He Doesn't Have to Worry About that Now
Doug was a Tacoma/Pierce County Yellow cabbie who, like all cabbies, was a natural iconoclast, resenting being told he needed to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Not him, Doug said, I'm not going to do it. Well, about three weeks ago, Doug told a regular customer he wasn't feeling well, "just coming down with a cold," he said. Two weeks later Doug was dead, having succumbed to COVID-19. Where ever Doug is now or not, I can only hope there is no one up above or down below ordering him around because he won't like it, instead preferring to rest in peace, which I hope is Doug's fate---Taxi-Heaven minus any and all pushy customers and bossy people in general.
No Hopelink Service for their Passengers late Night, early Morning
Late Sunday night, early Monday morning, I was in and out of the Northwest Hospital Emergency Room, trying to to serve passengers who were there or not, some disappearing into the night. With each arrival, I noticed a young guy sitting next to the window, clearing waiting for a ride. After being belled in for Bill, and no Bill to be found, the guy asked if I was "Hopelink." No, I said, but since I was essentially done for the night, I said, "Com' on, I'll take you home for free," understanding there was no one coming for him. How did I know that?
The simple answer is that, late night, early morning, there are no cabs whatsoever serving the Hopelink account. Farwest, the only remaining somewhat functional cab association, shuts off its dispatch and goes to sleep, while Yellow isn't serving Hopelink rides between 6:00 PM and 6:00 AM, and all day Sunday due to Hopelink's refusal to work with Yellow/PSD's Philippine-based callcenter. The result is no service for perhaps hundreds of passengers during the late hours. The passenger I rescued said he had perviously waited up to five hours for a Hopelink ride home.
I have more than once alerted all those folks at Seattle and King County For-hire and Taxi licensing about this, and so far, nothing has changed, passengers like this young gentleman waiting, waiting into the long night. And then, with the morning light, still no taxi in sight.
No taxi, no taxi, no taxi anywhere!
I am so angry I could pull out my hair!
Because no taxis here, no taxis there,
what is the problem, does anybody care?
Where is that taxi I am waiting for, the one
taking me home?
like antelopes and deer and bison upon the
urban prairie,
Where do they roam?
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