The REAL Taxi Cab Confessions.....

As I'm sure anyone that knows me or reads my blogs is aware by now, I own and operate a small independent taxi cab service in Charlottesville, Virginia.

You would think that most industries, while would be a sense of competition, there would be some notion of comraderie amongst those of us in the same industry..... nope.

Unfortunately, you can't get any of these guys to agree on anything long enough to go get ice cream together. And most of them insist on blackballing each other with customers, and will seemingly stop at nothing to take each other's business.

I, for one, just come out to make a living. I'm not out to take any other company or operator down. But the majority of the drivers in this business act like four-year olds, especially when it comes to the airport. *shakes head*

The big issue that started all this is that neither the City Of Charlottesville, nor the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport Authority, nor the County Of Albemarle regulate the actual rate of fare with taxicabs. It is left open to what the city calls 'open market competition', and unfortunately, everyone cuts their own throat in this business in the name of volume. It's completely stupid.

The reason I say that is because you can't count on getting thirty fares a day. Sometimes you can't count on getting three. I myself have had days (plural) where I sat around town for 15 hours and only took in thirty-five dollars. Of course, these were the days when I had just gotten in the business and had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Now, through trial and error, I have figured out how to make the business turn a profit. Unfortunately, some changes never come easy.

On one plane, there are customers who raise eyebrows when one cab charges more for the same trip than another. I can understand this to a degree, as it is regulated in NYC and DC. But the expenses in this industry are so volatile and so necessary that I don't see how any locality could possibly regulate it fairly.

There are also customers that will not use your services over a few dollars. I have come to find that these folks generally are going to complain no matter what you charge them.

And then, last but not least, are the drivers who can't see the forest for the trees. I recently revised my rates when fuel shot up to $4.25 per gallon and continued to rise.

Of course, two months later, it dropped to about half of that. First, I don't expect this drop to last. Secondly, Obama is proposing a carbon-based fuels tax on top of the 36 cents per gallon taxes we are already paying. I'm changing nothing until I know what is going to happen.

One thing I simply will not tolerate is someone presuming to tell me how to run my business, especially someone who does not know my expenses, or worse, does not even know the business.

A lot of drivers at the airport have a tendency to mind everyone's business but their own. A lot of game playing goes on, such as complaining about petty things that may or may not be true to attempt to cause another operator to be suspended or barred.

I have heard countless snide remarks about my rate of fare, up to and including that my rates are running customers off, though I've never told anyone that they HAVE to take MY taxicab. I know that these remarks are simply an attempt to rile me into doing something stupid to get myself barred from the airport, or goad me into quitting working the airport, or changing my rates. None of the above. And I don't get mad, I get even.

I finally told one of these fellows that if I heard any more about it, I would work twice as much just to annoy them. Of course, they didn't take me seriously.

So I have made it a point to be at the airport way before anyone else is, and I work up until the airport closes for the night. This serves two purposes. I make more money, and I know it is driving them bananas, though none of them will admit it. I believe that if someone gets aggravated over something that is none of their business.... good for them! Give them more :) Which I am more than happy to do.

So now the rumor is that I'm homeless because I'm at the airport all the time.... ROFLMAO! I hope these guys don't actually believe the crap that comes out of their mouths. Does anyone have any cheese to go with their whine?

To be continued...... This is the REAL Taxicab Confessions!!!!