My Last (And I Mean It) Protracted Conversation With A Seattle/King County Taxi Regulator---Perceived Wrongdoings And Other Issues & Who WantsTo Be Treated Like This? & The PediCab Experience & Wild Little Park In Seattle & Quick Seattle Street Quiz: Where Is This Intersection?

 I Am Done Talking

Last Monday I had a nearly 1 1/2 hour telephone conversation with a local taxi regulator, someone who sincerely believes he has the best interests of the industry at heart.  But there is one thing I do know for sure.  As nice as he is, he's too far removed from taxi, having never driven a cab, to fully comprehend it.  I know that he and other City of Seattle and King County regulators will deny this, but  sorry folks, my 35 plus years in the business tells me otherwise.  I have mentioned this before in the past but Doctors regulate Doctors, Engineers regulate Engineers simply because no one else truly understands their field of work and study.  Since taxi driving is misunderstood, and not appreciated for the industrial science it is, government has decided it isn't necessary to involve drivers and owners who know what is best for the industry.  

Concerning the new pending ordinances, making it worse is government's insistence on consulting political entities like Teamsters Local 117, listening to those who, while well-meaning, are clueless to the reality and needs of taxi owner/operators.  Local 117 for instance has convinced the Seattle Mayor that it is a great idea to cap all association/dispatch company revenue at 10%, even though no one can operate at that level of funding.  

As many know, I am not a great fan of how Puget Sound Dispatch (Seattle Yellow Cab) is run but putting a false cap on their revenue stream will only result in their demise.  15 to 17% is a more realistic operational expectation.  More than once I have been asked by owner/operators to create a new taxicab association but it can't be financed "out-of-thin-air."  There must be a viable revenue stream.  Otherwise, PSD and any other potential association simply will not exist.  Then what will the drivers do?  They will drive for Uber, that's what they will do.  

Getting back to last Monday's conversation, we talked about the high cost of insurance and how it impacts taxi drivers.  He reminded me that Uber pays for the insurance when the drivers are in "real service mode," with a passenger on board, meaning their insurance costs more-or-less matches what the taxi industry pays.  

But for Seattle Uber drivers, that cost never personally impacts them.  While yes, Uber takes 25-40 % of each fare but when the driver is taking home $30-50.00 per hour, he/she doesn't care, Uber can earn what they want as long as money rolls in for the driver.  Do I have to repeat it again, that the Seattle cabbie must first earn $18,000 before they make a dime?  

One of my biggest disagreements last Monday centered upon the proposal that all complaints will be handed directly through the City and County, this while not allowing the driver to immediately challenge the allegation.  What this kind of process does is hold the driver hostage to whatever has been said about him or her.  I know all about these kinds of allegations because, over the course of 35 plus years I have been falsely accused of theft, of physical abuse, sexual abuse and other improprieties, none of which happened. 

I never have forgotten the complaint filed by a HopeLink passenger because I didn't take Montlake Blvd northbound to NE 65th, the allegation taking over a month to resolve.  One part of this is, since the fare was a flat-rate, the passenger was not negatively impacted by my chosen route.  And why did I decide to take 15th NE instead of Montlake?  Because that stretch of Montlake was closed in both directions due to CONSTRUCTION.  Though I told the passenger that, he still complained.  Welcome to taxi as it really is, which is why no one other than cabbies themselves should be making rules governing their industry. 

Anyway, I am bowing out of any further involvement.  I have had enough of the never ending nonsense.  It is driving me insane.  Enough. 

Calling me "Dad"

I realize I don't even want to describe all the details of foolishness regarding a simple ride from the Viewridge neighborhood to Ballard.  Somehow, our ages came up in conversation, and finding out I was merely one year older he was, the male customer became strangely mocking, twice saying, "Okay Dad! Goodbye Dad!"  Was it because he looked years older than me?  Or that his hair had gone completely white?  Who knows but his underlying aggression was uncalled for.  This is how drivers are treated.  Ain't it fun?

Pedicab Drivers Making $$$

Sunday, a pedicab driver walked up to my car and said, "I read your blog."  Turns out he once drove for Orange Taxi.  We got to talking, with him telling me that during the Cruise Ship season, he is sometimes making $500.00 a day.  His general average on Seahawk football days is over $300.00.  I asked how all that pedaling impacted him?  His quick answer was "I now have an electric bike."   Good for him.  Given that winter is coming, he's thinking of driving a cab again.  I advised to try the airport.  That's where he will find a cab to drive and nowhere else.  As we all know, the business has changed, and not for the good. 

North Beach Natural Area

Near the intersection of 24th NW & NW 90th, you will find this small greenbelt transformed into a local park.  What is amazing is that in the midst of all of the surrounding houses, it is a wild place where your shoes will get muddy.  Suddenly, the trail takes you into a kind of wilderness.  Try it out.  It's on the west side of 24th NW.  Look for the nearby school. 

Okay, Taxi Whizzes! Where is the Intersection of NW Culbertson Drive & Sherwood Road NW?

If anyone knows this right off the taxi bat, please leave me a comment.  Seattle has many hidden streets and this locale is one that is new to me.  How did I find it?  In the past, I have talked about favorite city parks, and Llandover Woods, located at NW 145th & 3rd NW, is somewhere I have been walking for years now.  But what I haven't done until recently was walk directly west out of the park, ending up on what is Sherwood Road NW.  It is bordered to the north by a greenbelt extending nearly to the Puget Sound.  By continuing to walk, the street bends a bit southwest, taking you to the above mentioned intersection.  Right off Sherwood is a ten-foot long trail taking you to a creek.  It is special.  Stop and park your cab in the parking lot off of 3rd NW and begin walking.  Stretch those taxi legs!  And you will be glad you did.  

More About Taxi: Special Finance And Housing Committee Meeting, Seattle City Council, Thursday September 14th, 2023 & WAT Owner Out Of Business For Three Months & A Good Example Why Uber Is Killing Taxi

 The Changes that I Have Told you were on the Taxi Horizon Are Coming

Or maybe not.  First, soon there will be a similar meeting held at the King County Council, where they will attempt to match the bureaucratic language in somewhat competing yet cooperative ordinances.  Another part of that "maybe not" comment is that it appears that ordinances will not be effective until March 31st, 2025, or March 31st, 2026 at the earliest.  

Why such a long timeline I can't tell you but how can a 2-3 year lag-time or delay be reasonable?  Much can happen, and for the taxicab industry, it could be the death knell for our local cab industry.  If anyone is entirely honest, they know it's true, with only one truly operational taxi association, PSD/Yellow; and of course that motley crew working the Sea-Tac airport.  The entire document numbers just over one-hundred pages, much of it repetitive language other than for a few highlights, which I will briefly describe.  

The meeting itself had only two council members in actual physical attendance, Teresa Mosqueda, who led the meeting, and a very silent Sara Nelson sitting in the far left corner of the council chambers. Everyone else, including council staff members, appeared over Zoom video, science fiction now 21st Century reality.  

In the audience sat perhaps 30-40 cabbies.  A total of 12 people spoke, including myself, in 2-minute long slots.  Amin, the PSD general manager, arrived a bit let but was allowed to testify.  Most were there to support the new ordinance provision limiting association revenue from drivers to 10% of gross fare revenue.  If that stays as written, it probably means the end to Seattle taxi associations as they have been known, 10% a starvation diet leading to the cab cemetery.  

My two minutes spoke to the economic disparity between TNC and taxicab reality, repeating my now manta that the Seattle cabbie has to earn $18,000 in a given year before making a dime for themselves.  I also said, that if new training is going to be required, it should also be mandatory for Uber and Lyft, with training problems designed by people like me.  I know you and everyone else have had enough of our taxi lives directed by those who have never labored beneath the toplight.   Do these well-meaning folks at the City and County really believe there will be a functional taxi industry to regulate in 2026?  I can only laugh.

The following are the ordinances dictating your future, providing only the initial ordinance numbers along with some introductory text.  In CB 120652, I will not include all the code numbers because, without the text, they will be meaningless.

CB 120652     AN ORDINANCE relating to taxicabs and for-hire vehicles; repealing or deleting            provisions intended to no longer be in effect in separating the taxicab and transportation transportation company industries; conforming to changes in state law; adding a new section 6.310.101 to the Seattle Municipal code and sections...............

CB 120653   AN ORDINANCE relating to taxicabs and for-hire vehicles; separating and amending taxicab and for-hire industry regulations; adding a new chapter 6.311 to the Seattle Municipal Code; and amending Sections 11.14.235 and 15.17.005 of the Seattle Municipal Code.  

CB 120656  AN ORDINANCE relating to the Department of Finance and Administrative Services; authorizing the Director of Finance and Administrative Services or designee to execute an inter-local agreement with King County to regulate for-hire transportation.  

To get the full text sent to you, contact the Chair at 206-684-8808 or email teresa.mosqueda@seattle.gov to request what should have been sent to every taxi and TNC licensee in Seattle and KC.  My taxi for-hire driver's license is still current.  I never received anything.  How did I find out about the meeting?  Through a contact.  

Perhaps one of the more compelling provisions offered by these changes would be the making of regional medallions, replacing the now separate City and County plates.  This would also allow current City/County dual-plated cabs to magically become two "regionally-plated" cabs.  Another is the transformation of flat rate for hire vehicles into taxicabs.  

Years ago, like 15-17 years ago, the Seattle taxi industry were begging for more medallions.  Now that the industry is nearly dead, with insurance rates 4-6 thousand dollars higher than for TNC operation, Seattle and King County is proposing expanding the number of taxis.  Isn't that nonsensical, underlining the regulatory mismanagement we have seen now for decades?  Yes, nonsensical appears to be the correct assessment. 

WAT Van Operator Dead in the Taxi Water

At the meeting, I sat next to my old taxi colleague, D.T.  He had some alarming news.  Someone had crashed into his van, destroying it.  In the interval, waiting for the other driver's insurance to come through, he sits, unable to work.  I asked if his van was covered by personal collision insurance?  He said no, that he couldn't obtain coverage.  Odd story.  I advised him to forget about taxi and drive Uber.  No overhead and easy money.  Why not?  There is absolutely no GOOD personal financial incentive to continue driving a taxi.  As I keep saying, Uber and Lyft won the transportation wars.  Taxicab drivers are the walking wounded.  

Beyonce Uber Surge Magic

I worked Uber Thursday night, anticipating making some money because of the silliness associated with the Beyonce concert located at Lumen Field (the Seahawk stadium).   No business until 11:30 PM, then suddenly it was BOOM!, Uber ride requests exploding, and due to Uber's infamous fare price surging, I instantly was making BIG money.  

What happened in my two hours post-concert was unusual, something I haven't experienced other than when working a long-distance fare.  I made $120.00 per hour for two connective hours.  Do the simple addition and that's $240.00 for two hours work.  

In my 35-plus years driving taxi, under normal fare circumstances, that never happened before.  Plenty of $50.00 hours connectively but not like this.  Is Uber stealing from its customers?  Obviously they are.  Another element included in these new taxi ordinances are smart meters allowing for a similar type of price gouging.  Isn't that nice, taxi as immoral as Uber.  

I will remind you of that well know saying,"laughing all the way to the bank."  But is all this actually funny?  No, it isn't.   No "Ha Ha Ha" this time around.  

Driving Taxi Is A Terrible Existence & Brief iCabbi Update---Do Not Wonder Why Uber Won The Battle & Is King County Picking On Eastside-For-Hire?

The Body Say It All: Driving Taxi Ain't No Fun

I should have written this last Sunday after working the first University of Washington Husky college football game of the season.  Of course I was driving an Uber shift but my body doesn't care what I call it because its complaint is the same: why are you doing this to me?  Yes, I made money, and as I have repeatedly said, I have always made good money driving taxi, and now Uber.  Of course, when I was 10-20 years younger, the negative effects of dumbbell passengers, idiot drivers, a gasoline-polluted workplace, along with working 12-22 hour-long shifts didn't impact as it does now.  But the overall compelling taxi reality is everyone is treated little better than a Dalit, more commonly known as an untouchable.  And it at times I wished I was, in another sense, truly "untouchable," having endured poking, grabbing and an in general molestation that was and remains unacceptable. Do I believe that all my years driving beneath the toplight was justifiable?  No, is my simple response. And my body wholeheartedly agrees. 

A 50/50 Split 

Talking to someone who knows, I was told half of the drivers appreciate the new iCabbi system, embracing its money-making features, with the other 50 % not so happy.  Why?  Because its preventing them from cheating, as many drivers registered false no-shows and other shenanigans designed to thwart the system, ripping off their fellow cabbies.  Why, surprise, surprise, many will have to actually be honest, even though it's against their criminal nature.  What these taxi clowns never understood is their behavior opened up the door to Uber and Lyft.  Who killed the American taxicab industry?  We did.

King County and Eastside-for-Hire: An Ensuing Argument

For the past few years,  King County Regulators have been on Eastside-for-Hire's butt, claiming they owe the County money, that they haven't filed proper paperwork, etc.  The reality, as I wrote a few days ago to the one KC Taxi/TNC/ For-hire regulator I know well, is that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, Eastside exists in name only beyond any other pretense.  The reason is simple.  The vast majority of the Eastside owner/operators stopped paying their association dues months if not years ago, creating the empty shell that is Eastside.  Still, despite this, many Eastside drivers continue to work Sea-Tac Airport as if they are legal entities, which they are not, riding free and easy due to King County and the Port of Seattle's indifference.   

This is what I recommended to the KC official, outlining one of three choices.  One, insist that they pay all their back association dues to Eastside.  Two, if not wanting to do that, they must join another association.  Or three, if they don't take one of these two steps, their medallions will be suspended.  

Of course, this will get everyone's immediate attention.  No more playing games with minor criminals.  Also, ending the various attacks directed at Eastside.  In other words, suddenly, everyone might start to become more serious, understanding there would be consequences to their behavior.  How novel a concept!

  

Bad News For Seattle Cabbies: The Queen Anne Bartell's Drugstore Is Closing & Two Perspectives On New iCabbi Dispatch System & 252 Robotaxi Crashes In San Francisco Bay Area & Robotaxis Coming To A Local Street Near You

 Seattle's Last 24 Hour Pharmacy is Closing

Back in the late 1980s, there was only one 24 hour pharmacy open when your prescription need to be filled at 3 in the morning.  Located near the intersection of 26th and East Cherry, in the center of a then Cocaine Crack-era war zone, it was always an adventure getting your prescription filled.  I know this because I was driving for Farwest Taxi, making it a popular run in the early morning hours.  The usual pharmacist on duty matched the territory, a somewhat quirky individual who made the mundane somehow surreal.  

Later, quite thankfully, at least two other drugstores began offering 24 hour services but alas, no more, as the Uptown/Queen Anne Bartell's is closing its doors permanently on September 10th, 2023.  No longer will cabbies be rushing passengers there to fill an emergency prescription.  Where will you have to go instead?  Issaquah.  A better fare but one certainly not making an already ill passenger very happy.  Seattle, once a 24-hour city back in 1973 upon my arrival in that distant January, is closing down.  Does anyone truly care?   At least at City Hall, I am doubtful that they do.

iCabbi One and Two

One friend, an over 40 year taxi veteran, hates it, finds it confusing, and not quickly understanding all its "helpful" features.

Another friend, half the age of my aforementioned colleague, has more readily transitioned from the old MTI to the new iCabbi dispatch.  Clearly there are more initial steps regarding iCabbi but once learned, it should be superior to anything the industry has previously utilized.  iCabbi is very similar to the Uber app.  Hopefully soon, all the Seattle Yellow cabbies will have mastered the system, and suddenly, their beaming smiles will light up any cloudy Seattle taxi day.

Zoox

There are three robotaxi companies operating in SF and area. Zoox has been involved in 42 crashes.  Waymo, 110.  GM Cruise, 64.  All these since Jan 1, 2022, for a total of 252.  Safer?  Maybe not.

Run for Your Lives: The Great Robotaxi Invasion is Attacking Seattle

Yes, taxi boys and girls, Cruise and Waymo robotaxis will soon be visiting Seattle streets.  Look for one DT soon.  Won't it be fun, new technology beneath the not always shining Seattle sun?

 

Elder Abuse?--"-What Are Ya Doing? Ya Old Geezer" & San Francisco Robotaxi Service Expansion Already In Trouble & Killer Arrested And Charged & Saudi Border Guards Kill Hundreds Of Ethiopian Migrants

I Have Been Called Many Names 

When driving a cab, and now Uber, part of the experience is finding yourself treated like public property, many finding permission to say and do anything they want to the inanimate object that so happens to be a living and breathing human being.  Am I ever surprised by such crazed behavior?  Well, this past Saturday night, after finding myself stuck in post-football game traffic game on 1st Avenue South, I realized there was a way out, and while attempting to pierce a line of cars blocking my way to an open driveway, a young female voice rang out, calling me an old geezer.  

Admittedly  I am getting somewhat "long in the tooth" as it's sometimes said, though most never guess I am five months away from my 70th birthday.  Most commonly I am called "you faggot" but this time it was a different moniker.  As I said, abuse is something I'm familiar with.  What if a passenger says they love me?  I wouldn't like that either.  One might say, "with you, no one can win."  And you know, I cannot disagree. 

Kind of Funny

It didn't take long for something bad to occur after GM Cruise and Waymo were given permission to operate their robotaxi services throughout the City of San Francisco minus any time of day limitations. Last Thursday night a Cruise robocab was hit by a fire truck on the way to an emergency call.  The solo passenger was injured and taken to a local hospital, this being one of two collisions happening that night.  And another Cruise car drove into a construction site, suddenly mired in wet cement. 

Due to these incidents, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) intervened, ordering GM Cruise to reduce their operational fleet by half, translating to 50 daylight cars and 150 night vehicles.  Per my prediction made last week, the first fatality will shut down the San Francisco robotaxi experiment permanently.  

Cruise's explanation as to why the fire truck accident occurred wasn't convincing, saying a tall building blocked essential communication to their vehicle.  And they want to operate in a city filled with giant office buildings?   What will be their next excuse?  

Neiana M. Allen-Bailey Charged with First Degree Murder

The 18-year-old woman who murdered Lyft driver Amare Geda, was officially charged and held on $2 million dollar bail.  There is surveillance video of Allen-Bailey fatally shooting Geda.   

Murder and Mayhem on the Saudi Arabian/Yemen Northern border 

The human rights agency, Human Rights Watch, has just released a special report entitled, "They Fired On Us Like Rain," detailing a series of attacks by Saudi troops on unarmed Ethiopian migrants attempting to enter Saudi Arabia from Yemen.  Using machine gun and mortar fire, they have mowed down men, women and children, killing hundreds of defenseless victims.  Saudi Arabian authorities claim to know nothing about the murders.  That is not believable.  

The next time you see an Ethiopian cabbie or TNC driver, know they are here in the USA for real reasons, their country the past three decades experiencing a series of internal and external conflicts.  Currently, nearly 20 million Ethiopians are facing hunger and starvation.  And now this tragedy.  Tip your driver generously.  They could very well be sending money back to family members.  Do what you can.

Greetings From San Francisco: He Has Had Enough!---Longtime Seattle/King County Yellow Taxi Cabbie Quits And Moves To Rural California & Bullshit Uber Driver Deactivations & Robotaxi Service Expansion Approved For San Francisco & Longtime Seattle Cabbie And TNC Driver Murdered At 1st South And Walker---GoFundMe Page & Seattle Mariner's Baseball Attendance Up

Not Flowers, Only Taxi Receipts in my Hair

Writing from the not-unpleasant confines of my 16th & Valencia (Mission District) hotel room.  I am here in the Bay Area meeting with my longtime writing comrade Jake, fine-tuning the pages of my newest book, "To Age 13."  He is helping me install some software that speeds up the editing.  I am dead serious about this book getting the publishing deal it well deserves.  That's why I am here, along with visiting the De Young, eating Chinese dumplings and Mission District burritos.  I love San Francisco.  I hate Seattle. 

He Grew Tired of Killing Himself for $5000.00 a Month

As I have always said, there's money to be made, lots of money driving a taxi in Seattle and King County but the hours and expenses associated with driving a cab are a killer, prompting a taxi buddy, after his leased cab was totaled by an errant driver, to hightail it to northern California east of Redding.  Part of the issue was, after a more stable (and cheaper) housing situation disappeared, he found himself in a $ 2000.00-a-month Sea-Tac motel room.  And with a $500.00 weekly taxi lease, along with the high cost of gasoline, all the money he was making was flushed down the proverbial toilet, never allowing him to get ahead, never saving some of that hard-gained money.  The car required an over $10,000 repair, which the owner simply couldn't afford to repair or replace.  

Now my friend is living outside of a small town renowned for its magnificent waterfall.  Last time I spoke to him he was applying for a job at an auto parts store.  Sounds like a good match, having spent the majority of his adult life driving a car.  He certainly knows about repairs, and in his case, repairing himself from the many damaging years driving a cab.  I too know all about that subject, finding myself as only another dented body in life's wrecking yard.  Who wants to be there?

Racial Bias Found in Uber Driver Deactivations 

A University of Washington study found patterns of racial discrimination when Uber deactivated operators from their platform, a problem affecting thousands of drivers, a simple unsubstantiated complaint often resulting in serious consequences.   In Seattle, a ten-year Uber veteran was deactivated last September after dealing with two drunk passengers first vomiting in his car, then attacking him once he pulled over, all the blame falling upon him.  It was only this month that he has been reactivated, costing him many months in lost wages.  Luckily for him, a new WA State law creating a TNC driver resource center assisted him and others in dealing with an opaque Uber bureaucracy.  For Uber drivers in other states, watch out is the best anyone can say, Uber is not always your best friend.

Robotaxis on the Loose

On August 10th, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), in a 3-1 vote, gave approval to GM Cruise and Waymo to expand their operations 24/7 in the city of San Francisco, removing all previous restrictions.   One of the claims made by Cruise and Waymo is that their service will save lives but all passengers must first sign a waiver exempting the companies from liability if the robotaxi kills them in an accident.  On the very next day after the CPUC decision, ten Cruise robotaxis stalled all in a row, blocking a narrow street.  

This is my prediction. Within the next year, passenger or passengers will die in a robotaxi due to some kind of malfunction, setting off lawsuits and the cancellation of the service.  And I won't be surprised if the CPUC itself is sued.  As one might rightfully say, the responsibility is all theirs.

Amare Geda GoFundMe site

Last Tuesday, a longtime taxi/TNC driver was murdered at the corner of 1st South and South Walker at 3:30 AM.  The suspect, an 18-year-old woman, was later arrested and is being held under a $2 million bail.  She stole his car, driving it for 3. days.  A Go Fund Me page has been set up for him.  I urge everyone who can donate to assist his widow and three children.

https://gofundme/41943347 

A Winning Team Helps

2023 Mariner's attendance is up this year, so far averaging over 30,000 fans, an average of just over two thousand from last year's totals.   More fans equal more money for everyone picking them up.  Go team!

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Uber In The News: For One Quarter They Show A Profit & Uber Surge Surprises CEO & New I-5 Northbound Third Lane At Seneca Street & New Colman Dock (Pier 52) Terminal Is Now Open & A Night Out With The South Sudanese Community & Seahawk Pre-Season Beginning This Upcoming Thursday & iCabbi Training Schedule In Current PSD Online Newsletter

Uber Making $$$ and Charging You the Customer more

For the first time since its inception in 2009, namely in 14 years, Uber has finally turned a quarterly profit, reporting it made $326 million from $9.23 billion posted revenue.  Good news for Uber but the bad news for Uber passengers is that rates have increased 50% from a year ago.  On the profit news, Uber's stocks declined in value.  Oh well, you can't make everyone happy.  Especially the greedy a-holes gambling on Wall Street. 

"Oh my god!" was Uber's CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's response

Wired Magazine editor Steven Levy took a Manhattan Uber ride 2.9 miles long to meet up with the Uber CEO.  When asked to guess how much the ride cost, Khosrowshahi guessed $20.00.  Wrong.  The fare was $51.69.  But what I want know is, how much did the driver get?  Now that's important. 

Driving Northbound on I-5 Through DT Seattle Is Suddenly Easier

Something correct has finally occurred with local highway infrastructure, with the very recent opening of a third northbound lane I-5 at Seneca Street.  Drivers can now easily exit upon westbound Seneca without getting tangled up with those proceeding north.  It is a great improvement.  Bravo! 

New DT Ferry Terminal and Dock now open

In all my decades driving taxi, one destination above all stood out, having delivered more passengers to the Pier-52 Bainbridge Island/Bremerton ferry dock than any other transportation terminus.  More than Sea-Tac airport.  More than the King Street Amtrak train station.  More than the Greyhound Bus terminal.  How many times I've had to rush passengers down the road to avoid missing their ferry is beyond remembering.   Given that reality, I am pleased, that after four years of construction, the new ferry terminal is now ready for the hordes traveling across Elliot Bay.  I have yet to see what they have done to accommodate drop-offs and pick-ups but I will provide a report as soon as I see it for myself.   I am hopeful.

It Was Both Special and an Honor

Last night, Saturday August 5th, I attended a South Sudanese graduation party as the guest of my taxi buddy, James, originally from South Sudan.  Despite a late start, it was a great success, with the pot luck banquet especially delicious.  While enjoying stuffing myself with unfamiliar dishes, the highlight of the evening was a circular dance performed by the colorfully dressed older ladies, round and round they went commemorating the teenaged high school graduate.  Also special was a long prayer said before the meal began.  Truly a wonderful experience. 

The festive evening took me back to my two years (1964-66)  in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, Canada, remembering the often warm hospitality I received from the native Cree, my friend Bobby's mother serving me piping hot bannock along with beaver, muskrat, moose and buffalo.  During our last months there, the Cree invited me and my father to participate in a "tea" dance, tramping thorough the snow in a circular procession, happy, similar to last night, to be included, not as an outsider but as a trusted friend.  I repeat, what an honor it was in 1966, and now, once again in 2023.  

Sporting Events are of the Utmost Importance for Making $$$

Yes, the Seahawk NFL season is coming up, with Thursday's first pre-season game of the year beginning at 7:00 PM.   Who is the opponent I neither know nor care but I will be there working the maddening crowds.  You too should make an appearance.  

Also, in less than a month from now, the University of Washington college football season begins with a home game on Saturday, September 2nd, at 12:55 PM.   The Husky Football stadium has a seating capacity of over 73,000, meaning it is always a good place to catch a fare during halftime and toward a game's conclusion.   Rah Rah, go Huskies!

Puget Sound Dispatch iCabbi Training this week

Don't miss it, the training beginning tomorrow morning.  The more you know about the new system, the more money you'll make.  Obvious but many do not immediately grasp what should be easy.  Check out the online schedule posted in the current PSD newsletter.  Good luck with the new system.