A Big, Pleasant Surprise from PSD
Yesterday I dropped by the Yellow Cab office to place a flyer and photograph advertising my GoFundMe campaign for Dennis Roberts' burial expenses. Lema (PSD's owner) asked me what I was doing, and finding out it was for Dennis, he had his daughter Marta write me a check for $600.00, the total amount I was seeking. That I was grateful goes without saying. Minette and Greg, longtime staffers I have known for at least 25 years, each contributed an Andrew Jackson. Everyone had kind words and fond memories concerning Dennis. He was unforgettable, and no one has forgotten him, emotions translating into a final positive goodbye.
I also had a good conversation with Marta, who is attempting to mold PSD and all those unruly drivers into a more functional unit. They are now holding drivers who dump bells (fares) accountable, suspending them for days at a time. We talked about training, and she was receptive to that possibility. She is also working on getting dispatch (based in the Philippines) back on a more efficient track, as concerns I have brought up many times years ago continue to plague the callcenter. Now that there is no longer a dysfunctional governing board screwing up the works, hope exists for a new and better Seattle Yellow Cab.
As I told her, in the past I have offered to create a comprehensive driver training curriculum that could, if followed, would greatly improve and enhance driver performance. And one reason these lunkheads would pay attention because it's me doing the teaching. Whether I have any credibility anywhere else is an open question, but in Seattle Taxi-land, I have status, something everyone's knows I've earned, attempting at times to do the nearly impossible: creating sanity out of complete bedlam.
I would enjoy contributing to the greater taxi knowledge. Drivers would make more money. Passenger service and pickups would improve by 25-50 %. I know the tricks. All they would have to do is pay attention and remember at least half of what I am saying. Study materials would be there for them to take home.
My courses would be what the City/County classes should have been, created and taught by someone who has driven and knows the business inside and out. I am interested in transforming the guys into REAL cabbies, something not achieved by that once City/County mandatory training. Success in the Taxi World is all fueled by the making of money. If listened to me, these recalcitrant cabbies will be making a lot of money for themselves. I guarantee it. Taxi driving overall is a simple business but you can't be a simpleton when operating beneath the toplight, dumb becomes ignorance becoming drivers surly and uncooperative. That can all change.
Again, PSD, thanks much for the monetary support. The taxi angels sing! Believe it!
On May 1st, WA St Summer Ferry rates kicked in
All you cabbies having to take a passenger across the Sound will not be thrilled to know you will be paying more for the privilege. The rates on local runs are now 25 % more, with San Juan Island runs up 35 %. Enjoy the voyage and don't feed your passengers to the sharks. No way to get a tip.
Manhattan Congestion Pricing starts June 30th, 2024
Beginning June 30th, New York City begins their much debated congestion toll in an attempt to reduce the insane nightmarish congestion that is Manhattan traffic. The average vehicular speed in that clogged environment is 4.3 mph. Pedestrians walking down the sidewalks average 3 mph. The goal is to remove 100,000 vehicles per day. Cars will pay $15.00. Trucks and tour buses will pay between $24-36.00. Motorcycles pay $7.50. Taxis add $1.25 to the fare. TNCs add $2.50. Tolls either end or are reduced between the hours of 9:00 PM-5:00 AM. Low income and disabled drivers can apply for discounted rates and exemptions.
When I was in Manhattan in 2010, attending that year's book fair, I vividly remember walking out of the building to a sea of stopped cars, all interlocked in a nearly unmoving grid. More than one cabbie was marooned in that idling ocean. It was awful to witness. Sure, there is wait time but the cabbie only really makes money when the taxi is moving. I read of one veteran cabbie complaining about the fare increase but it makes sense that he will be making more, not less money because he will be freer to move over the streets.
Seattle's Traffic is little better
Thursday I took my once regular passenger, Pat, around the North-end, allowing her to visit various banks and stores. In my 3 1/2 hours of negotiating the roadways, it struck me just how horrible of a work environment the average Seattle cabbie has to deal with on a daily basis. The traffic that afternoon was stupid, cars everywhere and the drivers in those cars underserving of their licenses. Seattle drivers are fools and idiots. Sorry for the generalization but its damn true. These people are dangerous. Glad, more than happy not to be working out there. It is nuts.
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