San Francisco to keep taxi cab 666

SAN FRANCISCO, July 26 (UPI) -- The San Francisco taxi commission has decided to keep Medallion No. 666 in use despite the number's negative, religious connotations.

Michael Byrne, a city taxi driver, told the commission he had been plagued by bad luck and misfortune since he was assigned the number in 2006, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday.

Byrne blamed the number's connection with Satan for his poor fortune and asked the commission to retire the number.

However, other cabbies went before the commission to argue in favor of keeping the number in service.

"How dare you take Lucifer's number away," asked Thomas George-Williams, president of the cab drivers union, who was wearing red devil horns at the hearing. "This is a serious issue."

Cabbies warned the council retiring the number could set a precedent that would lead to the retirement of other numbers.

The body voted 5-1 to keep the number in service.