And So It Ends...

Would you go up to any random stranger on the street and give them your social security number for no good reason? How about your address? Your phone number? Or your name? Me either. Yet that is what Google is insisting that you and I and every other user do... By forcing you to make your name and general area of location known to the public in order to keep a public profile... See for yourself....

Some might say, "But you have your picture uploaded to your profile, what's the big deal?" First, that's an old picture. Secondly, only a local would recognize me anyway, and then only through my profession, which would mean they knew me in the first place. No one should be forced to give their name to a complete stranger over the Internet as a matter of policy. In this age of having your life uploaded to computers, it only takes one crucial bit of info to put you at risk, either by identity theft, or by stalkers (Does anyone remember watching "The Net"? If you haven't, you should.
 
Therefore, due to Google's persistent stupidity and insisting that people provide information publicly that the public doesn't need to know... If they do, indeed, delete this profile citing this asinine policy, this blog will be leaving very soon... Perhaps either by deletion or by voluntary removal. Let this be a warning to all that Google wants to open you up to all manner of crazies by making you make your name and other information public. Piss off, Google. I am saving my blog to hard drive and moving my email and blog account elsewhere. You have no right to force me to tell the world who I am and where to find me. YOU know who I am, and that is enough.

The Santa Fe Ring Comes To My City...

About a year ago, a local aspiring mini-tycoon, with no knowledge of the industry, bought out one of my largest competitors. About six months ago, they bought out another. And it seems that monopoly is alive and well. At least it is around here... That's right, the new kid on the block is proving to be a bully.

In May, dirty backdoor deals were cut to block smaller independent owner-operators from picking up customers at the local Amtrak station. Even the parking lot manager was in on it (Amtrak does not own its rails, and in most cases, does not own the buildings from which they operate), and proceeded to tell me that if I did not leave, I would be barred from the property.

I casually replied that as long as I had the same type of insurance, the same type of state permit, and the same city business license, I wasn't going anywhere, because he had no business telling me I could not do business in the same place a conglomerate could. I'd like to note that I worked for both of these companies and left because of unfair policies and poor service, which the drivers took the heat for.

Seeing as company owners' shortsightedness was forcing us to work for the same money I would have made 18 years ago, I got tired of getting yelled at by people who waited 45 minutes for a taxi, when it took dispatch 40 minutes to dispatch that customer's address to me. As an independent, I have also heard recent complaints from passengers that they waited anywhere from 45-90 minutes for service from these companies.


The next day, a tow truck backed up to my van and raised it for towing, while I was still at the wheel, without even verifying occupancy. This is COMPLETELY illegal. The city police officer in charge of taxicabs forced me to pay the idiot driving the tow truck a drop fee, due to a city licensing lapse that I had been trying to reach them for months to rectify. They claim they never spoke to me, but I know that someone identifying themselves by the same name returned my call when I specifically requested that he be the one that contacted me. My subsequent calls to the city to file a complaint about the tow operator violating state law were essentially ignored. From there on, tow trucks began chasing all of us out of the parking lot whenever we attempted to do business there.

Because I was not allowed to do business in peace, I was unable to make the down payment necessary to renew my insurance policy, and therefore have been forced out of business. People, this violates every anti-trust law on the books, as well as the customer's right to choose. If you are local to Charlottesville, Virginia, and take taxis on a regular basis, I suggest you look into this and start asking the city questions, because I have inside information that they are in on this and are going to let this monopoly happen. Would you like being told that you could only buy one brand of car? That you could only eat at one restaurant? Stay at one hotel? It could happen, if this sort of thing is left to stand.

One last note. If the city intervened and forced some kind of reparations so that I could re-enter the business, I wouldn't. I have wasted thirteen years of my life and have nothing to show for it. On average, I made about 25 cents per mile profit, which is below poverty level. Never again. But customers should stand up for their right to choose, before it's gone.

"Special" Customer -- As In "Special Ed"...

"Special" (as in Special Ed) Customer from last night... (Keep in mind, taxi meter rates are not regulated by price here, they are only regulated by mileage increment, meaning we can only charge in 1/6 mile increments, but each company is free to set the price as they see fit. When your overall mile costs $0.50 and you run 3-4 unpaid miles for every paid mile, costing $2.00-$2.50 per paid mile, you can't make money charging $2.40 and $2.70 like you could when fuel was $1.00 per gallon.) Fare runs $21.00. Guy comes out with a $20 bill and says, "Well, I've got a $20, I take cabs all the time and it's never been over $16." To which I reply, "Well, sir, I'm going to be cool with you, and I'm not threatening or arguing with you. But you should know that if you don't pay a taxi fare in full, you are in violation of two felony charges, one on the state code, and the other on the city ordinance. It's called defrauding a business. I'm not going to call the cops on you for $1.20, but I want to make sure you know that, because some drivers will." When he tried to make a federal case of it, I told him that the two companies in Charlottesville are still running rates that are 17 years old, and that fuel has tripled since then. "Oh, I know you guys are struggling," he said. "Well, apparently you don't, or you wouldn't be trying to negotiate a metered price, sir," I said. I then pointed out that he didn't pay the same price for a beer at every bar he went to, either. "Yes, I do," he said, to which I replied, "Sir, I had my days of drinking. I know better. But to make my point, you're taking higher education to make better money, right?" He nods, not sure where I am going with this. "So if you were running your own business, would you want someone coming up on your job and telling you what THEY think you should be paid?" He said, "I guess not." "Neither do I, sir," I said. "Have a nice night."

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It...

Ah, I see that Google has managed to screw up their blog editor in the same fashion MySpace screwed theirs up... ironically, the whole reason I migrated from MS to Google in the first place... Doesn't seem to recognize the beginning of a new paragraph. Way to go, jackasses... As I mentioned in the title, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

It's Really Too Bad The Stupidest People Have The Simplest Jobs...

... Because they find the most creative ways to screw even THAT up. Rewind to 2009. I took out a new commercial insurance policy on my taxicab -- then the 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis you see in my cover photo. Standard liability limits in the state of Virginia for a taxicab are $125,000, with more coverage available if you so choose (some clients require more). As previously documented in my blog, in late 2009, I bought a GMC Safari 6-passenger minivan to replace the Mercury. My insurance carrier refused to write the policy on the van for $125,000, citing passenger capacity required them to write the policy limits at a minimum of $500,000 -- nearly doubling my premium.

I wasn't happy with the idea, but after thinking about it, it was actually a good idea -- $125,000 doesn't go far if 6 passengers are injured. In late 2010, I had a minor fender-bender, that could have happened to anybody. Why it happened to me is beyond my understanding -- It's almost too stupid to go into detail.

I got choked on a sandwich I was eating while I was driving, and pulled to the side of the street to try to clear myself or get help. In my panic, I did not realize the column shifter did not quite go into "Park". Needless, to say, the transmission was neither in Park nor Reverse, and when I jumped out of the van to try to clear what was choking me or get help, the van rolled ten feet forward, damaging the car ahead of it. We're talking approximately $2,000 damage to a Volkswagen, it was nowhere in the league of totalling a $150,000 Mercedes. These idiots declined to renew me at the end of the term, citing a loss.

This is already BS, because I was paying $2,800 a year -- for liability only, and had been insured with them for over a year. Due to a redundancy in DMV policy, also previously documented in this blog, I had to put the vehicle, insurance and permits in another person's name so that I could keep working... This policy was written with myself added as a driver on the policy, and was written for $125,000 liability limits without issue. SAME CARRIER! Then, when I picked up a client last summer that requires $500,000 coverage to carry them, I asked to be upgraded to $500,000 limits, and was told that they could not do it.

Say WHAT?! I told the agent, "Call them back and tell them that this change WILL be done by sundown, or I'm going elsewhere, because they're not going to tell me they can't do what they FORCED me to do two years ago." It was done, but not without serious inquiry into the primary use of the vehicle... Can you idiots not READ that you have insured this vehicle as a TAXICAB? What else do you think I'm using it as, a LUNCH TRUCK?! So already these MORONS have refused to do one thing the same way twice. The engine in the van developed problems two weeks ago. Not wanting to take a gamble on minor repairs, given the amount of noise coming from under the hood, I decided to temporarily switch into another vehicle until I could afford to replace the engine.

Due to some issues with the person under whose name I chose to insure and register the van, I decided to do things a little differently this time, and took out a new policy, writing a check for a $550.00 down payment. All two weeks ago. Three days later, my check had been deposited, but the new policy was not on file with the DMV. Several calls back to the agency finally revealed that the carrier was refusing to write the policy because I was on it as a driver. Uh... say WHAT? You've been doing it without incident or issue for nearly two years, and NOW it's a problem? My AGENT even gave them hell!

He was certain he could get it pushed through, so I gave him a few days to hammer it out with them. Over the course of which, I just got more and more angry about it the more I thought about it. I pay my premium, I'm not bouncing off of everything in sight, and I haven't had a ticket in over 4 years! Keep in mind I drive about 50,000 miles per year. Some people average an accident every year or two, and they're giving ME a hard time? If these morons knew how much money I save them avoiding people who shouldn't even be driving, they'd give me a discount!

It took several days to find out it was a no-go, at which I told the agent that I didn't even want to do business with this carrier anymore, they were too much of a headache. Anyway, I contacted an agency I used previously, and it's going to cost quite a bit more, which my current agent tried to emphasize as the reason he did not want to write it through the channels the other agency would use. Too bad, dude. The money I save with these idiots is NOT worth the way they jerk me around, in ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. I am done.

I've been out of work two weeks because of these jackasses, and I expect to be out of work another week before things are taken care of, because I need the down payment back that I made on the policy they refused to write, to make the down payment on a policy that WILL be written! Like I said, it's too bad the stupidest people have the simplest jobs, because they can't even do THAT right!

I Guess What They Say Is True...

You can't keep a good man down... I'm still in the game, though I had to put my taxi in someone else's name to keep working. Wow, it's been awhile, I've been a little lazy about posting...

Well, to update, I took a mini-vacation this summer, which is to say I saved enough money to pay basic bills over the summer before before the frat brats left. I worked weekends for a little extra money, but basically took the summer off...

I decided last year that I had spent my last summer making peanuts, arguing with morons over $4.00 fares in the blazing heat, 14 hours a day. Seems to have worked out well so far...

I also was fortunate to pick up a client that will make me much less reliant on spoiled college kids, penny-pinching project folks, and other general cheapskates. People are too stupid to realize that what they are used to paying for taxi fare here is based on 2001 rates. Get over yourselves, people, gas is $3.75 a gallon and vehicles cost money to maintain.

And In Other News....

I realized I have not mentioned the situation with the girl I met up with over the summer, mainly because I have been sifting through the wreckage for about two months now. We'll call her Mary.

The trouble is, it's not even "Mary" that really has me down. There were signs that things were not going to last long with her even before she started asking me for a relationship. I've come to find that sometimes age DOES matter, from a responsibility and maturity standpoint.

She destroyed my trust not long after she asked me for a relationship, and despite giving her some time to get my trust back, she failed. Not long after, I found that someone else I had wanted in the first place, had told me she wasn't interested, when she really was. We'll call this girl Jill. Jill then told me she was interested but couldn't go further with me because of my involvement with Mary. I can only vaguely understand this position, because she had every chance to tell me how she felt, and it never would have happened.

However, being the type to never say die, I tried for awhile to convince Jill to overlook Mary's prior involvement. On one or two occasions, I thought I might have changed her mind, but both times, she let me down.

Maybe she didn't intend to, but Jill got my hopes up and crushed them twice more. I have now given up, and feel like a fool for even trying, but my feelings for her were much stronger than I thought, and I'm torn between believing her apology and thinking that it was all a game. Once, I can forgive. Four times is much harder.

Bob Marley, aside from his music, is famous for saying, among other things, "Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you. You just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." But how can you know if ANYONE is?

One of my favorite quotes is from the 2004 remake of "Flight Of The Phoenix". One of the best lines is, "I think a man only needs one thing in life. He just needs someone to love. If you can't give him that, then give him something to hope for. And if you can't give him that, just give him something to DO."

As of now, I am heartbroken, my dreams of scoring a recording/publishing deal are all but dead, and I am jobless. So what do I do now?

Sometimes No Matter What You Do....

It's never enough. I have found myself in the unique position of the Department of Motor Vehicles telling me that I can not work. Yes, you read that correctly.

In the summer of 2010, I had a vehicle with transmission problems that I hadn't driven in a few months and decided to junk. I got stopped on the way to the junkyard with the vehicle, and found that I had been sold a 6-month insurance policy, which was out of date.

I was not notified of any problems until the DMV had already suspended my license. It seems they had sent two notices previously that I had somehow not received, so in addition to a $500 fine, I had to pay $145 to reinstate my license. $645, $195 of which I'm proud to say I paid in loose change.

Now, as if THAT wasn't enough, they are now requiring that I have SR-22 filing on my taxicab. The problem here is that a built-in filing is actually better than what SR-22 does, and I simply cannot get SR-22 on the taxicab at all.

So, I had to turn in all permits and licenses last weekend. Way to go, DMV! You've successfully sent someone to skid row with your stupidity! I knew I should have left this state when I had the chance.

End Of An Era?

A fellow driver, who worked the airport line with me, recently sold his taxi and tried to make a fresh start in Arizona.... Apparently, it did not go well, as he called me a couple weeks ago asking if I wanted to sell my van complete with its airport permit.

I have seriously lost interest in serving the airport, mainly because of the politics and double standards. Example? So many rules, hoops and hurdles that make us spend more money than is really necessary to comform to ridiculous standards (this is a regional airport with less than 15 flights per day, down from 24 two years ago).

As previously explained elsewhere in my blog, taxi meter rates are unregulated in this area, and when people discovered that I was charging more than others (about $10-12 more for a 10-mile ride), a great deal of whining and moaning started. Seriously? You're paying $150-$250 more to fly into a local airport and you're bitching about a $10 difference on a taxi ride?

The airport began singing their song by posting a sign advising passengers to shop rates, even those that might not otherwise have. This is simply not fair when the average fare takes 5 hours of waiting in line, and the standards the airport cabs must meet and remain in compliance with mean spending much more than is really necessary.

Add to this the fact that flights have been getting cancelled, delayed or overbooked more and more often, and I don't know about you, but if I pay $350 to fly on an airplane, I'd get a little heated about being shoved into a cab at the last minute I could have booked myself for half the price, and then don't make my connection. We have often been given the impossible task of transporting passengers 95 miles in 75 minutes. It just isn't going to happen. People are starting to use this airport less and less because of the customer service issues and flight reliability.

Anyway, I saw my chance to rid myself of these problems, and possibly recoup some of the perhaps $8,000 I've spent in the three years I've served the airport. So I agreed to sell my van with equipment and airport permit for a fair price, and I must say, I feel liberated. As far as I'm concerned, I was wasting my time and money there.

I am currently exploring other options, including Class A OTR driving, other types of freight driving, vo-tech school, college, and relocating, among other things.

Just in case, I have lined up at least one replacement van for a taxi. I found two more tonight.

A Reminder Of What "CAB" REALLY stands for...

Ooookay... It's been an interesting week / weekend, mostly due to personal situations.... Early Monday morning dispatch informed me that a fellow wanted a non-smoking cab with a GPS to go out-of-town. Most larger companies run low-ball rates to keep people calling, which gyps the driver a bit, as anyone who's read my blog before knows.

So, naturally, this trip was quoted at a somewhat ridiculous rate, which worked out to less than $1.50 per mile, netting me, the driver less than $40 for a five-hour round-trip. I don't have GPS, but I managed to Google Map directions to the address he supplied.


Naturally, the directions were inaccurate and got us a bit hung up. The guy fusses a bit, even though we weren't far from the destination. I got him to his destination 30 minutes ahead of schedule, and the guy gives me exactly the price quoted -- NO tip.

"CAB" has been said to really stand for "Cheap Ass Bastard", and this guy lived up to it to the letter. For someone who doesn't tip, he was pretty damned picky to want a non-smoking cab with GPS...

A New Beginning?

After 14 years of veritable silence, I had a long overdue and much-needed conversation last night. I don't think I have all the answers I need yet, but I did get the major one I needed.

Going back to 1996. (Yeah, that's a long time) Certain individuals (mostly parents on both sides) were interfering with my relationship with someone I really cared about, up to and including making both of us feel like we were doing wrong. When she moved several states away for a job after only asking if I minded her going, I felt cheated out of what I wanted, simply because someone else didn't want me to have that.

Even though I suspected at the time that she might feel the same way about what was happening to us, I never knew for sure until last night. There was always the thought in the back of my mind, that perhaps I did something wrong, or there was something wrong with me.

Now I know that this isn't so, and I think the uncertainty was keeping me from moving on. I've been talked down to all my life by various people. That I wasn't good enough. That I didn't belong. That I don't deserve to be happy. That there's something wrong with me.

Perhaps this isn't really over with, just a means to start healing. I don't fault her for any of it. She did what she needed to do, and I just wanted her to be happy. She didn't do anything wrong except forget to say it wasn't me. When someone that makes you happy leaves you without explaining that it isn't you or anything you did, it will make even the strongest person doubt themselves.

Unbelieveable....

You know, it's a hard thing when people don't believe in you. But worse still, when your parents don't believe in you. Take this for example.....

I was trading war stories with a fellow driver recently, who regaled me with this story....

A fare of his from the airport to the university here was a mother and her daughter. They asked him to take them around various places getting the daughter registered for classes at the university.

During these little jaunts back and forth, it became apparent to my friend that this girl was more than a little ditzy.

After dropping her off at her dorm, the mother asked to be returned to her hotel. After a few blocks, my friend asked the woman what her daughter was majoring in.

She simply replied, "Oh, we don't really care." To which my friend asks, "Well, what is she interested in?"

"Well, we don't really know," she says. My friend is flabbergasted at this. Out-of-state tuition has been known to be $40,000 a year at this college!

The woman finally understands what my friend is getting at and says, "Sir, I have no delusions about my daughter's ability. She's here to do two things, get screwed and get knocked up, and I just hope it's by the right guy."

Unfuckingbelieveable. I've said it for years that the rich have some screwed-up values. But this takes the cake......

The Delusions Of Idiots Are Truly Amazing...

And amazing furthermore that they are usually college students! Tonight was a night I NEVER want to repeat, but it will from time to time.... over and over. I had a string of three orders that didn't show up, cancelled when I got there, or worse still, call a friend at the same time and cancel while they were getting IN the cab!

So, seeing as most of my in-town dispatch orders were eaten up with stupiditis, I opted for an order outside of Charlottesville, which only went three miles.... Now, I'm starting to get disgusted.

Coming back into town, the dispatcher is calling for a van on the far end of town the entire fifteen minutes I'm driving back in. The order is dispatched to me, and it becomes a Mongolian clusterfuck.

The phone number is not right, so I can't call them. After three attempts circling the building, I give up and leave.

When I am 15 blocks away, the dispatcher asks me to return because these idiots are "coming outside now". I return, and after calling these morons back, they are NOT at the address given, they are around the corner at the other end of the lot!

Now, I'm getting pissed. Surprise, surprise. Same group of silly bitches that cancelled the cab because their friend showed up right after I did. They get a message that the party they're going to is getting shut down, and say something about getting out of the cab (the meter was only around $2.30 by then). Now I'm going nuclear. Then they ask the STUPID, stupid question, "What do you do when that happens?"

I finally lost it. I simply replied, "I do my level best not to try to answer their call again."

Again, a STUPID, stupid question. "Why is that?"

I replied as calmly as I could, "Because I buy my own fuel, upkeep my own vehicle, and I don't have time, money or patience to drive across town to pick someone up that isn't worth wasting it on. I've made two trips across town for you tonight, one of which you cancelled when I got there, one of which you made me make two trips and then want to stop before you get two blocks."

Needless to say, after dropping these idiots off, I asked dispatch to note in their computer system to NEVER send me for that phone number again.

There's One In Every Crowd....

Gotta love this one just for the irony...

First, let me start out by saying last night was rough. Steady, but rough. Seems like most of the drivers for this company went home at midnight. I guess they were going to turn into a pumpkin...

Anyway, after a string of bad luck, I was sent to a "prestigious" bed and breakfast east of town. People that stay at this place are notorious for being cheap, at least in my experience.

I arrive for the pickup at 3 am. I should have started the meter when I got there. Despite calling their front desk and being informed that the customer had been told the cab was there and waiting, it was 3:25 before we actually got moving, because A) one of these morons had an open beer, which is against state law to transport, B) another of these morons couldn't find her purse, C) once she found her purse, she couldn't find her phone. Are any of these MY fault? NO.

Even though moron #3 was in the cab around 3:15, she asked that I STILL not start the meter. Figuring they would make up for it in tip, I stupidly did not, costing myself $10.00 in wait time.

Long story short, these morons kept me waiting 25 minutes and tipped me less than a dollar. What kept me from giving it back and saying they needed it more than I did, I'll never know. I think I was just resigned to the fact that the night was going to suck.

Where am I sent once I dropped these idiots off? Right back to the same "prestigious" bed and breakfast. Turns out the couple I was picking up that time were supposed to have caught the ride with the idiots I had just dropped off.....

Once I heard that, they got a FULL report, and they were embarrassed by the way their friends had acted. I'm sure they mentioned it to their friends.

I found out that these people were here for a wedding, which was costing them nothing. And they want to fuss about paying for wait time holding up a taxi?! My new rule is: If I come to pick someone up, they get two minutes. Meter starts at that point, and I don't care how much you whine or bitch about it, because I can't count on you tipping that much.

People, when you call for a taxi, it's not the driver's fault if they arrive before you're ready. It's your fault for calling for a cab before you're ready. Every minute you hold us up is time lost from another fare, especially when you're stupid enough to keep a driver waiting nearly a half-hour. You're keeping us from making our living. Get over yourselves.

Wow, It's Been Awhile...

Well, to update.... I have shut down my own trade name and put my van into a larger company to use their dispatch service.... the money is only marginally better, but it is more consistent...

I find it interesting that some have called me a sell-out in doing so, when they were the very people trying to torpedo me in the first place!

I have an interesting dilemma now, and not quite sure what to do with it....

After the fiasco of a long-distance relationship going south, I decided that relationships in general just are not in the cards for me. Therefore, I do not plan to pursue one with anyone. I simply feel I am too damaged to contribute usefully to such an arrangement.

A girl nearly 14 years my junior and I have been seeing each other recently, and I believe she is starting to want more than I can give her right now. Not sure what to do with this, because I do not want to hurt this person, she has been hurt many times before.

*sigh* Why does life have to be so damned complicated?