INDUSTRY IN REVIEW

By Don McCurdy

Problem solved!

Well, Cleveland finally figured out the solution to their airport taxicab issues. They turned it over to the company that handles the airport parking. The service will be provided by three of the local parking companies.

The city had the usual complaints about drivers:

• they don't know their way around,
  
  
• they're rude,
  
  
• their cabs are dirty,
  
  
• they refuse short trips, etcetera.

The proposed city solution for the drivers who can't find their way around is "better navigation technology". In an earlier article I stated that the drivers were the root cause of the situation and that the complaints received by the city needed to be tracked and the problem drivers banned from airport service.

Hopefully, Standard Parking has more spine than the local politicians and can get the job done.

It's all about timing.

Two new purpose built taxicabs have been introduced to the world of late, but bad luck. Neither is a hybrid.

Both the Standard Taxi and the Peugeot E7 were designed to be wheelchair accessible and durable. The Peugeot sports an efficient diesel engine and easy wheelchair loading while the Standard Taxi was designed to be frugal, durable and solve the wheelchair service issue.

Chicago Yellow Cab is said to be ordering some Standard Taxis and others in the Chicago area are interested in utilizing the Standard Taxi in Para-transit service. While the Peugeot E7 got rave reviews in Europe, there are no plans I am aware of to import them to the US.

Unfortunately, the Standard Taxi will not be eligible for the largest US market since it offers no hybrid model. You have to wonder, though, if it was as easy as mandating a standard type of vehicle why isn't every New York City taxicab wheelchair accessible? So why is that Mr. Mayor? My guess is that you can't score as many political points solving a real issue in the transportation industry as you can pretending you saved the world as you pursue your "green" initiatives. It's important to have priorities.

What? They cost money?

San Francisco is trying to figure out how to pay for health insurance for their taxicab drivers. Currently, the companies, the drivers and the city are on the list to pay for a share of the cost. The article doesn't mention the permit holder which I found interesting since it is my understanding that the proposed ordinance does mention the permit holder.

The city has strict controls on how much the companies charge the drivers for a daily lease so the companies are planning a switch to "monthly" leases.

It's pretty plain to me that the city of San Francisco has the taxi industry regulated to the brink of collapse. Jim Gillespie, of Yellow Cab, said,

"We're being potentially asked to contribute to health care, alternative fuel vehicles - all good things, but they all cost money."
It is possible that the city leaders may well regulate the industry out of existence.

But wait, there's more!

This also in from San Francisco. Union activist Mark Gruberg and a group of drivers have formed Green Cab. The shtick being that all of the cabs are hybrids. They've already got 3 cabs on the street! Let's see, union activist, hybrid cars, cooperative taxi company. I can't hardly wait to see how this turns out.

The mayor is reported to want central dispatch and "environmentally friendly" vehicles by 2011. I wonder why they just don't declare the drivers city employees, install central dispatch and buy a thousand hybrids to put on the street. That sounds a lot more intellectually honest to me.

Check the Parking Authority

Recently, there was a story chronicling a Philadelphia robber that used a Capital Cab as a getaway vehicle. The company pointed out that they were aware of only the trips that they dispatched and not flag trips drivers may have picked up on their own.

I'm not sure what that has to do with it since the cab was waiting for the passenger at the robbery sites which would indicate the cab loaded elsewhere. What's interesting about this situation is that the GPS program that the Parking Authority has mandated would identify the cab involved and probably the pickup location of the robber.

If the driver is involved, and there is no current evidence that he is, he has sealed the fate of the debate on the need to have GPS installed in all of the city's taxicabs. With or without driver involvement there is no doubt that any decent system manager could tell you what cab waited at each location. This makes me wonder if the Philadelphia police are getting mug shots of the Philadelphia Parking Authority to show to witnesses. Well, it was just a thought.

Taxi Gestapo pouting about new boss.

The Nevada Taxicab Authority investigators, rumored to be the most ruthless "regulators" in the country, are miffed. A recent article in the Las Vegas Sun claims that morale is low at the agency and the SWAT team wannabes say their new boss is questioning their "police" powers.

It seems that last month the "popular" administrator was fired and the new guy wants to make some changes. Gasp! What the article fails to mention is if whether there is a lawsuit over wrongful termination of the "popular" administratoror or if the guy was having too much fun with his secretary or what. What the article did say to me was that the staff is unhappy with the new boss and they're whining to their union rep and the press.

The charges made by the Nevada investigators as reported in the article were, "people are being pitted against each other, our police powers are being curtailed and (most importantly) we're not being told the new direction of the agency"!

Why those are serious allegations, any one of which could get you a spanking in the third grade, well, if they still do that, is something I don't understand.. Butch up boys. You've got a new boss. Stop whining and start sucking up. It'll be as good as it ever was.

Where do they find these people?

Avis, trying harder, has introduced a chauffer program with their rentals. For an additional $30 and hour, with a three hour minimum you can hire a driver for your rental. You can dismiss the driver anytime you please and drive the car yourself. I just have a few questions:

• First, where do you find a driver that would be willing to stand around waiting for a rental that might happen or is this
  something that I couldn't arrange from the plane?
  
  
• Second, if I rented a car in Los Angeles and wanted the driver to drive me to Las Vegas who pays his fare back to LA?
  
  
• Third, and, perhaps, most importantly, how do we convince Hooters that they need to be in this business? What does that mean?

Well, the Nashville City Council has rescinded their earlier votes to require cab drivers to take a CPR class. The idea is going to be "amended and reconsidered" which is political speak for it's toast.

I'm not sure who was more worried, the driver who might have to perform CPR on someone or the someone whom the driver might be performing CPR on.

So Long Jim!

Half a dozen years ago, as a big shot salesman, I traveled the country selling computerized dispatch equipment. I didn't get famous doing it, nor rich, but I did meet some interesting folks along the way. One of those folks was Jim Furniss who partnered with his son Steve at TranWare.

We met at the Southern Taxicab Convention in Myrtle Beach in the only place to sit, in the smoking area. I was a little standoffish being new to the trade and a competitor. But Jim would have none of that. He introduced himself in a deep baritone voice and made me feel instantly at ease.

It didn't take long to figure out that Jim wasn't a hotshot salesman selling ice to Eskimos, but a gentleman who happened to be in business. In a market full of big egos, vapor ware, and snake oil, Jim managed to be friendly and charming. Even after I was no longer in the "business" I still spoke with Jim every now and again. He always seemed to have time to chat.

Jim passed away in May and the world isn't better because of it. So long, Jim, I enjoyed knowing you.You can visit - bigjimfurniss.com - to learn more about Jim and see his art work.

—dmc

© 2015 TLC Magazine Online, Inc.