Tampa Taxi Shots

On my front porch I've never planted a damn thing in my life. Since Uber will become a legal operation on Wednesday, I thought I would do something to memorialize what I've done for the last 20 years. I put some seeds in the potting soil to make it grow. The plants have flowers and are called Cosmos. They are supposed to grow to about 4 feet tall and the flowers are multi colored. I hope they look sort of like the wild flowers of Texas. Perhaps after the backyard becomes full of them. Its nice to have a front porch and a backyard. That is something I have been reaching for all along. Only in a metaphorical way. Like dreams that will never come true. Maybe. Keep in mind, Uber/Lyft may become legal but they will not be regulated. The fact that we will have to charge a higher price mandated by law gives them an unfair competitive advantage. This is something our Idiot politicians are unable to see. No wonder I voted for Donald Trump. He was right when he said politicians ...

A business talk show said gas may go down to $1 a gallon this year. That would be a tremendous help to the economy and the general well being of the nation. Cab drivers must buy their own gas and for years we were taking it the shorts from many directions. A Hugh cluster fuck combined with the great recession, did us in.

The Mosley Motel I had a pick up in south Tampa at a nice townhouse/condo. A girl came out of the condo, but did not look the part. She looked road weary and beat. You know, hard living, even though I just picked her up on easy street. I knew this was not  her place. I have seen her type before. Years of bad decisions, poor emotional support, lack of friends, no job, no man, and everyone else in the world is too blame. Sad. What is really sad is I'm rarely wrong on this. Two decades of driving a hack has jaded me, I guess. It's not bias if you've seen it a million times. I was surprised when she said she needed to go to St. Petersburg on 34th street. That's an out of town trip and that is when I get nervous about getting paid. I hope the John was nice enough to give her money for the fair. They usually do. I ask a few qualifying questions and I'm now satisfied she has money because she knows exactly what the fare will run because she has done this before. We ...

This is Mac's desk at Tampa International Airport. He is not there. No reason. What the heck. Most of the flights have been cancelled at a time of year when we should be cooking. People just can't get to Florida. We pay the lease no matter what and we are hurting. I have not seen it this bad

Taxi Drivers in the holding area at Tampa International Airport The  St. Petersburg Times  ran an article about the state of taxi cab companies and drivers in Hillsborough County. They quoted me (Tim Fasano) in the article because of this blog. I believe the article hit hard on some very real aspects of the current state of cab driving.  Jack Nicas went all over Tampa talking with taxi drivers and cab company owners. He went to the holding area at the airport, the major hotels downtown, the club party areas on the weekends and he saw first hand what goes on in our work. This is what he saw at Tampa International Airport. "For hours under the sun in a lot near Tampa International Airport, a harsh course in economics plays out. Dozens of taxicabs snake into a queue. Men shout and engines start. The line barely budges. Rene Jeune is up front now, having waited two hours for one customer. Farther back, Jean Bourdeau watches birds fight. He has just $25 in his pock...

Weekends are long and involved for cab drivers. You see people involved in recreational activities and wonder why you're not. If you only had a normal life is a constant refraim for me. A twelve hour day on Friday, followed by a sixteen hour day on Saturday, and a ten hour day on Sunday is what I look forward to. Even with that, I have worn out shoes that need laces (don't have the money for laces). I'm making someone a nice living. All I want are some new shoes. A nice living I gave up on.