Here's a fun little thought experiment: What industry could get away with deliberately overcharging customers, cursing at them, and then speeding off into the night with zero consequences? If you guessed San Francisco's taxi industry, congratulations — you've been paying attention.

A South San Francisco resident recently shared a textbook example of the kind of grift that's been quietly running at SFO's taxi rank. The playbook goes like this: Passenger pairs their Curb payment app with the taxi's system. Driver takes a suspiciously longer route — in this case, hopping on the 280 instead of taking El Camino Real, adding roughly two miles. When they arrive, the driver suddenly claims the app "isn't working" and demands direct payment. Passenger pays via Apple Pay after being explicitly promised they won't be double-charged. Minutes later? A Curb receipt hits their inbox. The driver not only charged them twice but kept the app meter running past the actual drop-off point to squeeze out a few extra bucks.

When the passenger declined to tip — understandably — the driver cursed them out and sped off.

Let's be clear: this isn't a one-off. Riders heading to South San Francisco and other shorter-distance destinations report a pattern of taxi drivers playing games — demanding cash, taking roundabout routes, and generally treating a legitimate fare like an inconvenience. As the rider put it, "Taxi drivers really are their own worst enemy."

And they're right. The taxi industry spent years begging regulators to crack down on Uber and Lyft, arguing that ride-hail companies were unregulated cowboys destroying an honest business. But when your own drivers are running double-charge schemes on arriving passengers at the city's main airport, maybe the call is coming from inside the house.

SFO and the SFMTA regulate taxi operations at the airport. So where's the enforcement? Where's the accountability when a licensed, medallion-holding driver commits what is, let's not sugarcoat it, fraud? These aren't independent contractors operating in a regulatory gray zone — they're part of a system that San Francisco taxpayers and travelers are told exists specifically to ensure fair, reliable transportation.

If you're still taking cabs from SFO, screenshot everything. And maybe keep those air kisses ready.