Again I have renewed my ability to ply Seattle's taxi roads and byways for yet another year. How do I feel? Angry that I am still here doing something I no longer find acceptable, knowing, beyond the money I am making, that I am wasting valuable time and breath, nothing convincing me my time is well used. The many ten dollar tips I received this past weekend tells me folks appreciate my taxi dexterity but it is time for others to step up and provide a similar customer service. Will my fellow cabbies come through and deliver the perfect cab ride? Doubtful as impatient drivers this afternoon down at the King County Licensing Office couldn't understand I was just stepping over to have my picture taken and not cutting in front of them, this simple situation another unfortunate example, one too many, of just how unprepared these guys are for what they are applying to do. My photograph was appropriately grim, my smiling days long over.
You will be glad to know that my new set of fingerprints have been sent to the FBI, assuring that your Seattle taxi driver is certifiably a wonderful human being unlike all those Uber drivers sporting venomous fangs. I still haven't gotten a coherent answer as to why everyone has to be fingerprinted annually. The beleaguered woman taking the prints couldn't tell me, clearly tiring of responding to something she had no answer for. I will try to discover the rationale but knowing who I am dealing with I don't think there is one. Justification yes, but rational plausibility, no. Why make sense when there isn't any appears to be the current operational theme, local bureaucrats emulating Mickey Mouse, and Miss Mini too, I am sure!
Openings at Seattle City Council
Within days of each other, council members Nick Licata and Tom Rasmussem announced their intentions to not return for the next election season.. Media pronouncements were particularly kind. If the timing was different, I would consider strongly running for an open position, potentially enjoying debating anyone foolish enough to subject themselves to a dark but cheerful analysis of their cherished "progressive" positions and pet projects. And besides, if elected I would have to conduct an investigation asking why my fellow council members reversed themselves, acquiescing to our Uber mayor. Why would I want to be disruptive when instead one is elected to serve the electorate? At this juncture, I have no interest in thumbing my nose at fools, having more personal, pressing priorities, like I said, instead getting myself permanently out and away from the cab.
Is business picking Up? 7 airport runs this weekend!
I can now report two good consecutive weekends, perhaps signaling the worse is over. After averaging 1-3 airport runs I suddenly had seven which is good any time of the year. The most interesting was an account run taking a young gay man from a hospital ER to a Sea-Tac area hotel after he had been jumped in Freeway Park. Maybe conditions are different in Columbus, Ohio but at least here you should be wary walking across a darkened park at midnight. More shaken than harmed I could see him processing what had happened, comprehending his fate. Be careful is all I can say when walking in the small, bad ersatz city at night. Today I read a local report of some fool chasing three gay men down a Capitol Hill street brandishing a knife. He is now in police custody charged with various hate crimes.
People's lives!
First ride of the weekend delivered 3 young adults and a 4-month old infant stranded for hours in South Park. Finding them at 4 AM they had kept asking passing drivers for a ride home to West Seattle until someone mercifully gave them $20.00 to call a cab. I made sure they got some change back.
Just what I was thinking. A convenient meeting of like minds!
Toward the end of my weekend I thought, "Time to head to West Seattle, gassing up and washing the cab." when there was a guy standing near the Eagle Tavern and guess what, he wanted to go in that direction too. Wonderful, and almost enough to make me pious. Almost! "She-who-must-not-be-named" does pray for me. Thank you very much for taxi manna raining down from mysterious, celestial skies. It is appreciated.
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ReplyDeleteYour post was very moving, I didn't know that this was how the taxi system was. Your sentence about leaving your fingerprint on the city was interesting; I suppose I had never paused to think about the big effect that taxi drivers have on the ecosystem of a large city. Reading your story about the kids that you gave a ride to at 4 AM also moved me. You provided a great service to kids who were really in need. http://www.safetytaxius.com/services.html
ReplyDeleteGood one defiantly every one Taxi company of individual taxi providers should renew every thing and its will be better for both like driver and passenger i appreciate your work and a salute by Metro Airport Taxi for your thinking and working
ReplyDeleteBook an airport transfer from Malaga AGP. Airport transfers from Malaga - Private transfers by taxi, minibus or limousine - shared transfers by shuttle bus transfers from malaga airport.
ReplyDeleteI think the annual fingerprint is to avoid identity theft, so that they’re sure that the same person have applied for the renewal. That being said, while it can be a chore to do sometimes, renewals are something that is required for you to continue. At the very least, there is one driver out there that people can rely on for a great cab experience, as rare as that is. Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the matter. All the best!
ReplyDeleteKent Gregory @ Armature