Friday, April 30, 2021

Back In The Seattle Saddle: Four-Day Old Brady's First Taxicab Ride & Questioning MV (First Transit) Dispatching & Labor Secretary Marty Walsh Says Gig Workers Are Misclassified

Back in the taxi stream, a cabbie fish I don't want to be.  The money is good but I am beginning not to care, it may not seem like it but I am pulling out my hair. 

Baby Brady's First Cab Ride

Dispatch lost track of the family waiting at Children's Hospital for a cab to the airport but no matter, luck had it that it was me answering the call, meaning they were going to make their flight despite damn heavy traffic and a quick stopover picking up packages at the Southcenter Target store. The wife had given birth to Brady four days pervious and they were now returning back home to Alaska. Brady was content, never a peep from the child.  That's what I like, a satisfied customer, along with $86.00!

MV or is it just Me?

MV is one of our (Yellow's) major accounts but I dread dealing with them when I have a no-show with one of their fares.  Why?  Because our normal process is short-circuited by us agreeing MV must confirm the no-show and not our ordinary dispatch call-takers.  I could detail blow-by-blow my interaction yesterday with a MV operator but I'd rather not, and I'd rather not be subjected to their mistakes because it was MV mis-scheduling the time-call, making me the one paying the cost for their error.   Better training would be helpful.  Or even better, more competent employees.  Wow, what a novel concept.

Another something that is happening is that MV/PSD have joined forces in a plan providing selected MV account qualified drivers with good MV fares during the night shift.  While understanding PSD is having problems covering the account fares at night, it still could be construed as good, old-fashioned "feeding," the term or lexicon we cabbie's use to describe preferential treatment.  That this isn't exactly that doesn't mean that this current practice shouldn't be examined because it should be, all our procedures hopefully following the "letter of taxi law."  At least I think they should as much as possible.  And yes, this wouldn't be happening if there were enough cabbies to cover the nighttime bells.  That I know is entirely true, not enough night-shift cabbies boo-hoo-hoo, what are we gonna do?  

The Feds are Eyeing Uber

The new Secretary of Labor, Marty Walsh, stated this week that gig workers have been misclassified, and instead of being called independent operators, they should be treated and known as company employees.  This bit of news sent Uber and Lyft stocks down, down, and down, providing notice that Biden and Company will not be patting Uber upon the head, instead warning that a knock is more likely. 

Where is the cheapest gasoline?

The least expensive unleaded regular in Seattle and area is at the Shell Gas Station located at 7801 1st Ave. South at $2.89.9 per gallon.  Don't know where that is?  Drive southbound on West Marginal Way South and it will merge into that fractured section of 1st Ave. S.  In other words, the eastern boundary of West Seattle.







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