A Quick and Easy Plan to End The Throwing Away of Grocery Runs
I've had enough, I truly have, tired of coming upon passengers who have been waiting two-three hours at local grocery stores. It's completely outrageous behavior, these cabbies "rolling their meters" and leaving the customer stranded in the cold and rain. It's immoral but I have a plan, and if the City of Seattle and King County agrees and takes action, all this bad behavior will very suddenly disappear.
First, the City and County begins requiring Puget Sound Dispatch (Seattle Yellow Cab) to report EVERY dumped fare to them, reporting the name of the driver, his/her for-hire license number and incident time and place. Within days, the offending driver would then be required to contact the City/ County and explain their actions to City/County regulators. The first meeting would serve as a severe warning. Any second offense and the driver would permanently lose their Seattle/KC for-hire license, thus preventing them from both driving a taxi and Uber/Lyft (TNC) services, this action essentially providing a death sentence to their driving career. Maybe a review could be implemented after one year but maybe not because there isn't, and never will be, any good excuse for this kind of hard-hearted behavior.
I know that this kind of response is the only way to stop these crazy drivers from engaging in such egregious and irresponsible behavior, to finally hold them accountable for their actions. To the shock of no one, many, and I mean TOO! many of my fellow cabbies are complete and utter ASSHOLES, not caring a damn about their passengers. They only have one interest and that's "money, money, money!" and unless there is an immediate intervention, this bullshit will continue unabated. That is the sorry truth and reality of what is happening. And if the City and County doesn't stop this crap from occurring, they too will be seen as culpable, bearing total responsibility for the actions of all these complete fools operating beneath the top-light. Call a cab and it never arrives? Totally unacceptable.
Can I make this any clearer? I don't think so.
Not the Healthiest of lifestyles, Driving a Truck or Cab
In last Thursday's New York Times February 10th, 2022 edition, in the Business Section, an American truck driver, Stephen Graves, was featured in an article written by Peter S. Goodman. It is a well reported story, as Goodman follows Graves on his trucking route across the American landscape. There is one quote about the trucking lifestyle that could have been spoken by me concerning taxi, which is why I am sharing it here, as driving too many stressful miles is something I don't recommend to anyone.
"The lifestyle probably is the first thing that smacks you in the face. You know what it does to you. You're thinking about it all the time. We're tired. Our bodies are starting to go. Our bladders have been put to the test. And no exercise. We end up with all types of heart and other ailments. You can't truly fathom what it's done to you."
The article is filled with great photographs illustrating Grave's spoken reality. Worth the time spent reading it. And salute the next crazed trucker roaring by you on the freeway.
Good News for Those Cabbies Driving Older Cars
The City/County has extended the time period for cars dating from 2011, allowing them to stay on the road until the 2023 medallion renewal period. That's good news for many of my cabbie friends driving vehicles manufactured in 2011. Hopefully by that time, used car prices will have come down. In the past year, used car prices have increased by 42%, which is kind of crazy, and here in Seattle, the prices are even higher than the national average. Not good if you car needs replacement.
A Doper Spells it Out
Taking a guy downtown from a north-end hotel, I overheard his very candid telephone conversation with another dealer, which prompted an honest exchange about his drug addiction. He said that six months ago he was shooting up heroin but now that he has switched to these pills he was selling, everything is better, needing only two a day to support his habit. I asked him, wasn't it like a kind of "Russian Roulette," using these fentanyl-based tablets, and yes, he agreed it was. But his feeling was, he didn't have any alternative, and he would keep using them. One positive in his life was now having an apartment to live in, as until recently, he was on the streets. The negative I suppose is that he keeps selling drugs despite now having a safe place to live. He tipped me three dollars.
Answering A Fellow Seattle Cab Driver's Question
In a comment, he questioned my "Business is great." remark in last week's blog, and yes, from my experience, it is. Now it might be because there are not enough drivers out there but whatever the reason, I am doing well. Last Friday I worked eight hours and averaged over $45.00 per hour. And this past Sunday and Monday I kept working to 1:15 AM each day because the business kept going and going until I was no longer interested in killing myself further into the night.
And it doesn't appear to matter what part of Seattle or King County I am in, getting a $70.00 airport run from the Northgate, a $90.00 Hopelink to Everett from the Medical, and Sunday, a $147.00 King County COVID-19 positive fare from the University District to the Kent quarantine center. Yes, good fares from Lake City too. Am I being fed? Perhaps by the taxi gods because our CEBU-based dispatch is at times barely functional---under-staffed and under-trained---meaning they have enough problems on their hands to bother themselves with this disagreeable cabbie. I am surprised they even take my calls.
Badger Shampoo Bar
W. S Badger is an organic-based company selling all kinds of skin and hair products, and on my last trip I took along their "concentrated conditioning shampoo" bar, which is exactly as it sounds, shampoo looking like a bar of soap. It is long lasting and great for trips requiring air travel, not having to worry about liquid shampoo. And it is biodegradable.
Where to Get your Cab Painted
My next cab, a 2014 KIA Optima, was painted in Kent at Bratch Autobody and Repair. They did a great job. I certainly recommend them. Their address is 22617 85th Place South, Kent, Washington. Telephone number is 206-405-4095. Email is info@bratchautobody.com. They were cheaper and quicker than Maaco.
Yes, they are feeding you. Because other than 1 special account of theirs, everything else has been atrocious for the longest time. And 9/10 drivers will agree from experience.
ReplyDeleteBut of course maybe you are 1 of the lucky 1/10 who makes the extra "effort" to be blessed by the "taxi gods" as you call them. Or maybe they're just the brains in Burien. We all know the game, it never changed. Stop insulting other drivers intelligence.
How about dispatch not sending out calls that were made 2-3 hours earlier where the rider is long gone?? When the majority of drivers are purely fed garbage pocket change calls like grocery runs, while your type feasts and feeds on their special recipes, who can blame them for rolling their meters in disgust at yet another time wasting unprofitable assignment from "the taxi gods".
Yellow will suffer the same fate as Orange, Eastside, & even Farwest if they continue in this shamelessly corrupt, careless, & disgustingly arrogant way as always. Who cares though, because those paying to play are just out to dance & pocket every last penny they can before the song is over. And then they can move onto ruining another lucrative industry from their selfish destructive ways, like trucking.
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