Uber drivers are 21st century sharecropers or slaves?

 

Picture by QZ.com

Uber’s car leasing program turns its drivers into modern-day sharecroppers

Behind the shiny veneer of Uber’s venture capital–backed technological innovation lies a time-tested business model: labor exploitation. Uber’s latest scheme is a new spin on the age-old practice of sharecropping. Struggling to find enough drivers willing to put miles on their own cars, Uber recently began offering subprime auto loans to would-be drivers, conveniently extracting payments directly from their paychecks, or (because Uber insists its drivers aren’t its employees) their “Uber earnings.” Since last July, Uber and its wholly owned subsidiary, Xchange Leasing, have partnered with auto dealerships, advertised to drivers, and even repossessed cars from drivers who lag in their payments.

Uber isn’t the only company to resurrect sharecropping in modern industries. Lyft is working with investor General Motors to rent cars to its drivers. Until 2008, FedEx purchased custom-made trucks and sold or leased them to potential drivers. Janitorial companies have gotten into legal hot water for requiring their cleaners to buy franchises and charging them additional fees for clients.

These are just a few of the companies that insist their low-wage workers are independent business people. Here’s the rub: independent business people make capital investments in their businesses. But these workers lack the heavy capital needed to start a business and can’t afford to pay upfront. So the company conveniently arranges for them to buy or lease equipment, often through an exploitative deal. These ......

>>>Please read more at Quartz

This article was brought to your attention by Legal Taxi Drivers Association of St Petersburg, FL
Please feel free to leave comments at:
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Taxi vs Uber in NYC by Haitian Times / Opinion

Haitian Taxi drivers in NYC are getting brain washed about Uber advantages over  Yellow Taxis by Haitian Times news portal


"Haitian Taxi Drivers kick Uber's tires

picture by thirteen.org

By Vania Andre / Haitian Times

Gregory Mellon is used to the taxi and livery industry. Since his mid-20s, he’s navigated the landscape, dealing with some of the common pitfalls that cab drivers go through in the competitive, and at times, harsh driving industry. Unscrupulous cab dispatchers are prevalent, often bartering calls for cuts of the driver’s earnings, he says, and favoritism is rampant. Pay schedules are regularly ignored and unprofessionalism is “common.” “There’s a culture of unprofessionalism that exists in the black car service industry,” the 29-year-old Brooklyn native says. Now he splits his time between his car service and driving for Uber. “Uber is reliable. They pay when they say they’re going to pay; if there’s an issue, they notify you and most importantly, it’s fair across the board…no favoritism. ” For decades, large fleet companies such as Taxi Club Management have been a leading employer for those looking to drive for extra cash. The holding corporation has several companies that specialize in the NYC cab industry with 850 yellow taxis and 3,000 drivers—many of them Haitian immigrants. In fact, Haiti is listed in the top 5 countries of birth of taxi drivers, according to the Taxicab Fact Book. However, with the introduction of Uber, a ride sharing service that allows passengers to schedule pickups through an app, money and drivers are shifting from the old taxi model to one Mellon describes as “revolutionary.” Uber is displacing the old taxi business, Dr. Francois Pierre-Louis, author of “Haitians in New York City: Transnationalism and Hometown Associations,” says. It’s breaking up the monopoly and changing the business model to make it even more profitable for the drivers. Uber is driven by demand, and the demand is high. Regular taxi drivers make about $1,500 a week, while Uber drivers make about $3000 without having to deal with the “tyranny of TLC.” In the 1970s and 1980s there was an overwhelming number of Haitian immigrants joining the industry and buying up taxi medallions. The taxi business is an “ethnically-driven” industry, where a lot of people use it as a transitional job, he says. “Often times, recent immigrants had careers in Haiti, but once they immigrate to the states, they have to redo their education here; a move that can take years to complete and is expensive, despite having gone through it before. The cab industry offers stable income........”

FL
>>>>Read More

Marco Rubio (R): Screw Florida cab drivers, I Like UBER

(R) Marco Rubio: screw Florida cab and limo drivers, let the big corporations like Uber or Lyft  with heavy backing from venture capital take over personal transportation market in US, Europe, Australia, Mars, etc, and make all the transactions go through ONE company...........isn't this a corporate monopoly at birth?
.......something like all those small mom and pop hardware stores were put out of business by Home Depot few decades ago or like Walmart put out of business small manufacturing companies around US in name of "lowering customer prices"...!!?? yeah, right.

Decades later, we know results, China and Walton family are getting richer, employees at Walmart are collecting all kind of governmental support (at cost to tax payers) because they can not afford to live on $8.00 an hour and we as customers are forced to buy cheap Sh^%$ made in China, which falls apart after 2 weeks of using it..........

picture by UsNews.com

"Why Marco Rubio's Embracing Uber

The hip-hop listening, Netflix-watching Florida GOPer aligns himself with another hip, tech-driven company.

Sen. Marco Rubio was looking to score a quick ride in Miami, but when he tapped his white Uber button on his smartphone, the Florida Republican came up empty.

“I was bragging to someone about this service in Washington and I clicked onto my app … and up comes a message saying, ‘Sorry we can’t pick you up in Miami because the county commission won’t allow it,’” he recalled. 

That incident was the impetus for Rubio's Monday visit to Uber’s Washington headquarters, where he used the struggle of a growing and fashionable tech company to underscore his case concerning overburdensome regulations.

“We should never allow government power and government regulations to be used to protect an establishment incumbent industry at the expense of an innovative competitor,” he said.


Operating in 37 U.S. cities, Uber is a transportation company that allows a customer to order a taxi, town car or SUV to a specific location with just a click of a phone app. All transactions are paperless and tips are included in the fee. The service quickly gained popularity in Washington due to frustration with the lack of available cabs in certain parts of the city and the inability to pay with credit or debit cards......."

>>>Read More

Everyday Taxi Business / Bribery Part

Picture by RedBubble.com

DA: 16 Kennedy Airport taxi dispatchers arrested in bribery scheme

from Newsday.com

Sixteen taxi dispatchers have been arrested and charged in a bribery scheme in which they solicited kickbacks from cab drivers who were then allowed to cut lines at Kennedy Airport, bypassing long waits for fares, authorities said Wednesday.
The arrests were announced by Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown and Port Authority Inspector General Robert E. Van Etten, who said the dispatchers were all employed by subcontractor Gateway Group One Frontline Services.
The scam allegedly allowed drivers to "cut the line" -- moving them ahead of honest drivers, who were forced to wait in holding lots where they were queued for passenger pickups -- by paying dispatchers bribes of a few dollars, Brown said in a statement Wednesday.
With thousands of cabs servicing airport terminals on a daily basis, dispatchers raked in hundreds of dollars each during an eight-hour shift, Brown said. It also allowed drivers paying bribes to make many additional trips during a shift, authorities said. Authorities said the scam was in effect from December 2012 until February.
Van Etten said that Gateway and the Taxi and Limousine Commission cooperated with the criminal investigation.
In a statement released Wednesday, Gateway Group One said:

>>> Read More

Want to be a taxi driver? Read This

Safety tips for new taxi drivers in Tampa Bay, Florida and not only........

picture by wnyc.org

TAXICAB DRIVER SAFETY

by Gord Barton

Taxi Training Instructor

GOAL:

To maximize personal safety for taxicab drivers
OBJECTIVE:
To ensure that all new and veteran taxi drivers fully understand and comprehend the basic safety rules that they need to follow and embrace.
MODULES:

• Understanding the inherent dangerous nature of the industry
• Understanding the nature and personalities of people.
• Learning to "read" your customer.
• Learning and understanding the basic safety rules.
• Police relations.
• Weapons - the none use of and why.
• Prostitution - your legal guidelines
• Needles - the extreme danger of drugs/disease
• Hostility and negativism
• You and your part.

Foreword:

It is extremely important that all taxi drivers, especially those of you that are new to the business, to understand the dangerous and complex nature of the industry itself, to understand some of the dynamics, to learn how not to become a victim.

Module 1: The danger of the industry

The taxicab business is a very different one from most occupations, and there is a very real and high risk of personal danger to each driver, and it appears to be getting steadily worse each year, and the statistics bear this out.
The last report on workplace violence and homicide places TAXI DRIVERS in the unenviable spot of #1 most dangerous occupation in North America at the present time, and this danger is rising. There are 20 homicides where taxi drivers are victims to every 100,000 drivers. Convenience store clerks are #2, being out 15 homicides to each 100,000 workers. In contrast, the police ratio is only 7 homicides to each 100,000 officers. This alone should tell you something.
The reasons for this are actually very simple in nature, seemingly unrealistic, but they are true, and they are as follows:

• You work alone
• You work all types of long, 12 hour shifts
• You work in isolated areas.
• You always have ready cash
• People perceive that you have the lowliest job of all, and therefor you are of no human value.
• You are always dealing with strangers.
• The very nature of your business, service, requires you to deal with everyone.
• Very often, you have a language barrier, which is difficult to deal with.
• Your own peers often cheat the public, thus raising disrespect and contempt
• Racism plays a factor

Module 2: Understanding the nature and personalities of people

• No two people are the same, in body, or in mind.
• Some people are psychopaths with no emotions, feelings, or remorse.
• Most people you deal with are nice, but we all have our bad days
• People judge other people by their own values, with little regard for reality

Module 3: Learning how to "read" your customer

• You must read up on and become familiar with "body language". This goes hand in hand with "active listening" to what the people are really saying versus what their "body language" is telling you.
• You must never, ever, underestimate your customer and what they may be capable of doing to you.
• You must never let your guard down when you have a fare in your taxi, irregardless of who they are, or how they are dressed or appear to be.

Module 4: Learning and understanding the basic safety rules.

1) Radio and the dispatcher

• The most important piece of equipment in your taxi is your radio, as it connects you to your dispatcher. The dispatcher is "your lifeline".
• They are the ones who will get you help if you are in trouble.
• They are the ones who will give you accurate information when you need it.
• They are the ones who will "sense" when you are in trouble and assist you.
• They are the ones who will dispatch you for trips in a fair and equitable manner with all the other drivers.
• They are the ones which will keep you informed on what is happening.
• Have a good relationship with all dispatchers - you need them on your side.                                                                                                                                                                                          
• 2) Be alert and aware.

You must keep yourself very alert and aware of what is going on around you at all times, whether you are parked or driving. Take good care of yourself, be rested, eat well, and get lots of exercise. The exercise and movement around you will get by handling peoples luggage, going to doors to get your customers, opening and closing doors all contribute to the enrichment of oxygen in your blood, which is what keeps up your energy and awareness.

>>>Read More

Taxi app wars in China fought over information...NO KIDDING

Picture by wantchinatimes.com

At least Chinese are honest and transparent about why they are spending $100's millions of dollars on developing and popularizing taxi apps, which has yet to build up a clear profitability model.

.......We don't get that from Uber, Hailo, Lyft or any other local taxi app hailing / booking company in US, but constant stream of legal controversies and misinformation, wonder why?

"Alibaba, Tencent spending big on taxi apps despite lack of profit model

Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings, China's internet giants, are in a neck-and-neck fight in the taxi app market. On Jan. 20, Tencent's Didi, its taxi hailing service, announced a plan to invest a further 200 million yuan (US$33 million) to benefit passengers. The very next day, Alibaba's Kuaide swiftly announced it was investing 500 million yuan (US$82.5 million) for the good of passengers, Shanghai's China Business News reports.

Some commentators are asking why the two giants are willing to throw so much money into the taxi app market which has yet to build up a clear profitability model.

>>>Read More

Taxi Business for Sale in Florida, only $690 Ks

Picture by ridevelo.com

Taxi Business for sale in Ocala, FL

"

Business Summary: E2 VISA APPLICANTS WELCOME! Largest Taxi Service in county with contracts to provide transportation for (and paid by) the probation office, state attorneys office and hospital for clients and patients. Drivers are paid commission and are independent contractors. They maintain most of their own daily cabs expenses. Taxi licenses are restricted or limited to number of companies. See Listing #4390349 for possible dual purchase. Please refer to internal listing number 4390348 and ask for Clay Bontrager when inquiring."

Advertising on Taxi Cabs in Florida

Own a Taxi Firm in Florida? Think About Third Party Advertising

picture by flaoutdoor.com

By JC

Florida is a pretty big State so you would think there is plenty of business to go around if you own a taxi company. However, for those of you that don’t know, this is a highly competitive market! Cities like Orlando, Tampa, Miami and a host of others are all massive tourist attractions and many thousands of people pass through each year.
You might be forgiven for thinking that tourists alone will be able to sustain a cab firms business but this isn’t the case. You need to make sure you have regular custom from the locals as well. Perhaps you’ve managed to land a contract with a hotel (or two) which means you get “first go” on anyone who is staying there and doesn’t have transport of their own. They might need a friendly face to ferry them about the city so they can go to business meetings, or take in the sights. It could also be that your cab drivers are the first in line for airport runs as well.
This is just one example of how you can ensure you get regular business all year round however; if you intend to expand your taxi business there is always going to be the question of advertising. After all, you won’t get extra business if prospective clients don’t know you’re there! This is where third party advertising can really help.

What Is Third Party Advertising?

This is actually a very clever idea. We’ve all seen cabs rushing about the city with stickers on their bumpers, plastic type billboards on top of the taxi and even signs that are illuminated from inside. All of these are what’s known as third party advertising and it can really help not just your business but others as well.
For instance, you can contact various businesses in your local area like restaurants, hotels, tour operating companies and a whole host of others that will benefit from having their name on your cab. If you think this is going to need the hard sell, think again! You have a very strong argument when talking to various other business owners in the area.
Think about it? The average taxi driver across the State of Florida who operates in the major cities is passing by an ever growing population each and every day. In an average month a cab driver

When Is a Taxi Not a Taxi? Uber fights to change Taxi industry perception forever

When Is a Taxi Not a Taxi?

The new car service company Uber exposes the idiocy of American cities’ cab regulations.

Uber is a company that’s exciting, innovative, useful, and arguably shouldn’t exist at all. It is a solution to a ridiculous problem created by cartels and overregulation.

“I wanted to be able to press a button and get a classy ride,” explained CEO Travis Kalanick when I asked him to describe Uber’s origin story to me at a launch event for its D.C. branch on Wednesday. So last year Kalanick, Oscar Salazar, and Garrett Camp founded a company originally known as UberCab in San Francisco.

The original name made perfect sense, since at root what Uber provides is a taxi service. Just about every major city in America has, in addition to its heavily regulated cab drivers, a largish fleet of private sedan drivers who do things like take businessmen on pre-arranged drives to and from airports. These limo services generally feature nicer cars, higher prices, and—crucially—different moments of peak demand. Car services get a lot of business weekday mornings, and to a lesser extent in the afternoon rush hour. But very few business travelers need a ride from the airport late on a Friday or Saturday night, which is the time lots of drunk young people want a ride home or maybe to a different bar.

These are two fairly distinct market segments. Airplanes take off and land at defined.........

>>> Read More

P.s.

Warning to Uber and Lyft drivers

"Uber Destroyed My Life

I was looking for a way to generate some extra income to supplement my veteran pension, give me something to do with my spare time, and most importantly help make the $409/month payments on my 2013 Chrysler 300. I saw an ad from Uber guaranteeing a very lucrative job as well as great working conditions and a secure future. I hired on as an Uber driver and at first everything they claimed seemed to be mostly true. I was earning decent money (though not as much as their ads promised) and was getting plenty of work. All was good until one day I became involved in an accident. It was only then that I discovered that my personal liability insurance did not cover me because my car was being used for commercial purposes. Uber’s mythical “1 million dollar liability coverage” only covered Uber, not me or my car. I am now being sued by the other driver’s insurance company for thousands of dollars and my smashed Chrysler 300 sits in a junk yard racking up storage fees. On top of all of this, no traditional taxi companies will touch me now because of the accident on my driving record.
I was only trying to earn an honest extra income and now I have no car, just the $409/month payments and a huge pending lawsuit. None of this would have happened if I had been working for a legitimate taxi company that is required by law to provide both a car and commercial insurance for their drivers. If only I had known then what I know now. Uber is a lying, dishonest company that does not give a damn about their drivers and is only out to make a dishonest buck.DO NOT WORK FOR UBER OR THIS MAY HAPPEN TO YOU LIKE IT DID TO ME! "

Glory Days in Tampa Bay taxi / limo industry

Super Bowl Gives Florida Operators Big Boost

TAMPA, Fla. — Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa had the potential to be a true shot in the arm for limousine operators and transportation companies in the Tampa and Orlando metro markets.

But as the big game approached, events began to vanish. Playboy and Sports Illustrated canceled their annual parties while many corporate events were scaled down. The economic downturn was extending its reach to America’s favorite pastime.

So with all of the festivities now over, how exactly did the event turn out for operators?

Marcos Lopez, owner of Tampa-based Embassy Limousines and Sedan Service, said the Super Bowl was an overwhelming success. Lopez normally runs 19 vehicles in his fleet. He supplemented it with six additional rented SUVs and brought in 13 additional vehicles from out of town affiliates (Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando).

“We went after the corporate business early and got a good portion of our business months before the event,” explained Lopez. “The Super Bowl hasn’t been a stretch limousine event in the past couple of years. Stretch limousines were the last thing for us to book. The corporate.......>>>

>>> Please Read more

Snake Oil Seller tries to be oracle on taxi driver business issues

Well,-- another snake oil seller tries to be oracle on taxi driver business issues. Shame on you Mr. Andrew Bender,- you just don;t have slightest clue how things work on the streets.
May be you should become taxi driver in Las Vegas just for one weekend, before you make any statements or try to imprint taxi driver image on you unaware readers

"The Biggest Scam In Vegas May Be Your Taxi Ride

Las Vegas is famous for shady characters who try to stay under the radar: card counters, bookies and, um, others. But some of the shadiest may be hiding in plain sight: taxi drivers.

“We conservatively estimate airport passengers were overcharged $14.8 million in 2012,” reads an audit report on taxi services in Las Vegas, presented to the Nevada State Legislature last week.

The biggest scam: long hauling, taxi-speak for deliberately taking an indirect route. The audit found that long hauling occurred on 22.5 percent of taxi rides from the city’s McCarran Airport.

“Vegas is one of the most popular airports for taxi scams,” says Todd Romaine of IHateTaxis. com, which provides info about local transportation from airports worldwide. In volume of scams, he puts Vegas on par with Rome, Bangkok and Cairo...."

>>> Please Read More about Scam in Vegas

Advertising Taxi Business in Florida.

Cost of Advertising to Sustain and Expand a Taxi Business in Florida USA

By JC

Miami, Tampa, and Orlando - the State of Florida has no small amount of big cities filled with interesting and engaging attractions.  Engaging attractions means tourists who come from across the globe to sample the sights and sounds.  Long distance travel means the convenience of your own vehicle won't be at hand.  All of this translates to a market for reliable and convenient travel options which, ends up creating a fertile spawning ground for any taxi company.  With the constant and steady flow of travelers, the state of Florida has enough of a market for even a fledgling company to get a solid start.

The problem comes in figuring out how a small company can get enough business to grow!  While a huge market can provide a business owner some awesome opportunities, it also makes it difficult to stand out from the crowd and gain the chance to expand.  This isn't a cheap industry; a new cab can easily cost $20,000 by itself and, a used one ends up being the same after factoring in repairs and maintenance.  Meters, insurance, cleaning, and permits can also add up quickly.  The state of Florida doesn't require a commercial license, though individual counties can have their own demands and fees.  Even if you've had some experience in the taxi cab business, it takes a lot of cash flow and delicate consideration to make sure your business not only takes root but flourishes.

Getting Your Name Out There

The best way to get the ball rolling is advertising, regardless of how small or large your business is it can only attract customers if people know about it.  No matter how you want to run your company, there are options of promoting that have a wide range of costs.  From the inexpensive to the extremely pricy, their effectiveness can vary greatly. It's more in how you use them than how much you spend.  Plenty of businesses in countless industries have lost large sums of money on poorly delivered advertising, while others have launched themselves into the spotlight on a shoestring budget.

The Internet

How people can and should advertise their services have changed drastically over the last few years and, this affects the taxi service industry just as much as it has affected everyone else.  The rise of the smart-phone has substantially diminished the power held by phone book advertisement.  If you're reading this hoping to find out why your ad in the yellow book isn't offering

Viva Gay in St Pete !!! Viva Taxi Business !!!

St. Pete Pride drawing gay tourists to Tampa Bay area

From Tampa Nay Times 

ST. PETERSBURG - With 100,000 people at last year's St. Pete Pride event, the Tampa Bay area is gaining a high profile among travelers expected to come this weekend for the state's biggest gay pride festival.

Organizers have added art shows and concerts leading up to Saturday's parade and street festival in St Petersburg's Grand Central District; adds aiming to lure tourists for the event suggest a vacation with beaches, museums and gay-friendly hotels, restaurants and bars.

Several elected officials, most notably Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, plan to participate in this year's festival, and community leaders are hopeful that gay pride events will take hold on both sides of the bay in coming years....

>>> Read More

Interesting documentary with inside how taxi business works

May be technology has changed Taxicab industry, but principles of providing taxi transportation services to the public are still the same and have not changed in 100 years.
Interactions between drivers, dispatchers and customers, how rough sometimes they become, they are still part of the culture and business,- you either accepted them as they come and get along or find yourself another job....






Go to next part II

Taxi Business In Boston

For Boston cabbies, a losing battle against the numbers

Boston’s cabbies can be a surly lot, but consider what they endure. A Globe investigation finds a taxi trade where fleet owners get rich, drivers are frequently fleeced, and the city does little about it.

First of three parts. This article was reported by the Globe Spotlight Team: reporters Bob Hohler, Marcella Bombardieri, and Jonathan Saltzman and editor Thomas Farragher. It was written by Farragher and Hohler.
In the belly of Boston’s biggest taxi garage, cabbies shuffle toward a scratched and grimy dispatcher’s window knowing the cost of doing business. If you want to drive, especially on a busy night, you often have to pay the man a little extra to get the keys.
One by one they troop to the window, and in an exchange witnessed repeatedly by a Globe reporter who was himself newly licensed to drive, pass along a bribe and are assigned a car for a 12-hour shift.

These payments, drivers said, commonly range from $5 to $20.
It’s a small-sounding sum unless you are a cabbie struggling to get by. Or until you do the math — hundreds of cabbies, thousands of shifts each year, adding up to hundreds of thousands in illegal tribute........