendly driver, on whom I took pity in loading the car - one of our bags was *very* heavy, and she wasn't very big.
She chatted amiably and intelligently (unusual!) along the way, but left us to chat to each other when it was obvious we wanted to, and had us safely at our destination inside thirty minutes.
Recommended.
Nicest cab drivers ever.
I was short some of the fare and tip. I totally lost a $20 somewhere being a drunk ass.
I asked him to drive just a block from my apt to get cash at an ATM but instead he said "Don't worry...it's okay!" with a smile! So I gave him the $8 I had in my purse.
Dude...that was the nicest thing ever in the whole wide world. I hope I lost that $20 in the cab and he finds it somewhere because he totally deserves the biggest tip ever.
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After reading the glowing Yelp reviews for this company, I was eager to use them to bring me to SFO for an early morning flight. I sent an email and left a voice msg and got reassuring confirmation that yes, the driver named "XXX" would pick me up at 5:15am.
Forward to the morning of my trip: it is 5:15am, no cab. 5:20 - still no cab. Finally I call the number, answered by a dispatcher who apparently handles off-hour calls for Green Cab and other cab companies. THe dispatcher said that he would send out another cab being that the Green guy didn't show up. In about 8 minutes, a "Regent" cab did show up..and I had to laugh because not only was it not "Green," nor a Prius, but rather a Chevy chugging and coughing a bit of smoke...not exactly eco-friendly but at least I got to the airport in time.
The Regent driver was friendly and calm in a pre-morning coffee sort of way. He told me that the dispatcher was an "old ex-Marine who took his job seriously." Well, I would give five stars to that dispatcher, because he was concerned about a customer and was quick to solve the problem at hand.
I'm sure Green Cab would have been a fine experience, had they shown up. But I'm giving them two stars because even though they didn't show up themselves, they had a damned good dispatcher to save the day.
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After a long day of travel, work, and lugging baggage, I was ready to high tail it home. Green Cab came to my rescue~
I was reeling from an especially rude encounter with a Yellow Cab driver a moment before - the guy signaled, came out to help put my suitcase in the trunk, and as soon as he heard my destination (in SF), he said, 'it's too much of my time, SHEESH!' and then promptly took off.
I would've understood if he simply said 'sorry, it's too far out of my way.' But instead, that added 'sheesh!' was plain rude.
Back to my Green Cab review...
So, within 5 minutes, my Knight in Shining Green came to the rescue. I was hoping not to get a repeat reaction, and instead I got the total opposite. This man was sooo kind to me. When I (wishfully) told him I wanted to go to the Avenues, he politely suggested a route and asked if that would be okay, or if I'd prefer another route. He didn't make make me feel bad at all.
He mentioned that Green Cab has been around for about 9 months, and that they make it a point to have friendly drivers. The cabs are independently owned and, their Hybridness helps the environment. Thumbs up.
Throughout the ride, he made friendly conversation, and the cab was clean & relaxing. I was all smiles by the time I got home. Thank you Rude Yellow Cab Driver for giving me the timely opportunity to ride with GREEN Cab! I happily recommend them.
I give them a *5.5* :)
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I have to agree with the rave reviews for Green Cab. Very nice drivers. Smart and upbeat without being all talky-talk. Also clean, reliable, hybrid cabs.
You have like 2 more months before you can't wear shorts in the back of these cabs. Your thighs do not want city all over them.
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Green cab is just as Yelp says...
Five stars!
Clean, nice drivers, helpful, punctual, relaxing (since we took the cab at 4:00 am to SFO)
They deserve five stars and so does Yelp!
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I tried to reserve one via phone and email, but got no response from them.
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I am giving it 2 stars just for the timely pick-up (indeed the cab driver called us and was waiting for us 5 minutes before schedule time). HOWEVER, for a cab that's supposed to be green and eco-conscious, the cigarette smell is just unacceptable. It STANK!
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Don't call when you need a cab, call in advance. They only have 4 cabs so if they are busy you are S.O.L. Love the idea of green cabs, but they need way more on the street before I can count on using them for our clients.
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These guys run a "Green cab" service, meaning they drive hybrids *only*.
I just took one home tonight June 03, 2007. Driver was nice, cab was beautiful, and the guys rock for having such a great idea. Keep it going! They only have 2 cars right now going on the 8 next week. To 100 cars or bust! Congrats!
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If I could give 10 stars, I would.
Called an hour ahead of time for a car to pick me up for the airport. Got a confirmation callback, and was pleasantly surprised considering they only have 4 cars total. Then, the incredible happened: about 20 minutes before the scheduled time, the driver left a voicemail for me saying she is so sorry that she's going to be 5 minutes late, and she apologized THREE TIMES!!! Turned out she was only one minute late.
The ride was very pleasant, the car new and clean. The driver made sure to ask my preference for radio and temperature and was super personable and fun to talk to. She told me how SF Green Cab is trying to really focus on customer service. No shit. When we arrived at SFO, she jumped to my luggage before I could get to it and--get this--GAVE ME A HUG!!! I know this is SF and all, but a freakin' hug from your cab driver, people?!? You've made this jaded New Yorker appreciate a cab ride again.. *sniff*
I can't wait for these guys to blow the competition out of the water.
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I can't wait for them to have more cabs!! I called last night for an early am pick up to go downtown (I do this a lot for work with yellow cab), but since they have so few cabs and its such a small trip, they wouldn't book it and said to call back in the am (had I been going to the airport or something, they would have booked). I did and had a very pleasant trip downtown. Given the supply constraints, I can't give a full rating, but I am very excited about the service and look forward to revisiting my rating!
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They're still a small fleet (now 4 cabs) so I booked my trip to SFO for a 6:15AM flight about a week in advance after reading the great reviews on Yelp. Thomas responded to my e-mail right away, then confirmed it the day before, giving me the cab # and driver's name for my trip. Lizzie was wonderful. She arrived a little early since Twin Peaks can be a tricky, but called exactly at the agreed-upon time. These days flying is stressful enough, so having a clean cab that arrives on time and a driver who knows her stuff is the best you can ask for. I've had too many hair-raising trips with maniacal Supershuttle drivers who don't even know how to get around the city. Green Cab is great and I hope they continue to grow!
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Fast, friendly and GREEN! I love these guys. So far, still kinda secret and probably easy to get on a Friday or Saturday night prime time. Best success to growing your cab fleet.
I took a Green Cab today for a ride home. It was a great experience, one which can ironically be best explained in negatives.
Unlike most SF cabs:
It wasn't a Crown Victoria;
It wasn't loud;
It was not old (yet);
It wasn't filthy (yet);
It did not stink (yet);
Nor did the driver (yet);
The driver's English wasn't incomprehensible;
The driver didn't rant and rave about how he hates America.
Get in while the gettin's good.
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Finally, a green alternative. Actually, anything that can put a dent in Yellow Cab business is fine by me. They don't have many cabs around town from what I can tell, so hopefully that will change soon.
My cab came quickly when I called (although I did have to leave a message and have them call back). But, considering Yellow doesn't show up at all when calling for a cab, that isn't a problem for me.
You can request a cab on line, but I haven't tried that just yet.
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Gotta love the green cabs. There are only two and I've got Mark (marc?) twice. Really nice guy and the cabbies own the cabs which is a bit different than some of the other companies.
Of course the obvious benefit of being a hybrid is awesome. I hope they get more cars and keep growing - go Green Cab!
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We had to catch a 6:30am flight on a Friday morning. I called the afternoon prior to our flight, booked the cab. The beautiful, quiet cab was waiting for us right on time. We crawled into the cab, made ourselves comfy and had a lovely and enjoyable cab ride to SFO. The driver was friendly, soft-spoken and totally involved in SF poltics. Heard of the "Impeach Now" display on Ocean Beach? He organized it.
All in all - it was the BEST cab ride I've had. Support them!!
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I was very lucky to flag down one of these SF Cabs. I actually consider it a privilege to ride in one of the these cabs without a reservation because of the rarity of these new cabs on the roads of SF.
The ride was sooooooooooo smooooooooooooooooth.
The ride was sooooooooooo sileeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeent.
The ride was sooooooooooo cleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeean.
It was an absolute pleasure to ride in a hybrid taxi that has not been tainted by cigarette smoke, does not have a broken muffler, does not have an overworked engine, is not spewing gas, etc. I hope more fuel efficient cabs pop up in the next few months. How can you not adore a cab company with a green mission and savvy financial strategy.
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This cab service is top notch!
I followed my fellow Yelpers advice and scheduled a pick-up for SFO in the wee small hours of the morning. The driver arrived promptly and graciously phoned me from downstairs (rather than "alerting" my neighbors of its arrival). Smooth ride and great attitude. Keep it up!
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I called in advance for a Green Cab to take me to the airport. About ten minutes after the appointed time, I called again and had a conversation that went something like this:
Me: "Where's my cab? I arranged for one last night."
Them: "Yes, I see your order right here."
Me: "So where is it?"
Them: "It's not there? Uh... hang on............ oh. Woops. We forgot to send a cab. Sorry."
Since a taxi service's single purpose is to deliver its customers to their desired destinations, and since Green Cab FAILED UTTERLY to do so, it really only merits one star -- but I am giving it two because I like the concept and want them to succeed.
Green Cab, take note: I want to like you. I really do. But you're going to have to do better next time.
I needed a cab for a 6:30am flight and they showed up promptly at 4:30am. The car was comfortable and clean and the driver friendly. The reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars is because the driver was smoking in our driveway when we got outside, didn't pick it up when he put it out on the ground and the smell followed him back into the car which made for a nauseating ride. I'd try them again but will ask the operator for a nonsmoking driver next time.
Update: I've since used them three times and they have been punctual, friendly, and smoke free!
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Yeah, go green. While I'm not big on govt mandates, it makes absolute sense for the city to make all their taxi's hybrids. While cabbies like their V8's, requiring them to drive hybrids would not only reduce pollution, it would probably force them to change their fanatical driving.
Moreover, if we estimate that 10% of the pollution in the area is due to cabs, this could result in about 5% decrease in pollution - that's huge. (I'm assuming of course the cost of "going green" is not a large offset financially over the long term, nor a large offset in pollution due to car manufacturing.) My 2c...
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They are the best. Period.
Green cab is created by a group called UTW, united taxicab workers.
This group used the drivers to persue one family named 'Welch' to give their 8 medallions (permit to operate passanger vehicle as owners) back to the city and county of San Francisco. They collected
money from the drivers for legal fund and persued the matter in the court. They started this fight on pretext that they wants to get these medallion be returned back to the city, which ultimately will give to the drivers on the waiting list for such permits. Later-on this group settled with that family out of court that 4 medallions will be given to UTW/Green Cab. Terms of the settlement are still not open to the public. When asked this group to disclose that how many years they will use these medallions, how much money they have collected beside medallions, they still refuses to answer these questions.
They call it a yellow vandetta against them, whereas truth is that
they misuse the drivers name, claiming they are representing them,
but at the end got the benefit for their executive committee members
thus ignoring the people who were used by this group. They calim to be only all fleet hybrid but they only have four cabs. One of the medallion gained in above settlement is used in one cab company
called Regent Cab and that medallion is not Hybrid but used by a
Gas Guzzler Van.
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