Hurrah for Germany's Cabbies: July 2nd Protests
I suggest you go online to watch two video news reports concerning the taxicab protest that occurred in a number of German cities, including Cologne (Koln) and Berlin. Watch 500 Cologne cabs protest Uber and Bolt rates that are undercutting taxicabs. As one Union leader stated, all they want is an equal footing with the app-based ride-share companies. Cologne's magnificent cathedral holds a special place in my memory, and in the longer video, you cannot escape seeing its wonderful Gothic (begun in 1248) splendor towering in the distance behind the parked taxicabs.
It was early April 1982, during my very first trip to Europe on my honeymoon, and on our way to Brussels from Dusseldorf, that our train passed through Cologne, providing us a quick glance of the cathedral, a "mind photograph" forever imprinted on my brain. I had never seen anything like it before. It was and is so incredibly beautiful. Since then I have visited many of the world's great cathedrals. Chartres, outside of Paris, might be my favorite. I've been there four times.
Though I was in Germany in October 2023, Cologne was not on my agenda, concentrating instead on Berlin. Next time I am in Germany I will make a point to visit Cologne and yes, take a cab to that special church. It was in Dusseldorf that I rode in my first European cab. It was a Mercedes.
We Always Hate to See Our "Bread & Butter" Casinos Close
Three local casinos are no more. The Dragon Tiger in Montlake Terrace, the Silver Dollar in Renton, and the Roman Casino in Skyway have all been shuttered by their parent company due to bankruptcy. Any Seattle cabbie knows that gamblers love to gamble, and over the years I have had countless runs to casinos over the greater Puget Sound area, an one-hundred dollar fare not unusual. The three mentioned as closures were always minor not major destinations for the addicted gambler, so maybe business to casinos will remain about the same but as many of these fares came out late, it was always wonderful to get a fat-ass fare at 2 in the morning. Something to stay awake for.
Sketchbook of NYC Scenes by Christoph Neimann---New Yorker 07/07-14/25 Edition Page 59
What you will see by opening that particular issue is an aerial view of two NYC Yellow Cabs. Also other NYC watercolors.
What the New York Post Didn't Say
The New York Post Murdoch newspaper, always looking for sensationalist headlines, screamed that a black NYC Yellow Cab driver verbally blew up at a passenger, spouting an anti-semitic "you f _ _king Jew!" The newspaper quotes the passenger as saying "you know you will be losing your license." What the article doesn't say is what the passenger did or say to cause the driver's outburst.
But from my long experience, this is typical, placing the entire blame upon the cabbie, someone of course unworthy of commonplace deference. Of course it has to be all his fault. What other explanation could there be? While not shouting any slurs, I know this kind of episode, with the passenger saying "he/she was going to get me."
Does anyone think that the driver might have been insulted in some way? Or that having driven 12 hours straight in heavy Manhattan traffic, he was exhausted, sleep-deprived and in general, was mildly out-of-his-mind? And when a difficult situation arises, he goes "off-his-head." Welcome to real taxi as I know it. No excuses. Merely reality as it is for the everyday cabbie battling the streets.
The Death of Bartell Drugstores
It is in sorrow to tell everyone that all those wonderful Seattle homegrown Bartell Drugstores are now history. I knew the end was near when the 24-hour Bartells in lower Queen Anne was shuttered. It was one of the few pharmacies in the entire Puget Sound area where you could get a prescription filled at four in the morning. Driving cab late, I often dropped by that Bartells to get a "candy fix" to keep me going. They had a big selection, including lots of organic chocolate. But alas, no more, Bartells disappearing into the mist of time.
All Cabbies, Beware of Young (or Old) "Love-lys" Inviting You Inside
On a British Empire Victorian day in 1864, London Cab (horse-drawn) driver James Rintoul was invited upstairs for a sip of gin by Elizabeth Bagwell (posing as Elizabeth Manning). After saluting the fair damsel, and downing the gin, Mr. Rintoul fell unconscious, only awakening later to find himself alone in a darkened room minus his gold watch and chain, ring and 25 shillings. What happened to him was then commonplace, accepting a spiked beverage from a woman with evil intent. You might be happy to know that the bad Ms. Bagwell, on 01/02/1865, was sentenced to seven years of penal servitude.
Especially in my younger taxi years, invitations to "come inside" were commonplace. I remember one early morning in particular, when they were now officially "off-duty," two young, very attractive hookers wanted to know if I would join them in their residence, no charge of course. I declined their kind offer, along with others like it. Men too also made similar suggestions. As Mr. Rintoul found out, mixing business with questionable pleasure can be a very poor idea. So beware of the beguiling smile and forked tongue. If you must go upstairs, supply your own booze. And don't forget a condom. A STD is the wrong kind of tip.
This story was taken from the June 2025 issue of BBC History Magazine, from an article written by Rosalind Crone, "Spiked Drinks, Counterfeit Coins and The Lodgers From Hell," You'll find it on page 41. BBC History Magazine is my favorite magazine, filled with the greatest stories. I depend on it to expand my forever shrinking brain.
Operation Bright Eyes: New York City Cabbies taking on Scam Accidents
The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers have announced an initiative to install dash-cam cameras in the over 10,000 cabs plying New York City streets, beginning with an initial 500 taxicabs. The cameras, filming customers and the front and rear sides of the cab, are relatively cheap at $250.00 each per installation. These first cabs are backed and sponsored by the dash-cam company, Displayride, American Transit Insurance, and the Queens (NYC) based NYAB Brokerage.
What this is all about is an effort to halt what is called an over 1 billion dollar business based on fraudulent accident claims. One cabbie spokesman I listened to called it an organized cartel made up of lawyers, doctors, physical therapists and civilian drivers initiating the bogus accidents.
Why this is so serious is directly connected to cabbie insurance rates, high to begin with, even with a clean 5-year MVR. Have an accident or moving violation and boom! your insurance rates explode upward. At one point, due to Seattle Yellow Cab's (BYG) leniency, keeping on drivers after at-fault accidents, they were paying $11,000 annually per cab. Those kinds of costs are simply unsustainable.
A few years ago, I wrote in these pages how a woman driving down the wrong side of the street struck my cab while stopped at a red light. Unbelievably, the Progressive Insurance agent took the side of the other driver, even though she had yelled at me, "I hope you are T-boned and die! die!" I took the time to make it clear that it wasn't possible that the accident could be my fault. My car was legally at a standstill, waiting for the signal to change. That is why having cameras in your cab is so important. As I have written before, I have been accused of every possible crime beneath the toplight sun. Having a camera ends that kind of nonsense. As I jokingly say, the only reason I wasn't accused of murder was the messy necessity of producing a corpse.
It is great that the New York cabbies are getting themselves organized and protected. No one else is going to do it for you, unless, like in this case, it was taking money out of insurance companies' pockets.
Troublesome Bike Lanes in Toronto, Ontario Canada
I decided to mention this problem plaguing Toronto streets because the NY Times article quotes a veteran cabbie. The article, reported by Vjosa Isai, July 26th, 2025, is entitled "Drivers vs Cyclists: Battle for the Streets in Canada's Largest City."
The reason I find the situation in Toronto so personally interesting is due to watching Seattle's efforts over the past five years to accommodate bicyclists in downtown Seattle, taking out lanes and parking to create bike lanes that are only very infrequency used.
For those unfamiliar, Seattle might be, or is, the hilliest city in the country, making it very difficult to get from point A to B on a bike. I find what Seattle has done to be nonsensical. Here is the quote. I hope the powers in Toronto listen to this cabbie, heeding his words. He knows all about it. Given his comments on the long winters, this past Feb the temperatures dropped down to minus 22 degrees F. Who wants to ride a bike in that kind of weather? And Toronto averages 42 inches of snow during the winter. You don't need a bike, you require a snowplow! But I have a suggestion. During the winter months, convert the bike lanes to dog sled lanes. Having driven dog teams up in far northern Alberta in 1964-66, I know it is a good way to get around. Woof! Woof!
"There so much traffic because of bike lanes," said Nasser Moradman, who has driven a taxi in Toronto for 30 years. The lanes aren't even used much during the long winter, he complained, adding "It's miserable. It's very tough to drive in the city."
His comments says it all. I support bike riding but commonsense should be applied, something often lacking in Seattle. Seattle's bike lanes have destroyed south-bound 2nd Avenue and north-bound 4th Avenue. Seattle loves theory over practice. And you can quote me.
"Manifest" Destiny at Seattle Yellow Cab?
Manifest Destiny of course was a US Government policy in the early 19th C (think President James Monroe) concerning westward expansion across North America. It reflected a kind of cultural superiority superseding everything, including Indian tribes or anyone or anything else blocking its moral imperative. But what is occurring at Yellow Cab Monday-Friday is far different, as each weekday approximately 15 selected Yellow cabbies are provided a manifest list of account fares to service throughout the day.
Why is this happening? Is it a kind of company "feeding" to favored drivers? No, the situation is more basic. Given that the majority of drivers do not want to deal with account fares, Yellow Cab has decided to preassign drivers to make sure the bells are covered. It isn't unlike the days when school runs were preassigned. It seems to be worthwhile as the drivers are making $200. plus each day. It also relieves the stress of having to search out fares.
Toward the end of my days at Yellow, I stopped serving most accounts, especially Hopelink and MV because they were too much trouble to deal with, along with declining rates. Before that, I was eager to work the accounts, my biggest fares ever being Hopelink-based, usually taking me across the Cascade Mountains to Eastern Washington. I loved those $500.00 plus runs.
I was also told, and and have read about, that traffic in Seattle, due to I-5 construction, is horrible. So for the interim, having guaranteed money and known routes can make the life of a cabbie easier. But it does show that driving cab ultimately isn't fun. If it wasn't for the money, why do it?
Chicago Tribune 07/28/ 2025 Editorial Concerning Bad Cabbies
It appears to be true that too many Chicago taxi drivers are charging customers "off the meter," asking far more than meter rates. One thought is that they are doing this in response to high Uber and Lyft rates which could be true but there is no justification for stealing from your passengers. In my 35 plus years I never once overcharged. In my irritation I sometimes gave free rides, even to the point to tossing money out onto the street, refusing payment. But asking for more than the metered fare, never.
Something to Think About When Driving for Uber and Lyft: Could Uber be held liable for not warning Lyft?
There were two State of Missouri court cases involving drivers killed while operating under Uber and Lyft apps, Newman vs Uber and Ameer vs Lyft. It is about communication between the two companies, whether one platform should tell the other about passengers who have committed car hijacking and other forms of serious violence and criminal behavior. If you not a lawyer, and I am not, the legal points might seem very esoteric and arcane, which is why I suggest, if interested in knowing more, to visit the Reason Website and read the opinion piece and column, The Volokh Conspiracy, dated July 15th, 2025, authored by Eugene Volokh. There are probably other sources related to these court cases. Search and ye shall find.
No More Cheap Motels Left in Seattle?
KOMO News has reported that the Oaktree Motel on Aurora Avenue North has been issued a chronic nuisance order from the City of Seattle, citing over 43 SPD calls in 2025. From dead bodies found in rooms to various assaults, the Oaktree appears to have become a kind of "house of horrors." When I was driving, it was one of the few holdovers where someone could rent a room for under $75.00 per night in Seattle's north-end. It was funky but safe. Clearly that is no longer the case. You can still find some cheaper motels on East Marginal Way South near the First South Bridge but after that you have to either go way down to near Sea-Tac or way up north past the Aurora Village into Edmonds.
A standard taxi run was trying to find someone a cheap motel room late at night. Making it harder was someone with no credit card or ID. The Jet Inn, located in Tukwila behind a 7-11 store, was one of the few. If the passenger had cash, they were in. The managers were always nice, easy to work with. Only issue with the Jet Inn is that they were too popular, often having no vacancies. If they had no room, off we went even further south on Pacific Highway South, into Des Moines or even Fife or Milton. Driving cabs, you become an explorer, discovering new worlds known only to a select few.
Greek Thessaloniki Taxi Driver Gregorios Sachinidis and his mighty 1976 Mercedes-Benz 240D
And I thought the Ford Crown Victoria was a high milage car! In a conversation with an old taxi comrade yesterday, Micheal H., he told me about the greatest car ever used as a cab, and this car can now be found sitting in the Daimler-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. The total miles (and remember, these are taxicab miles!) were 2,850,000 or metric, 4,586,630 kilometers. That is of course truly amazing! In 2004, Mercedes traded the driver, taking his loyal cab, and in return providing him a new C-Class Mercedes.
There is also something very remarkable about this, and that's the miles the cabbie put on his body. In 28years, the cabbie averaged almost 102,000 miles a year. I averaged in my cab around 60,000 miles per year. Talk about a busy cabbie. How did his body hold up to all those miles? A mystery.
Micheal also reminded about how his cab driving days ended, something I had forgotten. He had a stroke in the cab while on 1-5. Unreal. He called 911 and was taken to the hospital. He quit driving and now he and wife run a business in Tucson, Arizona. He is completely healthy.
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