Skip to main content

Who's picking you up?

She would never make it on the mean streets. She will stay with the craft beer drinkers and poor people suffer.
People like the lady above is what is wrong with the rideshare concept. This women will never go into the bad part of town. Poor people in society suffer enough, now, they won't even be able to get rides. The cheery pickers have arrived. Cab driving will now be an exclusive right of passage for hipsters, on the same level of Starbucks coffee, skinny jeans, and alternative rock with craft beers, and the other sacraments of hipsterism. This has to be stopped. Jobs are at stake. 
"Led by companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar, ride-sharing has rocketed into the mainstream in a relatively short time frame. Uber started up in San Francisco four years ago, and has since expanded to 128 cities worldwide. The company's most recent valuation came in at an eye-popping $18 billion. Uber founder and CEO Travis Kalanick has publicly stated that his company is doubling its revenue every six months.None of this is good news for taxi companies. In May, drivers protested outside Uber’s Boston offices calling for stricter regulations for ride-sharing companies. In London, an estimated 12,000 black cab drivers clogged the city’s to protest Uber’s presence. It backfired spectacularly, with London Uber sign-ups surging 850 percent in a week, according to the company. If the protests haven’t gained much traction, taxi industry advocates are hoping that safety concerns might. Their argument: By managing drivers as independent contractors and thereby sidestepping the costly training, background checks, and insurance regulations that taxi drivers are subject to, Uber is putting passengers at greater risk.“When we talk about public safety, talking about the passengers in the vehicle, the driver, but also people on the street,” says Dave Sutton, spokesman for the “Who’s Driving You?” campaign, based in Washington. Launched last year, “Who’s Driving You” is a marketing effort funded by the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association, which counts 1,100 licensed transportation companies among its members. “The insurance that Uber is providing has serious gaps that only move into the general awareness when something bad happens,” he says.The problem, Mr. Sutton notes, is that Uber drivers aren’t covered by an expansive commercial liability insurance that protects them while off the clock. Though the company expanded its insurance coverage earlier this year, Uber drivers still don’t have the round-the-clock coverage required for a commercial cab.“Who’s Driving You?” has also taken aim at Uber’s background checks, charging that the company’s screening easily allows convicted felons to slip through the cracks. “Uber does not submit to regulations, so they cannot use background checks that use FBI fingerprinting,” Sutton says. “They use private companies and cheaper background checks that are not as comprehensive.”But Uber spokesman Lane Kasselman calls such accusations “scare tactics,” by rich, multinational corporations. “Instead of improving customer service they’re complaining about opposition,” he says. “The taxi industry has decided to play dirty politics instead of compete.”Uber’s criminal background checks, Mr. Kasselman says, are as comprehensive as the law allows for business purposes. On the insurance end, he says that perceived gaps are due more to the fact that insurance regulations weren’t written with a company like Uber or Lyft in mind: "Insurance companies have obviously been around for decades, and they aren’t quick to adjust their products.”Requiring the round-the-clock insurance that Uber’s critics are demanding, he says, would be like “trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.”Still, concerns about coverage expand beyond the taxicab lobby. Since Uber drivers are independent contractors, rather direct employees, the company is not responsible for incidents that occur when a driver is off the clock, and what “on the clock” means has been a point of contention. After a San Francisco Uber driver en route to pick up a rider struck and killed a young girl last year, the company expanded its coverage to include the time between when a driver accepted a ride and when an actual passenger entered the vehicle.Some states want more: California has proposed a rule that would require ride share companies to cover drivers anytime the ride-share app is on. Uber has come out against such a rule, but is “for regulations, we just want them to be sensible and reflective of an evolving industry,” Kasselman says.Ride-share customers might have some complaints –  Uber’s Boston Yelp! page has its fair share of bad reviews, mostly about high prices during peak times and drivers who occasionally get lost  – but insurance liability and safety concerns are “not really” a priority, says Ms. Nation, the Uber user from Providence. She’s never felt uncomfortable or unsafe using the service, “and I’m a scaredy-cat.” Still, the Cambridge meeting raised concerns about Uber's more hands-off administration of its drivers. Sassy Outwater, a blind Cambridge resident, told the committee that app-driven transportation services like Uber are in many ways more convenient for the disabled community, but noted that she had been refused Uber rides on several occasions because of her seeing eye dog (which is illegal under the Americans with Disabilites Act)." 

Comments

  1. IMO, right now, Uber advertises to hipsters and try to make the idea of taking uber look cool, but sooner or later, their corporate greed culture will make them advertise to poorer part of society, just to maximize profits and gain market share.
    Personally, I don't care if I drive for taxi company or Uber, as long as I make enough money to pay my bills,
    .........what pisses me off about this new technology thing, that neither Uber or Lyft tells their drivers that they operate illegally in Tampa Bay and are subject to heavy fines +criminal charges of violation of city ordinance.
    ......strangely enough, They don't have guide lines for their drivers, on how to operate legally in Tampa Bay, (get commercial insurance, get a city sticker, etc.), ........are they seeking controversy? more fines and criminal charges against their drivers? and free publicity ?

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Mayor of Tampa is a supporter of Lyft and Uber. He is killing off jobs and business just like he did with the food trucks downtown when local restaurants had gone through a bad recession..

    ReplyDelete
  3. On their website it says when a uber driver accepts a fare and picks up then their commercial insurance is in effect for all passengers...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Insurance is going to be a big nut for them. Accidents must be reported to insurance companies. Drivers will be dropped if they find out they were used in commercial venture.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Insurance will be the largest hurdle to make ridesharing take off in Tampa. It can be done though. Currently, there is a issue of with collision/ comprehensive coverage for the driver's vehicle in the event an accident happens on the meter. Some of the companies do offer coverage, but usually with a high deductible.

    Quote from Uber's Website
    "Do I need a special insurance policy to drive with Uber?"
    "No. Your personal insurance policy is all you need. Please make sure you carry the appropriate insurance to cover your liability to other parties (liability insurance), damage to your vehicle (optional collision insurance) and injury to yourself (health insurance). If you are unsure about your coverage, check with your insurance provider."

    Also, as Tim stated insurance companies will drop the drivers if they find out they are using the vehicle for ridesharing. The uncertainty between when they are working and when they are using the vehicle in their personal life is what is creating a large concern for the insurance companies. Most of the ridesharing companies offer a great commercial insurance. When this insurance covers them versus when the personal auto insurance covers them is what is creating part of the controversy. However, this can and I believe will be worked out. Already, insurance companies are starting to work with ridesharing services to make sure there are policies available with no gaps in insurance.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Popular Posts Last 30 days

A Shit Ticket

Bad news. Jacamino was willing to sir on a call for two hours waiting for it to come out. We call that sand bagging. I call it "a shit ticket." There was so much business going on you couldn't shake a stick at it. Why tie yourself up like this in such a myopic way. Suit yourself dumbass. I made more money during the same time you ran the shit ticket. If Uber is around, you would not have known it today. posted from Bloggeroid

FUCK UBER

Listen, you Uber fuckers, you screwheads. You are stealing my shit. I tried to be rational (What's that?). But not now. I am a man who will not take it anymore. A man who stands up against the scum, the cunts, the dogs, the filth, the shit. I am a man who stands up. Look at it this way. A man takes a job, you know? And that job - I mean, like that - That becomes what he is. You know, like - You do a thing and that's what you are. Like I've been a cabbie for nineteen years. Ten years at night. I still don't own my own cab. You know why? Because I don't want to. That must be what I want. To be on the night shift drivin' somebody else's cab. You understand? I mean, you become - You get a job, you become the job. One guy lives in a shit hole, another lives on drugs. You pick up a lawyer. Another guy's a doctor. Another guy dies. Another guy gets well. People are born, y'know? Why do you want to drive Uber? You think you can avoid your destiny? You'l...

What happened to Tommy Duncan and Sticks of Fire blog?

The image below is a 2005 TBT article I still have about the Tampa blogger scene. The big boy was Tommy Duncan. He stopped blogging around 2008, and was never seen again. Here is what Creative Loafing said about that era: "The 40-something blogger founded the most-often-cited independent Tampa Bay news blog, Sticks of Fire, in Feb. 2004, and the site, without much financial assistance from advertising, is still going strong today with a stable of more than a dozen regular contributors. In 2005, Duncan was featured in a tbt* story about the young lions of the local Internet. Today, about half of them have fallen by the wayside or (in the case of famous sexy blogger Rachel Moran) moved to New Jersey. Duncan keeps on posting. The local digital scene has grown, but he's not sure it has improved in quality."

HCPT talks to Uber and Lyft drivers and passengers...WHY!?

This is what we should be doing in Tampa...Paris taxi drivers protest The makes no sense. We are going on another summer and the HCPTC is still negotiating and giving these Uber scum a forum. Why Goddamit! What part of illegal do you fuck heads at the PTC not understand? Don't you realize that your need of Viagra is going to kill off major industries! Perhaps its time the drivers took it to the streets. Remember Jimmy Hoffa

Fog and lower gas prices

Gas is coming down Foggy this morning at the gas station. I got here every morning for my coffee. World demand for oil is dropping and there could be no better Christmas present. People are still surprised to hear taxi drivers buy their own gas.

Stuck in the mud and a ripoff tow

Kevin and I went to a walkthrough at a nature preserve. It was full of wildlife and we even found an abandoned hunting cabin from decades ago. That was there long before civilization found its way to north Hillsborough county. I'm glad we found the cabin because it began to rain like crazy. It rained for a good half hour before we could finish the hike. We then went as far as we could but much of the trails were flooded. You see I have boots on. When we got back to the cars, there was standing water for we were in the grass. I started the cab and buried it in the mud. You should have been there. You would have laughed your ass off. After waiting 2.5 hours for the tow, he winched me on to the parking lot and charged $100. I found out the charge should have been $45. I think the company will dispute this. I hope. posted from Bloggeroid

China does not care about Syria...why does Obama?

China has no military bases in other countries. They could care less what others are doing. They focus on themselves. I suggest we do the same. I found this on a foreign policy website. "Chinese foreign policy emphasises non-alignment and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. That makes any need or desire for overseas bases unlikely and, in fact, the PLA itself has recently stated that China "has no plans, nor is there a necessity, to establish overseas military bases".

Sukka the cat

There is a lady I pick up every morning that puts $100 in my pocket (paid by our great accounts). Her cat comes out and loves me and rubs up on me every morning. Uber has nothing like this. United Cab driver's are rocking out while Uber punks live for nine dollar fares that they have to give 20% to Ubet. Great gig guys. LOL! Sukka loves me because I am legal and you scum drivers suck hind tit...boys and girls. Get over it. I rule and make more in one hour then you do in one day. Plus, this kitty loves me! posted from Bloggeroid

BATS TAXI undercuts Tampa

I had a ride to the Tradewinds resort and we passed Bats Taxi on St. Petersburg Beach. I had to direct my fares attention from their marquee because the advertising a rate to Tampa International Airport of $54. My meter was already over $75 and I did not want to field questions about our higher rate. What I hear is Bats has the beach sowed up. They make their money on volume. Cool. I just hope their lease payment is lower then ours.