Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Tampa Bay Taxi Business History / part "Tampa"

How taxi companies Yellow Cab, United rose to dominance in Hillsborough

TAMPA — In 1967, the manager of the only cab company in town told the Tampa Taxicab Commission his drivers made about $112 per week. Adjusted for inflation, that's $742 in today's dollars.

Taxi drivers were employees then, with health insurance, vacations and bonuses, city records show. But in 1975, the Yellow Cab Co. jumped on a national trend and made its drivers independent contractors. The agreement cost cabbies their benefits but let them keep whatever they made.

At the time, Yellow Cab manager Nick Cambas told the Tampa Times: "This should be the answer to those squawking about the little man not having a chance to make it in business."

Thirty-six years later, the little man still awaits his chance.

Drivers today say the system leaves them poor and at risk. Their predicament is compounded by a lack of choices: Two companies control 87 percent of the county's permits..............

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3 comments:

  1. Informative blog about Toronto Airport Taxi. Thanks a lot for information sharing with us.

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  2. At least in Tampa they have some kind of regulation which protects taxi drivers from unfair competition.
    but in Pinellas County taxi business is like wild west,
    of course you can survive in St Petersburg as taxi driver, but you have to stay sharp and be ready to cut someones throat for nickels and dimes.

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