The taxi business in Tampa is officially dead

NOTICE NO CALLS ON THE BOARD DURING THE PIRATE INVASION!

This is an image of my tablet at around noon on Gasparilla day 2017. It was a clear board. In years past, there would have been 1,500,000,000 calls on the board. The business is gone. There is not anything more I can say about that.

I used to blame the HCPTC for taking no action to stop a gypsy cab operation. They were compromised early in the process of negotiations, and with the billions behind Uber, is that a surprise?

The only mystery now is why do so many drivers continue to work for a leasing operation. There are no real perks to that anymore. The airport will soon be open season. When that happens, you won't be able to find a taxi in this town anymore.

I did pick up a couple south of Gandy who told me the reason they called United Cab was they did not want to pay 10x surge. A 10 dollar fare would now be over 100 bucks. Apparently many were willing to pay that instead of getting into a taxi.

Its over folks. Face it.

I'm behind on my rent. Can't pay the electric bill. And my phone has been cut off.

There is a solution.

I am going to drive for Uber.

A friend of mine owns a car dealership in Daytona and he says he will help finance me on a car that would be perfect for ride share. I cannot make this deal fast enough.

I miss being a cab driver. I will soon be back to doing that. And with daily pay, Uber is now the taxi company.

I did get some new workout equipment today

Comments

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

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Wear your seat belts

Wear our seat belt Please wear your seat belt at all times. You never know when you might be distracted when driving. Something could happen if you take your eyes off the road. You don't want to take your eyes off the road. So have your passengers wear theirs too.

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Angel The Rescued Kitten

I have a new and wonderful friend. Her name is Angel. George found her on his way home at 3 in the morning running around on the elevated span of highway 19 in Clearwater. He pulled over and pulled out of a storm drain. He took her home and knocked on my door. He has two cats and wanted me to keep her overnight until he could find a neighbor to take her. I fell in love with her. She is now my best friend and keeps me company for I live alone. It's not fair that so much cuteness can be crammed into such a little thing.

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RETIRED..what did you expect?

I have retired from taxi driving for good. I turned the keys in and walked away from 24 years on the streets. In a way, like Ronald Reagan said, the taxi business walked away from me. Anyway, I am home and doing nothing but getting caught up on a bunch of personal stuff. I am loving it. Check out this video about how I spend most mornings now. I have applied to work for Lyft and was approved, of course. I should be getting a new car next week and will be driving for them. Ride share has become the new taxi companies and they deliver what I am looking for. I have two monthly checks coming in which are enough to live off of. So don't worry about me. Its just that I was not exactly ready to retire but the circumstances gave me no choice. It does feel good, by the way.

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Rays Baseball and two bogus tickets

There is nothing like getting free tickets to a Tampa Bay Rays baseball game. These are not just tickets, but Boston Redsox vsTampa Bay Rays tickets. In fact, they are too the Whitney Bank Club high price seating. This is where the fat cats and the bigwigs go to watch a game. These $175 tickets include free buffet style food and free booze. There is prime rib, shrimp, lasagna, and everything you could dream of. The wait staff serves your every need, and we Tom and I had tickets. My best taxi driver friend Tom Castros took a high-roller to the airport this morning and they businessman said he had the tickets, but his plans had changed and he wanted to just give Tom the tickets for the $25 fare. Tom took them in a heartbeat and called me on my cellphone. I said "hell ya! Lets go!" The game was set for a 4:15 start and we were both hungry. Free drink and food...I'm all over it! We would soon be surrounded by beautiful women and the rich and powerful in the Tampa Bay area...

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Death of the taxi business

The taxi business is dead in the United States. This industry is going the way of the Payphone and the neighborhood video store. Did I mention Kodak film? I know technology has changed the nature of work but in this case the politicians are who ruined the taxi industry. They were unwilling to support a regulated industry. Keep in mind, almost all businesses are regulated. For some reason, the politicians decided that because of the popularity of uber, they would allow Rideshare to operate until state legislators made them legal. Therefore, killing off my business. Why it was transportation and not construction, hairstyling, pizza delivery, hot dog stands, insurance, law, and so forth, I will take to my grave not knowing the answer. All I know, is that my life has been ruined. It is over. I cannot make a living. I'm being evicted from my home I cannot pay my electric bill or any other bill. My life is in shambles and I face an uncertain future. Is there really anything more to say? ...

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EVIDENCE and CRYPTID FOSSILS in Central Florida

I went back home to Mulberry Florida and went to the Mulberry Phosphate History Museum. It is only about 3 miles from the old family home but never went there. When I was younger, I was not so interested in these matters.

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Tim Now Drives for LYFT...and loving it!

After 24 years of driving taxi for United Cab of Tampa, I am now driving for LYFT. Good call, I think. Ride share has taken over and the taxi companies are going the way of the pay phone and the corner video store.

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Working hard at this

Working on Paul (the drunk guys) patio As you can see, I have been working hard driving the taxi and working on what version of this blog I want. I believe I will settle on the Blogger platform. Do not be fooled by this photo. I do not have a computer. My computer died about six months ago and I am using an android phone. That is all I have. Most of files and photos were backed up. So, no big deal. I do have a mobile version of Chrome that I use at the library. That is getting me through.

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Michael Brown was a criminal

Michael Brown was a thug and a criminal. He had bought into the worst part of black culture. The worthless culture that produces irredeemable young men that contribute nothing to society while filling the morgues with dead black men from the hand if black men. As a cab driver, I see the safest place a black man can be at night is in a white neighborhood. For the president to suggest this involved racism or poverty is wrong. Its a lack of values, self respect, and personal identity. Again Mr. Obama, individuals improve by looking at themselves and not trying to blame others for problems you created. We are now seeing this distinction on a large scale. posted from Bloggeroid

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