Skip to main content

The deep end of transportation


I have been diving deep, way deep in the pool. In fact, it has been raining so hard in Tampa, I have needed a snorkel to take my failures on a ride. The rain has been coming down so hard, major rivers have been flooding and people have been told to evacuate their homes. Fortunately I have managed to stay on high ground when I have been working. But when I am at play, I take it to the deep end of the pool.

Perhaps, this is a sort of metaphor for living in the deep end of life. I do admit, that I was unexpectedly pushed into the deep end by the ascent of rideshare and uber. This phenomena has left me in a war stance footing. I check my feeds every few hours to see if the judge in Tampa has ruled in favor of the County Transportation Commission. In the world I live in, that would be the easy right and necessary thing to do. I have no idea what is taking this judge this long to make a decision. Uber was in clear violation of all regulations. They were ethically and morally reprehensible in their activities and dealings with the law in Tampa Bay Florida.

 If you think this law or all taxi laws are wrong, then work to have the industry de-regulated like the airlines were decades ago. In that case free market principles would aply in all sorts of discount carriers would emerge from the rubble. Unfortunately, the taxi industry in Tampa is highly regulated. What is so hard about this for this judge to understand?

You could not open a hot dog stand or a barber shop or any other small business without the proper permits licenses and insurance. Am I really parking up the wrong tree or kicking a dead dog. I know my critics say f* it and just go join Uber. But it does not work that way. Just because they have a great concept and is slick application, does not bring legitimacy and legality to their operations. Seriously, if there is something I have stated here that is incorrect, or not clear, or is a falsehood, please let me know. In the meantime, I will use this snorkel to take my fares where Uber will not go. 

posted from Bloggeroid

Comments

  1. In five hours today I ran six uber fares and made $240...Uber is the real deal!...no snorkel needed!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This ass clown is full of shit. To make 240 he would have to book 500 on 6 fares. That means basically 5 trips to Orlando in 5 hours...Wake up ASSHOLE...not possible!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Uber drivers in Tampa are criminals and need to be treated as such. Within days Judge Huey should rule in favor of law and kick Uber out of Hillsborough County.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Popular Posts Last 30 days

What Lyft and Uber will take from the Tampa taxi business

A lyft car at the Iconic sign on Florida ave downtown Tampa I have been a hack in Tampa Florida since 1995. Unlike the estimated 50% of Americans that hate their jobs, I have never had a day when I did not feel like going to work. Certainly, the last few years  have not been fun because the economy fell apart like a three dollar watch. However, economies are like tides and this one is on the rebound, at a snail's pace. I would like to thank Mr. Obama for that but that would not be fair. The economy is recovering despite any fiscal policy of his. That being said - there are challenges. My job is inherently difficult. We face strange and deranged people street level on a daily basis. Taxi companies in Tampa (which are regulated) must serve the general population. We have no choice. Short fares, drunk fares, people going to buy drugs (they don't tell you that) we must pick up. Don't get me wrong, there are business people, beautiful women, great trippers, and long haul...

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...

Police said Uber drivers real job was selling drugs

If you were a drug dealer, having another job that pays you to drive around town would probably complement your endeavor. Yeah? Glendale police this week say 23-year-old Artak Avakian is an Uber driver who "used the position as a cover to sell drugs," according to a statement. Cops arrested Avakian at 4 p.m. on Tuesday after receiving a tip that he's a "suspected drug dealer," they said.  The dumb shit circuit judge in Florida that ruled against background checks for Uber drivers said there was no evidence to show cabs were safer. Arrest happen everyday with Uber drivers. Does that judge ever read the newspaper. posted from Bloggeroid

The Taxi Truman Show

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...

Hillsborough County bans Uber today as taxi company

The HCPT and Hillsborough County public commission today affirmed Uber is an illegal taxi company and bared them from operating in the Tampa area. This is wonderful news to longtime drivers like me. An Uber attorney asked Hillsborough County to make new rules to fit the trendy ridesharing movement pioneered by his company and Lyft, but was told flatly on Wednesday that Uber is an illegal taxi service. The county's Public Transportation Commission unanimously affirmed that an appointed officer had enough evidence to fine Uber, based in San Francisco, for providing hiring and public taxi services without proper licensing. Uber attorney Drew Sorrell held to the company's argument that it isn't in transportation. As a technology company, it doesn't need to follow transportation regulations as they are written. "There's a perfectly good way to do this, and that is to write the rules so that they fit," said Sorrell, of the Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor...

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

4 things you wish you knew about Uber

Is "ridesharing" safe? Who are these amateur uberX drivers and are they properly screened for criminal backgrounds? Do they have proper insurance? And what happens when inevitable accidents occur? Are riders in danger? Uber thinks they're above regulations and oversight. They claim to only be a technology company. But don't be fooled. Here are four Uber myths debunked. They seem to value profit over protecting the public they claim to serve. UberX services and companies like them want all reward and no responsibility. And they will take it, unless we hold them accountable and protect the public's basic right to safety. Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/109264278 posted from Bloggeroid

Travis Kalanick is violating federal law in an attempt to establish a monopoly

Rockefeller and Kalanick - both criminals John D Rockefeller would be very proud of Uber. What Travis Kalanick has been able to do is violate established law set over a century ago. The Sherman Act and the Clayton Anti Trust Act were reasoned decisions by the Supreme Court to stop the criminal activates of the Robber Barron's. At its heart is a clearly unfair practice called "low balling." What Rockefeller did was run his railroads at a deliberate loss for a five year period. He was making so much money off of Standard Oil, that this was no problem. His competitors (who needed to make a profit) were unable to keep matching Rockefeller's price. They all eventually went out of business. Then, JD was able to charge any damn price he wanted to move product by rail. The same thing is happening today with Uber. Kalanick calls it "customer behavior modification." He is low balling the Tampa area to get all of the former taxi riders. Soon, United Cab and Yel...

Jameis Winston - AMERICA'S QUARTERBACK

There should many moments of glory in Tampa Bay Jameis Winston began his run for Super Bowl MVP yesterday in the blinding rain at Buccaneer training camp. You can see from the video below, there is a lot to work on. It was raining and he must have been excited. I am really glad football season is here. Taxi drivers make real money at these games and Uber is not allowed to pick up. There is a taxi and limo area...not an Uber/Lyft area.

Chaos at the airport

What happens when 9,000 people from Ohio State want cabs at the same time because they need to get to the Buckeye cruise? Meltdown. There were no car rentals available at TIA and our starter was gone. The airport director was out trying to organize the plaintiff hoards. For drivers, this was awesome. Its good to have people approaching your cab like a third world flash mob. This beats the help out of sitting around in the scorching heat of July, with nothing to do. Lets hope this keeps up.