INDUSTRY IN REVIEW

By Don McCurdy

This way and that.

While cities try to decide how to compel credit card transactions the real solution is being attacked in Australia. Decades ago, a company called Cabcharge started installing point of sale equipment in taxicabs throughout Australia paid for by a 10% fee added to each fare. While the practice never caught hold here in the US it is the standard throughout Australia. While riders in such cosmopolitan meccas as New York City were still fumbling for cash, riders throughout Australia were able to flash the plastic, thanks to Cabcharge.

The genius behind the idea, Reg Kermode, is now assumed to be in league with the devil. Reg is a bit of a ruthless bastard, not at all unlike myself, when it comes to business and he has managed to pick up an enemy or two over the years. Well, okay, maybe two hundred. The lefties and the non winners of two lifetimes are nipping at his heals and are wanting to cut off Reg’s 10%. Well, I say, not so fast boys. Who is putting up the cash to replace Reg’s machines in every cab in the country?

While drivers in the US complain endlessly about having to pay the 3-6% processing fee for credit cards drivers in Australia get to complain that they get full fare but no part of the 10%. Drivers do demand the right to complain mind you. Why is it that the driver has to pay in the US anyway?

I realize that the Federal Reserve is all about credit, but they haven’t made plastic legal tender have they? Why doesn’t the person wanting to pay with other than cash not have to cover the additional cost? Sure, I understand that Macy’s is a giant store and can add it into the price, but what does that have to do with taxicab drivers?

San Francisco has shelved a 75 cent surcharge on credit card rides as too controversial. I wonder if the drivers there would appreciate Reg? The question I have for the Australian drivers is who pays when they take away Reg’s 10%?

Speaking of San Francisco…

Well, the taxicab drivers in San Fran have pulled out all the stops and sued the city over Mayor Newsom’s medallion scam, er, scheme. What a bunch of whiners. Just because they’ve waited decades and played by the rules they want the city to play by the rules too. Haven’t they been paying attention? The rules are out the window. What’s important is that the government, whichever one wants it, gets all the money it can spend. Ask the GM bondholders, they’ll fill you in.

Seriously, the drivers have often waited decades there in San Francisco to get a medallion and now the city has decided to change the rules for a one time windfall that will be blown before it arrives, if it ever does. Why abuse drivers and riders for decades to come with a scheme that won’t even really balance the budget? Why, to further a politician’s career that’s why. Pretty transparent and pretty damned ugly.

So that’s it?

A Fairfax county Virginia jury is reported to have given Evan Gargiulo 12 years for shooting a taxicab driver in the back of the head and 3 years for using a gun. Apparently, the going rate for a taxicab driver’s life in Virginia is only 15 years of some murdering scumbag’s life. I guess the jury didn’t have a problem with a murderer being back on the street in 15 years. Makes you wonder how hard it would be for him to kill again after doing it once and learning all that 15 years of prison life has to offer.

Why that’s racist!

It is being reported that the city of Indianapolis in on the verge of testing taxicab driver’s English proficiency. While some are questioning the constitutionality of such a test others look to the details of the test, not currently available, as to whether or not it will be legal. See that, I didn’t even know taxicab driver testing was in the Constitution. How, exactly, is a driver supposed to communicate with the passengers if they can’t speak English? I think the city should chance it and boldly go where others have already gone.

PPA ICEs illegal drivers

Recent reports out of Philadelphia are that the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) used the ever popular “you’re owed credit card payments” scam to lure 26 drivers into the waiting arms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. Don’t these people keep books? I wouldn’t have fallen for that obvious con. The article focused mostly on the three drivers, who were actually legal citizens, and how traumatized they were. But what could you expect from the media?

It was reported that all but four of the drivers found to be here illegally were released but put on the “deportation list.” Deportation list? How about a putting them on a plane? I’m all for simple solutions to complex problems. Send them home with all of the proper forms they need to apply for a valid visa. Problem solved. They can get in line behind the millions already attempting to come here legally.

The obvious lie that illegal immigrants are only doing jobs that Americans won’t do just doesn’t hold up any more. There are an estimated 14.5 million Americans out of work and an estimated 18 million illegal immigrants. You do the math. The federal government is involved in so many aspects of our lives that they have no business involving themselves in newer issues for which they don’t have the time to resolve properly.

John Morton, who heads U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reportedly said his agency will not necessarily process illegal immigrants referred to them by Arizona officials. What? Didn’t this idiot take an oath to uphold the law of the land? Why wasn’t he fired immediately for refusing to do his job? Is this what we can expect from politicians, selective law enforcement based on the preference of whatever moron gets appointed to hold an office? There are prescribed ways to change the law here in the United States and it doesn’t
involve political appointees just ignoring laws they don’t like. We understand that he is probably being directed to ignore selective legal sanctions, however, he has a duty regardless. Do your job or get out of the way and let someone who will do it.

Say it ain’t so!

Speaking of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, that bastion of convicted felon employment opportunities, they have now lost six of their employees in a reported ticket fixing scandal. Nothing like the scandal that sent the last head of the PPA to the pokey. This one only involved fixing 1,000 tickets as opposed to 126,000 last time. See that, they’re improving every day. I’m sure the public takes comfort in the fact that the PPA has folks of such high moral fiber keeping those derelict taxicab drivers in line.

That’s some tip!

Reports are that the Atlanta city manager ordered 22 taxicab drivers arrested when they failed to pay their permit fees. The drivers association referred the drivers to an attorney and voila, the city is now settling a lawsuit with the drivers for 500k. Apparently, taxicab drivers have normal citizen’s rights in Atlanta. Who knew? This won’t adversely affect the city manager’s performance review will it? Who even knew that a city manager could order someone arrested? Well, maybe they can’t or, perhaps, maybe they should try to resolve minor issues without trying to stomp on the little guys too hard. Good thing he didn’t order them shot. Wrongful death suits would have cost the city even more.

Isn’t that touching.

Staples center is donating a $10,000 check to the taxicab driver whose cab was torched by “Lakers’ fans” after the Lakers beat the Boston Celtics to take the NBA title. Isn’t that touching? Who didn’t know that “Lakers’ fans” were going to riot and break stuff. Isn’t that what happens in cities that win basketball championships? Especially in low class dives like LA. Don’t dog me, I lived there. It is a cesspool, has been for 50 years.

I find it incredibly asinine when the LA cesspool council “boycotts” another state for trying to deal with that state’s issues. It couldn’t be more plain that the LA cesspool council can’t deal with their own problems but are arrogant enough to believe that they can positively impact how someone else deals with their own problems. Come to find out that they can’t boycott Arizona since they get too much electricity from them, not to mention the equipment the police need to keep the “Lakers’ fans” from burning up taxicabs. Sorry cesspool council, your state ran off all of the businesses that make things with your whack job environmentalists and punishing taxes. You have to get your stuff from other states because you’ve been in charge too long. Perhaps, if you minded your own business you’d have some business to mind and these “Lakers’ fans” would have jobs instead of roaming the streets burning up what businesses you do have left.

How many cooks was that?

Reports are that the Nevada Taxicab Authority is close to publishing the rules for credit card use in taxicabs. How about that! Makes you wonder if the drivers will riot in celebration. Okay, probably not. As stated in previous commentary I’m all for reasonable regulation. You know, the public safety part. Micro management on the other hand has never been one of my personal favorites. Taxicab companies across the country have been taking credit cards for years with little or no input from regulators, but that’s just not good enough. The card swipe can’t be on the dash, it has to be where the passenger can swipe it without the driver touching the card. Really? Merchants, myself included, touch peoples credit cards all the time. Is it that taxicab drivers are just such low life scumbags, at least in the eyes of the Nevada Taxicab Authority, that they can’t be trusted to swipe the card in full view of the passenger? I hate to bust your bubble boys, but you’re attempts at making yourselves relevant are really laughable. How long is it that you’ve been working on fixing that little strip club issue?

Um, I don’t think I’d have told him that.

Amazingly, a Queens woman is reported to have told her taxi driver that she was going to have her husband murdered by “someone from the Philippines” since they have economy pricing. The woman had the driver tail the bus her husband was in and staked out his new house. The driver went to police after dropping the woman off. What, exactly, do you think it is that makes passengers, especially women, want to tell their life stories to taxicab drivers? Do you suppose it’s because they listen? I mean yeah, they’re paying and all but the driver really listens. I was told some awfully personal things by passengers over the years but I believe this could be the most incredible taxicab confession I’ve ever heard of. Perhaps, she believed in that driver/passenger confidentiality thing, you know, like doctors. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

Come on, he didn’t actually shoot him.

Reports are the judge, in the Chicago case of the drunken police officer pointing his gun at a taxicab driver and not paying him, didn't feel it would serve society to incarcerate him. Nah, he’s not a bad guy, just a little misunderstood. With that kind of justice in Chicago no wonder they don’t want their law abiding citizens to have guns. It might increase the cost of training new cops. I disagree with the judge, I think it would do the Chicago police department a lot of good if one of their drunken bullies got sent to the can for 5 or so years. Perhaps, then they’d stop beating up bartenders and pointing guns at innocent, unarmed citizens. In their rush to do away with citizen’s second amendment rights, perhaps, the city council should consider taking the guns away from the real thugs, the Chicago police.

So let me see if I understand this…..

New York is reported to have passed a law making it a felony punishable by up to years in prison to assault a taxicab driver. Wow, you get less time now for killing them outright. While I applaud their motives I doubt the results. In some jurisdictions, under certain conditions, you can get the death penalty for murdering a taxicab driver and yet they still get murdered. The real deterrent will happen when the district attorney goes for the maximum in those cases instead of plea bargaining it down to abusing a corpse. Even if the DA goes for the gusto “up to” it still means the judge has some leeway which could easily mean that a “disadvantaged youth,” hey they’re from New York right, might easily get less. Keep a good thought though.

If you have any comments regarding this or any of my articles please feel free to contact me at dmc@cmcauto.net. —dmc