Is it a good idea to require periodic drug testing for taxi drivers in order to promote greater safety for San Francisco residents and visitors? My personal opinion is yes, because I believe that city leaders have a responsibility to safeguard the citizens of their community. Furthermore, I think the testing should be performed randomly in order to preclude the opportunity for drivers to get themselves “clean” in time to pass a regularly scheduled test.
As is the case with any controversial topic, a number of viewpoints have been expressed to date. The following opinions came from cab drivers:
• One driver wanted to know who would pay for the drug test and whether Muni drivers are tested.
• Another stated that a state law has been in existence for 10 years and the Taxi Commission has failed to implement it.
• Another driver noted that cab drivers are different from Muni operators because they are private contractors, and he suggested annual rather than random testing because random testing would potentially eliminate a certain percentage of the work force.
• Another driver suggested that testing for drugs that don’t affect job performance is a violation of civil liberties, and suggested that the SFMTA contact the state legislature to change the existing law.
• Still another driver suggested issuing a letter to drivers before testing, and also suggested limiting testing to either random testing, post-accident, or permit issues.
As I indicated above, I personally believe that city leaders have a basic responsibility to safeguard the citizens of their community, and I think that random drug testing would help ensure safer streets for all residents, not just taxi passengers. As is always the case, I welcome your opinions, and encourage you to share your views on this topic with me.