INDUSTRY IN REVIEW

By Don McCurdy

It’s a simple question of priorities.

The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade of New York City, a group reported to be representing taxicab drivers and companies, is suing the Taxicab and Limousine Commission. Claiming violation of federal law regarding crash tests the MTBOT has gained a delay in implementing Mayor Bloomberg’s hybrid rule. It seems nobody has crash tested the hybrids with shields in them. Damn the bad luck. Couple that with the car manufacturers distancing themselves from the idea of using hybrids as taxicabs and you have another politics meets reality dilemma. It sure seemed like a good idea at the time. Really though, I think, the drivers need to just buy the hybrids and forget about the passenger’s safety. I mean, hey, the mayor did. Besides, New York is a liberal sort of town. I know that passengers will feel good about what they’re doing for the planet as they’re smashing their faces into the shield. What’s a little plastic surgery when you’re a foot soldier in the war on global warming?

The more things change….

It looks like déjà vu all over again. The Augusta, Maine is talking about scrapping the zone system and installing taxicab meters. Gasp! Being such a small burg it wouldn’t really be of much interest, except that the arguments the company owners and drivers are using sounds exactly like the DC discussion. They even had their own little old lady on a fixed income analogy. If it happens as fast as it did in DC I won’t have to concern myself about it again, I’ll be twenty years dead before it happens.

Overtime?

Reports out of Phoenix, Arizona are that the city council is looking at background checks and drug tests for taxicab drivers. Gasp! The part of the story I thought amusing was that they were going to pay Phoenix police officers overtime to enforce the new laws. Overtime? You have to wonder why exactly that’s necessary. Aren’t they already out there enforcing the law? The city’s Vice Mayor is reported to have said that they are looking for “other suggestions for low cost but effective enforcement of the industry.” Gee, how about giving the police a copy of the new laws and just tossing that in with hunting for bad guys?

I can tell you from my own experience that if enforcement is only a temporary, part time operation it won’t be effective. You have to look and keep looking in order for regulations to be effective. Jurisdictions that have airport police will find in considerably easier to enforce their regulations if they keep the airport police up to speed on what the current guidelines are for taxicabs. While it is important to enforce the city’s taxicab guidelines it would be counter productive to pit the police against them in any consistent manner. Taxicab drivers in many jurisdictions already report crimes via Taxis on Patrol, Cabs on Patrol and other programs geared to having taxicab drivers report suspicious behavior. It would be hard to have any sort of meaningful cooperation when the police are perceived as “them”. Perhaps the city would be wiser to hire a taxicab inspector.

You mean you have to buy a loaf?

I have long argued that the minimum fare for taxicabs should be higher and include a greater distance for that initial charge. You know, kind of like buying a loaf of bread. If you just want to make a sandwich they still make you buy the entire loaf. Well, apparently the city of Charleston, South Carolina is considering just such a scenario. Non meter taxicabs already charge a $5 minimum and it is reported that metered taxicabs will now start charging $5 for the first two miles and 35 cents per fifth of a mile after that. Currently, the same two mile trip is $5.15 so you certainly couldn’t call it a fare increase. The low drop/mileage has lone been the financial bane to the industry with drivers being accused of “cherry picking” if they didn’t want to chase these financial losers. The city is being practical, which is odd for politicians, but refreshing. Watching blowhard demagogues style and profile with taxicab driver’s incomes for as many years as I have makes a story like this very refreshing. Perhaps, Mayor Daley could take a hint. Nah.

Is it ever?

University of Southern California students are reported to be dissatisfied with the school allowing them to pay for taxicabs service with their student ID. It seems the free shuttle around campus, and up to a mile off campus, isn’t enough. Which begs the question, what would be enough? Aren’t these people supposed to be grown? Don’t they get to vote? It’s flat amazing to me that alleged “cream” of our society can’t manage to find their own way home without the school sending a mommy around to pick them up. While these cry babies whine about not getting free rides home after partying soldiers the same age as they are off in various foreign countries safeguarding their right to whine. If I were an alumnus of USC I’d just be plain embarrassed. I’m surprised they’re not wanting free nipples for their beer to help them over the heartache of missing mom and dad. Perhaps a prerequisite four year stint in the Marines would help them be self sufficient enough to get home on their own. Please tell me these are not the “leaders” of tomorrow.

Strike, strike, strike!

No monthly article would be complete without a threatened strike. Members of the United Taxi Drivers Community Council presented petitions with their fare increase to representatives from Mayor Daley’s office. In what can only be described as eye catching the group’s petition was on red paper which they “rolled out” in front of the mayor’s office. Pretty catchy. Surely the mayor understands the concept of not taking in quite enough to pay the bills since the city is reported to be a few hundred million from paying their own bills. Gee Dick, you’d think you’d have more empathy.

While the mayor and the City Hall gang try to figure out what taxes to raise to scratch up the cash, taxicab drivers are left to just suck it up and deal with it. While Dick Daley and the gang can raise whatever taxes they want taxicab drivers can’t, the city has to do that. Norma Reyes, commissioner of the Department of Consumer Services, is reported to have said “the city is committed to looking into a fare increase for 2009”. Oooooh, committed, I like the way that sounds. I’m sure the city was “committed” to an increase in 2008, but it was just way too busy to get it done. One has to wonder why a city the size and alleged sophistication of Chicago didn’t figure out long ago how to delegate taxicab fare increases to some lesser department with a reasonable formula? I mean hey, they managed it in Austin, Texas, the redneck capital of the known universe. But that would take some of the power out of the mayor’s hands, right Dick? Seattle managed to get it done, along with King county. Are they that far ahead of Chicago and Cook county? Tsk, tsk, tsk.

GPS scores again!

What is it about musicians and expensive instruments? I mean hey, if I paid 40k for anything I sure wouldn’t be leaving it lay around. When I first saw that epic drama “DC Cab” I thought the story line of a musician losing his bazillion dollar instrument was a bit far fetched. Obviously, I was wrong. Let’s see, that and two ex wives leaves three documented cases of me being wrong, but I digress. The TLC was able to find the errant instrument using the ever popular, boo hiss, GPS. It was reported that TLC Commissioner Matthew Daus himself returned the viola to the distracted musician. Yo, Matt, that wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that she looks hot would it? Ok, ok, just kidding. The TLC needs a little good press for their GPS project. To date it’s been instrumental in finding instruments at least.

—dmc

© 2015 TLC Magazine Online, Inc.