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Tampa taxi on a hot afternoon and Uber white drivers

The early morning street business in Tampa is very slow. The locals that would have called us in the morning to go to the airport are not calling. I have every reason to believe they have gone to Uber. These ride-share companies have made it seem cool to do so. Somehow, riding in a taxi is not so cool. Because of that, I have to work into the hot afternoon to try and keep up. Something has to give.

They are not saving money by calling Uber. In fact, they may even be hit with a surge charge during peak hours which the morning rush is considered. They are not getting a safer ride. Our cabs are routinely checked out mechanical and the scheduled maintenance is performed. Is there any guarantee that the Uber car has been treated in such fashion? Has the background of the Uber driver been checked out? No. You say you can use a credit card with Uber. You can with me. Ive got a credit card machine in the back of the taxi and it will print you out a receipt. There is no perceived advantage you can state that we don't have. What about their app? What about it? we have an excellent app.


Our app allows you book your cab. Locate it with a real time map. You can track its progress as it moves toward your location. We will even text you when the cab is arriving and when it has arrived. It will tell you to go outside, your cab is here.

So why do you use Uber? There is only one reason. YOU CAN ORDER UP A WHITE DRIVER.

That, I guess, is their main advantage.

Comments

  1. I'm a 59 y.o. Tampa native and, to be honest, this area has the crappiest cab service in the country. I've used lyft a few times and it's always been better, faster to respond and cheaper.. They rarely use surge pricing and, when they do, it's limited to 200% of regular pricing. Prices are given in advance, so no surprises. And, unlike what Yellow cab did, no Uber or Lyft driver has declared bankruptcy to avoid paying for an injury they caused. Are United and Yellow cabbies required to carry $1M in liability? Uber and Lift drivers do, and it's PRIMARY insurance. No gruff drivers, no filthy, stinking, beat up junkers with 300,000 miles on them that are allowed on the road without inspections just because they're under 10 years old. And no 45 minute wait times. If surge pricing is too high for you, you can cancel the request and wait an hour or so for a cab. Face it, taxicabs will go the way of the buggy whip. What will you cry about when the driverless cars are approved? Adapt or die. Don't worry. There are still a lot of old people who don't use smartphones. But when they're gone, you're gone. I hope you're nearing retirement age. As for your contention about using uber to choose a white driver, that's pretty ironic considering the no-so-subtle racism in your entry about Glo bottle club.

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