Uber killed the taxi business during Gasparilla

Uber killed the taxi business in Tampa today. The Pirate Festival today is traditionally considered the busiest day of the year for taxi drivers. Today, it was like a slow Tuesday. When I say they did not take half the business or most of the business, I would be miss speaking. They took it all. Based on what happened today street level taxi driving in Tampa is now over. That is not an exaggeration. It is a reality. If not for the medical charges that I run Monday through Friday, and the right to work the airport, there would be no business left. Yes you would have the poor sections of town in the minority communities that over does not work but that would not be enough to even pay the lease. This gig is over. The handwriting is on the wall. That is why I am glad to be transitioning into other opportunities. There is no way this business can sustain itself at this point.

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Dana Young is a Liar or very confused about Uber

A very bad person with no honor or integrity I attended a meeting at the hockey arena downtown which was attended by all the Tampa Bay area state senators and representatives. In attendance was one Dana Young (R). When it was her time to speak, so told a story about a young women that was being raped. While the college student was being sexually assaulted, the student hit the Uber app on her phone and the police now knew the GPS coordinates of her location. What MS. Young did not disclose was that it happened on the UCLA campus and that it was an UBER DRIVER THAT WAS RAPING HER! "As students prepare to return to college, one thing female students cannot go without is caution. Assaults, especially sexual assaults, are a haunting part of daily life for so many students. Uber has made that nightmare even more of a reality . We tell our students that getting a driver when they’ve had too much to drink is the responsible course of action — it’...

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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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Sleeping with the enemy

I sort of stick out in this sea of pink I always seem to get on TV. This is Tim Fasano (in the yellow shirt with camera) sitting in the room full of Lyft and Uber drivers. Did you ever feel really alone? These rideshare people are operating an illegal business that is cutting into my livelyhood, and I wanted the Hillsborough County Commission to know it. The Lyft drivers are a bunch of punks and kids who have never worked a day in their lives. They will get whats coming to them. How do you spell douchebags? You will see me in the video shown on the local news.

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Redlining practices of Uber and Lyft exclude Black People

Uber and Lyft are companies formed in Lilly white silicon valley, by Lilly white computer geeks, who would not know what the hood looked like even if they ventured into Oakland. They have put together a business model that is for white people, and excludes blacks, and most poor people. Their intent is to only cheery pick the best, and richest fares in any community, and Redline the hood and poor areas. This is easily done by allowing the drivers to not only choose where they work, but allow them to choose who they will pick up. The driver can rate the customer and, then, nobody will pick them up. If the rider does not tip (which is cultural and common with inner city people), they will get a bad rating and no Uber or Lyft guy will pick them up. I must pick them up even if they don't tip. A typical attitude of a Lyft rider is like the comment left on this site. You have to accept the new and ever changing world of technology and what people are comfortable with. M...

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Another fare killer

I saw this at Tampa airport this morning. Good, another hack thinking transportation is their way out of the trailer park. This is just a fact. The Tampa Bay area cannot support this many vehicles for hire. What is Express Taxi anyway?

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Bigfoot meets Ron Jeremy

Rictor Riolo (star of Spike TV Bigfoot Bounty and Las Vegas radio personality) found the "big furry guy!" Rictor is a gay artist who does erotic art. He included me in one of works. Look below. Tim, Rick, Tom, and Sharon Rick Dyer is a big game hunter and a long time friend of mine (we talk daily on the phone and he even came to Florida to visit me with his wife and kids) He also lives in Las Vegas and is now making the rounds on CNN, FOX, and other world news outlets about his team killing Bigfoot. The shooting was filmed by the BBC with the eminent British director Morgan Matthews while filming a documentary. All is on HF video. You can look this up on Google

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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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Modern taxi tech

This is Dave. He is a tech guy that wires taxi cabs with GPS, computers, verphone, routers, and more. We have a state of the art IPhone app that United Cab pioneered. Uber has nothing on us. Except, we have legal drivers, a fact Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn ignores, and should be impeached for supporting lawless business. This guy has not heard the last of this. Mechanics today at cab companies don't just change the oil. We us, they are tech wizards. As you can see, I had a glitch the other day, and Dave got me up and running. posted from Bloggeroid

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Tampa Bay Comic Con

Comic Com is going on the weekend in Tampa. Hundreds of geeks and nerds have flooded into Tampa. Many are collectors going around the convention center floor checking out what is for sale. Many are fans who are interactive and dressed in costume. All of them seem to be having fun. It does look like fun. I read that Finding Bigfoot once appeared at a comic con event. Today is the last day and I hope to get a ride to the airport. I've already taken two guys to the greyhound bus. Green seems to be the color of the day. posted from Bloggeroid

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Don't be so cocky

Saturday morning right after sunrise on a cool Tampa day This is me at sunrise right after I successfully sandbagged a Dacco run that will pay my lease for the day. I was feeling pretty good about my self and how I am settling these calls up. One falls off. Another comes along. Success is when preparedness meets opportunity....I found out the next day, I was not so prepared. It seems some other taxi driver is aware of the call, and when I went to park at my "secret spot," he was there! How can that be? I thought I had the place all to myself. The dispatch system said I was second in the zone. He must have been first. And with ten minutes left before the call came out, I was screwed. I move over closer to the call thinking that would give me a tactical advantage but it was not to be. You see, with our system, the first out cab gets priority up to .25 miles from the call. We were only two blocks away. I lost the call to the unknown cab in the dark. Wonderful! No I have...

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