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?

The Sheep Mentality......

After taking a good, hard look at the way this business has changed in the past few years, it is clear to me that sheeple are much more concerned about price than service. Completely stupid, but never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. It amazes me how many people say they are outraged at the Supreme Court's decision that big business may bribe and buy our politicians as much as they like, but they empower these bastards by supporting big business, starving out the small business owner until there is no choice left between small and big business.

It has also become clear to me that you don't make money DRIVING a cab. You make money owning several and making money off of those dumb enough to do all the work while you make all the money.

Therefore, I am considering putting a few cabs into one of the big companies and do exactly that.

The Costs Of Doing Business....

People wonder why I charge $3.90 per mile for taxi fare. Here's one very good example why.

A lower ball joint was making some interesting noises (sounded like something hitting the bottom of the van). Parts and labor to replace: $175.00. While that was being repaired, the mechanic showed me that my brakes were severely worn. $45 for brake pads (good ones that don't squeal like a pig). It is also overdue for oil service. Oil, filter, and a good additive to extend oil life and further protect the engine, $37.00. Then $20.00 to actually change the oil.

Even being lucky enough that the mechanic cut me a break and adjusted the labor, I still spent a hair under $250 on maintenance and repairs today. Any more questions?

Grrrrr....

Due to a clusterfuck of people backing out of what they say they will do, starting a new job and being let go in a matter of 2 days with no explanation, I am still in the cab business with no way out.

The fellow who planned to buy me out was actually riding with me to the Department Of Motor Vehicles to begin the transfer, and decided to put it off to the next day, after I had made 4 wasted trips into Charlottesville to get this done. Naturally, I got disgusted and said to hell with it.

I do have to say, though, sometimes you have to see just how bad things can be before you truly appreciate how good you have it.

The 2 shifts I covered doing delivery for a sandwich shop, I was reminded of every single reason I ever had for wanting to leave delivery and start my own business, ranging through the following:

1) People in secured buildings you cannot enter. Calling them ahead of time does no good, as they don't answer their phone and don't return your call until you are on your way back to the store after waiting for them for 10 minutes.

2) People who don't tip enough, if at all. Seriously, folks, rounding it up to the next dollar does us no good at all when we are using our own vehicle and our own fuel.

3) Finding out the store's delivery charge is $2.50 for online orders, of which I only get 50 cents? WTF?

So, I am still in the cab business as an owner / operator for the moment.

My Exit Strategy.....

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about a lot of things. I have possibly found something good in someone in Arizona, who is trying to go to Nevada. I have been considering Nevada for a long time anyway, but have not been able to save the money to relocate. I actually have not even been able to repay money borrowed to stay in business. It is time to cut my losses and run.

I should have seen this coming. In 2006, I had a reasonable amount of money saved. I burned through a third of that in six months, at which point I barely had enough to replace my taxi when it died. Since then, I have gone to having to borrow money to keep insurance on the taxi, to uncertainty I will even be able to make renewal.

Since I came back from my trip to Arizona, it is becoming obvious that I will never be able to leave as long as I keep trying to run my business.

Rental car companies are running specials for $12-$15 per day. UVa sends its buses to the airport to pick students up for free. City buses are reducing their fares and are also running a FREE trolley. How can I compete with free?

There are also two shuttle buses, running illegally so far as I know, because that they do not have commercial for-hire license plates, running large groups around town for $7 a person.

Even though state regulations state that a vehicle insured and registered as a taxicab cannot legally carry more than 6 passengers excluding the driver, there are at least 4 limos that carry from 9-12 passengers on a regular basis operating as taxicabs. I cannot compete with companies that don't do it legally. I have a quote for insurance renewal for $3,600 yearly premium. Why should I spend the money to do it legally when others aren't and are getting away with it?

Not only that, but I am up against two large companies with 50 cars each that rob their drivers blind. Furthermore, these idiots quote low-ball prices and then don't show up to pick their customers up.

Of course, the customer expects me to honor someone else's price, and gets pissed off that I don't. Then they either bitch about what I charge them or they're actually stupid enough to call another taxi and wait 20-30 minutes to save maybe $10-15.

All this really does is confuse customers to the point they don't understand what's fair and what isn't. People can say what they want about pricing myself out of business, as some idiots like to say, but I have noticed you either work a lot for a little money in this business or you work a little for a little money. What's the point? I stopped having fun running my business the moment people started trying to tell me how to run it.

Which brings me to yet another up-and-coming problem. Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. An attempt is being made at starting a taxicab association, which has all the earmarks of being a union. Unions have never been anything but trouble in the first place.

Even though neither the city nor the airport is regulating meter rates, these idiots want to establish a common rate, and elect representatives to "deal with the airport". The airport is a private entity, and has already put it in writing and voiced its clause in the ground transportation agreement that it reserves the right to revoke permits and use a primary provider -- any time they choose.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that all these idiots are going to do is piss off the airport authority into telling us all to take a hike, and I will NOT be told how to run MY business when I am the one paying the bills.

I have therefore decided to sell my business by the end of my insurance term next month and go back to delivery or something. It's really hard to come to this decision, but I can't save any money aside the way things are right now. I could always do that delivering.

At least delivering food won't get me accused of being a crook for making less than minimum wage. I know that my selling out and going away is what the big companies want, but I see a time coming when I may go under anyway and walk away with nothing. Better to cash out while I can and at least leave with SOMETHING.

In closing of this decision, I have a few things to say to the general public..... As you idiots are part of the reason for the financial crisis this country is in. No one wants to spend money because the economy is bad, but the economy is bad BECAUSE NO ONE IS SPENDING MONEY!

So, I thank you for refusing service over a few dollars price difference. There is always a difference between ordering a hamburger and filet mignon. If the goods or services you receive are better or more convenient than another company, you should expect to pay a little more.

However, despite my efforts to provide better service, a nicer cab, and a better overall experience, it is quite clear that most patrons will ride a Sherman tank if you can get them there cheaper.

I also thank you for perpetuating a bad economy by choosing to spend your money with big businesses instead of smaller ones that need your business so much more. Remember, that bigger company you choose was once a small one too.

More food for thought -- So many are enraged with the Supreme Court decision that corporations can make as many political contributions they want, and in any amount they want. This basically spells it out that the federal government is for sale to the highest bidder, and many people say that they are angered by this. But YOU are empowering this by not choosing small business! And usually over a few dollars. You're doing it to yourselves.

Part of the reason smaller businesses are not always around to serve you is because you are not using them until the bigger businesses are too busy to serve you quickly. So have fun supporting corporate greed, you sell out the little guy every time you do it.

How Much More Can I Take?

Without a doubt, this just was not my day. 7 hours to get one fare from the airport, which went 3 miles. Even with a minimum airport charge of $25.00, it wasn't worth it..... I worked 11 hours tonight for $47 and a "fuck you, I'll stand in the street if I want to" from a group of frat brats. This, after I almost hit their stupid asses standing in a poorly-lit street, wearing all black. Smart?!!!

Interesting Run-In With The Inhabitants Of A Tour Bus.....

Charlottesville, having not one, but two concert arenas, is now beginning to attract some pretty big names in entertainment. Jay-Z, Elton John, George Jones, Rascall Flatts, and Eric Clapton have all played shows in Charlottesville in the past 18 months.

A tour bus showed up in town this past Thursday. Not an uncommon sighting in this day and age. The name "Kid Rock" was on the side of this one, with a huge Jim Beam logo. A very nice airbrushed graphic reading "American Bad-Ass" across the nose. It quite obviously was THE tour bus that carried the entertainer himself. It was parked at this particular time on West Main Street, in the midtown area.

Several local cab drivers, including myself, use the parking lot across the street as a standby point, so naturally we looked at the bus from time to time. However, being an aspiring musician myself, I understand the extreme pressure of being in the public eye non-stop as an entertainer, so none of us approached the bus.

I left to pick up a customer, and when I got back, the bus had moved across the street into the parking lot, with two men standing outside it. They seemed to be trying to find a way around a bridge that the bus was too tall for.

After being told the bus was simply for advertising purposes, (yeah, right) I offered to help with re-routing them, which was met with some disdain and general attitude of "we don't need your help." Okay. Whatever. Five minutes later, the same guy asks two of us to pick up some people from a restaurant for them. Sure, no problem there.

Finding out that these people were indeed with the tour, I let them listen to one of my own songs, which they liked. I told them that if they could help with exposure or getting signed, the cab ride was on me. Yes, I know that it might have been all bullshit, but what's five dollars compared to a chance at getting discovered? They insisted on paying me anyway, however.

After they left the cab to go to the bus, however, the same guy that asked us to go pick these people up steps up and gets in my face, accusing me of double-billing them by charging a credit card and then taking cash. I don't even TAKE credit cards, so I simply told him that A) I didn't take credit cards, B) I didn't do business that way, C) if he had a problem with me, he didn't need to get in my face, D) he was outnumbered five-to-one, and didn't even have a reason to get in my face in the first place, and E) I tried to comp the ride and they insisted on paying.

I have one thing to say. If everyone in the entertainment business is THAT much of an asshole, I guess I should be glad I haven't made it yet!

Turnabout's Fair Play....

LMAO -- I just had SOOOO much fun with this nursery school of taxi drivers we have servicing the airport. I sort of "forgot" to put my new taxi inspection sticker on the car.

So all afternoon the other drivers were bitching and whining to the Airport Police. Finally an officer comes out to talk to me about it. I showed him my sticker, and he told me I needed to put it on the car. I was really hoping they would let me wait until I was first in line....

But you should have seen the look on their faces when I calmly walked back to the car and retrieved the sticker, peeled it off the backing and put it in its place on the rear bumper...... LOL! That'll teach them to mind their own damned business..... :P But we all know THAT'S not gonna happen.

A Few Examples Of The Nursery School That My Profession Has Become....

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

You would think that most industries, while there would be a sense of competition, there would also 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!!!!

Thought I Was Kidding About The Nursery School?

If you thought I was kidding about my line of work having become a nursery school, check this out.....

Five days ago, I discovered that someone had taken a knife and cut my new city taxi permit sticker off of my rear bumper. I called the police and made a report, just in case someone was really cheap enough to steal another cab's permit when they only cost $5-10. I also moved the cab to another location to park it.

Today, when I picked the car up, one of my tires was flat. Mind you, they are brand-new with less than 2,000 miles on them, and no history of leakage.

After filling it with fix-a-flat and topping off the air pressure, I carefully inspected it with a flashlight. No screws, nails, or other foreign objects in the tire. As a matter of fact, there was still air pressure in the tire before I filled it with fix-a-flat, which pretty much proves someone let the air out of it. I'm pretty sure I know who did it, and they will get theirs. That's the beautiful part about karma, it happens whether I do anything or not.

Now, I ask you, is there any reason for grown men to act this way?