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Shoe seen in Ybor city by a jogger |
I may have found the escape hatch Regulated Taxi driving is now dead. Uber has taken over. The current situation is no longer tenable for drivers who face an old model of cab leasing, and can no longer continue paying a Pre-Uber lease. Today was the tipping point. This time of year we should be very busy...EXTREMLY BUSY. We are not. It is dead as a doornail with drivers at the airport waiting up to 5 hours to a ride. It should be off the hook. It is for Uber. They pay no fee to the airport, yet they are allowed to operate. I made a good living for years. Transportation was regulated in Hillsborough County. This insured uniformity or rates, insurance, and accountability. But no more. The HCPTC has now allowed a gypsy cab company take over. Uber has not only taken some or part of our business - they have taken it all. This is because they are low balling the market in an attempt to establish a monopoly. They are well on their way to doing that with the compl...
Well, haven't visited your site in a while...glad to see you are hanging in there.
ReplyDeleteYou, like several cabbies I have known are qualified for better things but due to issues beyond your control have gotten stuck in a bad situation.
I drove for Nancy for a few years...it was still good at that time but I could see the handwriting on the wall and left for better climes. I remember Tony and Sam and a few others whose names escape me at the moment.
The big problem that was developing when I decided to leave was the 'super shuttle' and how the airport allowed them to take so many of our long rides. Now it appears that 'uber' is the newest problem....never any good news for cabbies. I suppose the thing that will really make cabbies extinct is the 'driver-less cars' that will be a few more years though.
I do not want to sign off in negative mode....one thing that keeps me from getting as negative as Tony always was is to read 'surival books' how many have beaten the odds and survived....I always say to those who are on the road to being overwhelmed by the 'negatives' learn to appreciate the 'small' things in life which are really not that small if you really learn to appreciate them....a good cup of coffee, a beautiful sunrise or sunset, people who can make you laugh, cooking a good meal, reading a good book, a good movie(I have given up on hollywood movies for the most part--did appreciate "Nebraska") I prefer foeign movies...they can tell a good simple story without all the special effects b.s. Always something to appreciate in life if you really look for it.
Bottom LIne: do not neglect your spirituality....and to preach a little bit...get a personal relationship with Jesus...get born again. Best advice I can give anyone.