New Important Advice On How To Ventilate, Aerate Your Cab During The Pandemic & Are Seattle Ubers Now More Expensive Than Taxis? Perhaps Is The Answer & This Never Happened Before & New Message For King Street Station & An Iraqi Cabbie Recites A Poem

Airing Out your Cab for Safety

A commonsense axiom during this time of air-spread viral disease is how ventilation assists in moving the coronavirus safely through the air, lessening the chance of infection.  During a recent study, a MIT researcher, along with three Brown University colleagues discovered the best way to use the air generated by a moving car to ensure safe airflow for driver and passenger.  Using the model of the typical taxi/TNC seating arrangement---driver in the front left-side, with the passenger sitting right-side rear---they found that opening the windows opposite the occupants created optimal airflow throughout the car interior, a natural interior vortex of a speed generated breeze.  Since reading this, I have started doing just that but only opening the windows a third of the way, along with utilizing the heater during these chilly hours and days.  Accompanied by mask usage, doing this will assist to the personal benefit of all, keeping you and your customer healthy and safer for another day. 

Ubers Cost More?

 Since the new Uber (TNC) Seattle-based rate increase became effective January 1st, 2021, I have been curious as to real-time rate comparisons of one versus the other, taxi and Uber point A to B, downtown to Sea-Tac International, etc. And my first active example occurred Wednesday, taking a passenger from 63_ _ 24th Avenue Southwest to an auto repair shop at 9200 16th Avenue Southwest, Uber's estimate $14.00 dollars to what I thought would be ten to twelve dollars.   

"No more Uber for me," she said, "from now on it's Yellow Cab.  You're Cheaper!"  And I believe her, and once the word gets out, with Ubers' rate going up further come April, I think all of us cabbies will be hearing that refrain more and more: "You're cheaper!" and it will be true, with Uber helpless to do anything about it, Uber now firmly pressed beneath Seattle's bureaucratic thumb.  Thank you, Seattle City Council for dealing Uber potentially a mortal wound in our local transportation market, unintentionally targeting the very operators you have insisted on helping, sweet irony the applicable term.  

A Small Taxi Miracle

While a regular customer was requesting my appearance at 13000 Linden Avenue North, simultaneously I was offered a call in the Zone 180.  Accepting the fare, where did Maggie go?  To Renee's building at 13000 Linden Avenue North!  I have never ever had that happen before, two rides matching in some kind of cosmic puzzle.  What a convergence of the taxi gods!  Hallelujah!

When Someone Wants a Cab at the Train Station

Now when encountering more customers than you can handle at King Street Station, 303 South King Street, don't call the Philippines.  Instead, go to messages, and Other, sending the new message Puget Sound Dispatch have yet to tell you about.  Calling dispatch is often painful.  Avoid the pain and remain almost sane, we hope.  

A lit Iraqi cigarette poem

In the January 5th, 2021 edition of the NY Times, in an article reported by Jane Arraf concerning Iraq's current economic collapse, an Iraqi cabbie was quoted.  Repeated here are the last two paragraphs:

"Like many Iraqis, he also writes poetry.  Asked to recite one of his poems. he pulled a cigarette out of a package, broke it in half and threw it on the ground.

"I am like a cigarette, "he said, "I burn and like a butt, I would be thrown away.  Do not talk to me about the homeland.  We are poor and our homeland is the grave." 

Iraqi taxi driver Amar Musa 

Thank you, George Bush, for doing such a good job destroying a country for no real reason whatsoever.  Mister Musa thanks you.

Park of the Week: Arbor Lake Park, 12380 2nd Avenue South, Burien

Another Seattle-area park, this time south King County in the city of Burien.  The park has this nice lake hidden in a very residential neighborhood.  Total area is 8.5 acres.  Very pleasant surprise and usually very quiet.  Good place to feed the ducks.  Bring bread crumbs and commune with the floating wildlife.  Very easy to find.  Just off of South 128th & 1st Avenue South.  Also has a playground for the kids.