Vacant Cabs
During my first week in April visit to San Francisco, I saw many, too many vacant cabs plying downtown streets. With every passing cab I looked to see if it was occupied. It was distressing, maybe 5 % of the cabs carrying passengers. Not that I think it was the entire story, as one cabbie I talked to in the Deep Mission told me, in complaining fashion, that he only rolled $100.00 since noon and it was now almost 3:30 PM. I thought that was pretty good, concerning the circumstances but the disgruntled cabbie, clearly a veteran of many years, longed for the days of "taxi wine and roses" and all that easy money.
But from what I viewed, fleets of Waymo autonomous taxis were seemingly everywhere, along with the more or less 40 thousand Uber and Lyfts operating daily in San Francisco, one had to be either insane or a blind optimist to think your taxi day would be easy.
Having flown in and out of Phoenix, that city too dominated by Waymo, depressing to see them converging on the airport. Five years ago I remember arguing with fellow cabbies sitting at Amtrak/King Street station, saying "no way!" would these robot cabs make inroads into our business. It wasn't possible, I said. Boy was I dead wrong. No fun driving hour after hour with no customers. And you wonder why most urban cabbies are ill-tempered? That San Francisco cabbie's face was the epitome of disgust. It was almost funny. Almost.
US Army Private Jonathan Kang Lee Pleads Guilty to the Murder of Nicholas Hokema
Regular readers of this blog have been kept appraised of this case since it happened on January 15th, 2024, at 4:00 AM, when Redicab cabbie Nick Hokema's body was found dumped in a Southcenter shopping center, Tukwila parking lot, stabbed to death over a fare dispute. His murderer, as it had been known almost immediately, was Lee, who had fled Fort Lewis when facing trail for child sex crimes.
On April 23rd, 2025, over 15 months later, Lee pled guilty to the murder, saying he was sorry. During the court marital, he is quoted to have said, "There was a lot of blood. I didn't think he would live." Though he was sentenced to life in prison, that along with a 64-year-long sentence for the sex crimes previously given, reports say he is eligible for parole in 2045. A child rapist and murderer could somehow regain his freedom? That doesn't sound at all reasonable.
Now I hope comes the second phase, which is when the US Army is sued for their mishandling of a dangerous Lee, allowing him to escape Fort Lewis and murder Hokema. Lee had been allowed to live on base minus custody, though it was known he was facing what was essentially a life sentence for molesting his two step-children, ages 4 and 8. The US Army needs to pay Hokema's survivors. I can only hope the award is in the tens of millions of dollars. The US Army must experience some real accountability.
Despite this tragedy, there could be lessons here for all taxicab drivers, and since the service is essentially the same, for TNC (Uber/Lyft) operators too. In the "Stars and Stripes" article concerning Lee's sentencing, it describes a physical altercation between Lee and Hokema. From my experience in the cab, getting into a physical fight over a fare is something that should never happen. Fare run-outs and no-pays are part of what happens in the cab. If you have any strong concerns, ask for money upfront. Given that it was 4 in the morning, a better option than fighting would have been to let Lee out of the cab, then calling 911. While there is no guarantee that Tukwila Police would have responded quickly, if they had, they would have easily found Lee wandering the parking lot. There is also a good chance that a bulletin for his arrest had been issued by the US Army, thus ending this whole story before it began.
Though it has never been said exactly where Lee was picked up by Hokema, it was at least a half hour or more from Southcenter, more than enough time for Hokema to assess Lee as a passenger in the back seat. Hokema had been driving for a number of years, more than enough on the job training experience to be fully aware of who is there on you back seat. That is part of the mystery here. How did Hokema not realize he was in danger? It is imperative that you know when trouble enters your cab. Someone who is facing a potential life sentence for child rape qualifies as trouble. And given the early morning hour, you must be alert to every possibility. Too many people are simply nuts. To think otherwise is naive.
Every veteran cabbie knows you must instantly assess all who enter your cab. It is an essential survival skill. My response to trouble entering the cab was to directly inform trouble that I understood the potential, and any false move meant the ride was over, "get out and stay out !" There was no game playing. The ride was over.
When the passenger did refuse to leave, as has happened, I have pulled into the middle of an intersection, throwing open all the doors, and suddenly the person in question is gone, out the door. The taxi credo all should remember is that YOU are in control of your cab, NOT the passenger.
There was never any "hijacking" allowed in my cab. The passenger either followed my instructions or the ride was over. When they said "I am paying for the cab!" I either replied, Fine. The ride is over." or "I don't want your money. The ride is now free,"
In these cases, when the passenger insisted on paying, I threw the money out the window. That folks, is how you stay in control of your cab. No bullshit allowed, smiling as I watched the money blow down the street. "Screw your money, asshole!
Post Script: RIP Craig Sailor 1963-05/01/2025
Craig Sailor, a longtime reporter for the Tacoma News Tribune, died on Thursday, May 1st at age 61. I had a number of email exchanges with Craig concerning the Hokema murder case. He was very attentive and responsive. A great reporter and writer. Sad to know that his byline will no longer be part of my morning perusal of Northwest news.
Again, Waymos Everywhere
During my recent time in both Phoenix and San Francisco, Waymo Autonomous taxis were everywhere, especially in San Francisco. They are also in Austin, Texas, where a Waymo came to a complete stop on a freeway, trapping the passengers inside. Another incident had a Waymo driving in concentric circles, again with a trapped passenger. Someone is going to get killed. You can quote me.
I Just had a Long Telephone Conversation with Carl
It isn't that I miss driving a cab because I don't but it was fun talking taxi with a long time "beneath the toplight" colleague, Carl P., exchanging war stories like the veterans we are. Most everyone is truly clueless concerning the taxi experience, unlike any other occupation on this spinning planet. So it is always a pleasure talking to someone who knows it like I do. Thanks, Carl. I enjoyed sharing all those memories!
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Recent Taxi Poems: Ya Git the Idea!
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