Showing posts with label taxi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taxi. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Discount Taxi Dispatch St Pete Service

St Pete's Discount Taxi Dispatch 

 

Discount Taxi Dispatch is a taxi cab company in St Petersburg, FL, we are providing our services to St Pete's local residents as well as tourists and visitors to St Pete's greater area.

Our services include: Grocery shopping in St Pete and Pinellas Park, doctor's appointments, taxi errands with multiple stops, transportation from St Pete and nearby areas of Pinellas County to local airports at flat rates, transportation ......

 ... please read more about Discount Taxi Dispatch


 

Friday, April 3, 2020

Officialy I am retired from Taxi driving

....and I have to tell you I am relieved, even ecstatic because last six years was for me constant struggle, stress and uncertainty. Dealing with deregulation, uber, lyft, falling income was too much, probably I would quit earlier but where 60 year old going to go and start over, so I was forced to put up with this calamity for way too long.

....and now, I started new hobby which hopefully will turn one day into profitable business, I started to learn how to trade index options or rather sell covered calls. So far so good, I make some money but only on paper. :)

To witness my progress, you can visit my new blog "WZ Options For Income 2020" at https://options-for-income-2020.blogspot.com/ 

Thank You
P.S. In my investing endeavor, I find below links very educational, you might want to visit them too.

https://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/default.asp
https://marketchameleon.com/




Thursday, December 1, 2016

Rideshare drivers illegal activities Uber/Lyft


IMO
Here is another illegal strategy uber and lyft drivers learned quite quickly to maximize their profits and to stay on top of the taxi/uber game......large number of rideshare users are regular customers who catch a ride every day to work, from work, twice a week to doctor's appointments, once a week to airport, etc. Here, how it works, Customer instead requesting uber or lyft driver trough the platform, they call drivers directly on their cell phone for premium service, a driver who they already know..... With rates so ridiculously low, customer don't even mind to pay the driver directly + tip, .....at this point they even feel about them self as being socially correct by bypassing uber /lyft platform and supporting "a little guy" ...Though, the little they know, every time they get involved in this kind of activity, they basically travel completely uninsured.... ....
Here is the question, who we should blame for customers making dangerous decisions? a uber driver who is pretty ignorant to local rules and regulations (he wasn't informed by uber or city about possible dangers),? a passenger, who tries to save money on transportation and happily subscribes to uber's bogus press releases or may be uber for trying to make a buck for their shareholders ? ....
IMO, NON of the above, GUILTY OF THIS MESS ARE POLITICIANS WHO ALLOWED UBER TO OPERATE AGAINST ALL THE RULES, REGULATIONS, LAWS AND COMMON SENSE......................SO, IF YOU GET HURT IN UBER CAR OR GET HURT BY IT, don't go after uber which is entrenched in legal system and employs top lawyers, GO LEGALLY AFTER CITIES and STATES who's representatives allowed that to happen.....I guess in legal proceedings against public entities like city, you can throw in antitrust laws, civil laws, discrimination laws, lost wages, etc
If you think, it's impossible, I am pleased to inform you that it had happened before eg. in City of Ottawa.....

Saturday, November 12, 2016

TRUMP ON SHARING ECONOMY, -OPINIONS



Original Article By Iain Murray, vice president for strategy for the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
http://www.insidesources.com/five-ways-president-trump-could-jump-start-economic-growth


"Five Ways President Trump Could Jump-Start Economic Growth

Too many Americans feel left behind by the weak economic growth and diminished job opportunities under the Obama administration. Too many people have seen their income stagnate and opportunity disappear since the financial crisis of 2007-2008. "

AGREE

"As the 2016 election upset has proved, people want a president who does things differently, a president who wants to “make America great again.”"

AGREE

"President-elect Donald J. Trump now has a huge opportunity to make some big changes that improve people’s lives and livelihoods. Over the last eight years, the Obama administration heaped piles of regulation on top of businesses and their financiers. Trump can help get the economy moving again by implementing some meaningful regulatory relief, by himself and with Congress. Here are five simple ways he can do that: "

WRONG, OBAMA ADMINISTRATION DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO REGULATE CROOKED BUSINESSES

"(1) Fire Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He’s issued regulation after regulation that made it harder for people to get access to funds. Banks have in many ways stopped lending to people who lack perfect credit or to small businesses because of the new bureaucracy involved. President Trump should exercise his appointments power, fire Cordray, and install a director who will get consumer and small business credit moving again."

WRONG, BANKS STOPPED LENDING TO SMALL BUSINESS NOT BECAUSE OF OBAMA'S REGULATIONS BUT TO KEEP PRESSURE ON ECONOMICAL GROWTH AND COSTS OF LABOR, WHICH IN RESULT ENRICHED EVEN MORE BIG CORPORATIONS AND WALL STREET.

"(2) Rescind the Department of Labor’s overtime rule that looms over America’s employers and threatens job opportunities. This rule, which will come into effect in December, will force businesses to pay time-and-a-half to salaried employees who earn up to $47,476 a year. Instead of getting a raise, many employees will see their work terms changed or switched to hourly status as businesses scramble to avoid the sudden, budget-busting mandate. The new rule will affect around 5 million employees, many of whom work at universities, nonprofits or startups that rely on dedicated people working longer hours out of love for their job and mission. If left in place, the effect on startups alone — one of the bright spots of economic growth — could be devastating."

SAY WHAT? ACCORDING TO THIS TWISTED LOGIC, AMERICAN EMPLOYEES SHOULD KEEP WORKING FOR LESS BECAUSE OF LOVE FOR THEIR JOBS ??!! AND BECAUSE BUSINESSES (GOD FORBID) WOULD MAKE LESS MONEY ??!!

"(3) Encourage the sharing economy. Platform apps like Uber, Airbnb and Handy have allowed people to make up income shortfalls or earn extra cash by making better use of their cars, homes or skills. Unfortunately, regulators at the Department of Labor and elsewhere have been moving to restrict these opportunities, for example, by having Uber drivers declared employees of the app firm. That increases labor law liability and significantly reduces the number of those jobs available. The new president should call off the labor regulators and allow sharing economy firms to expand. He should appoint an official in charge of looking out for people in the sharing economy throughout the regulatory process."

OK, PART #3, IT IS A PROVE THAT AUTHOR HAS HIS HEAD BURIED DEEP IN HIS ASS, HE WANTS TO BUILD "GREAT AMERICA" BY MAKING AMERICANS WORK LONGER HOURS, IN SWEATSHOP CONDITIONS AND WITHOUT PROPER PROTECTION FROM LABOR REGULATORS.

"(4) Work with Congress to repeal Dodd-Frank’s notorious Durbin Amendment. It restricts fees banks can charge merchants for use of their debit card networks — which just meant banks passed on these extra costs in the form of higher annual fees, offered fewer free checking accounts, and ended debit card reward programs. By one count, these extra costs may have forced a million poor Americans to stop using bank accounts at all. It’s time to recognize the Durbin Amendment is a failure and get it repealed."

NO WONDER WHY OUR POLITICIANS ARE SO IGNORANT, AFTER READING COUPLE OF ARTICLES LIKE THIS PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED IN GOOGLE SEARCH FOR "TRUMP ON SHARED ECONOMY" AND ACCEPTING THEM AS A LEGIT ANALYSIS.

"(5) Negotiate a free trade deal with Brexit Britain. The president-elect may look askance at trade with China and Mexico, but he has no such worries about Britain, one of America’s biggest mutual trading partners. And as luck would have it, Britain is now looking to conduct its own trade deals following its exit from the European Union. Mutually beneficial exchange of goods and services could easily generate billions of dollars of wealth on both sides of the Atlantic, instill market confidence, and help quell worries about a global trade war. President Trump’s new U.S. trade representative should invite U.K. Secretary for International Trade Liam Fox to Washington for talks, ASAP."

WITH US/UK TRADE AT FRACTION OF TOTAL US INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE, #5 IS OBVIOUS SMOKESCREEN TO COVER SMELL OF BS THIS ARTICLE IS ALL ABOUT,

"Trump could set these measures in motion very quickly, and hard-strapped Americans would start to see real change. We must begin to lift at least some of the $1.9 trillion burden regulation imposes on the economy every year. All Americans, whether they voted for Donald Trump or not, could get behind that."

VOTERS CAN NOT POSSIBLY GET BEHIND IT, BECAUSE THEY ARE ALREADY IN FRONT OF IT GETTING SCREWED BY SHARING ECONOMY, OWN POLITICIANS AND GOVERNMENT.

Commentary, by local taxi driver in Tampa Bay

Friday, September 9, 2016

You Make an Offer Taxi, St Petersburg FL

 
Make an Offer
For your next Long Distance or Airport Taxi Service in St Petersburg, FL
provided by Discount Taxi cabs of St Pete
*PLEASE NOTE, “MAKE AN OFFER TAXI” FORM IS DEDICATED TO COMPETE FOR YOUR BUSINESS
WITH OTHER LEGAL TAXI CAB COMPANIES IN PINELLAS COUNTY ON TRIPS LONGER THAN 15 MILES.
*WE RESERVE RIGHT TO REFUSE OR IGNORE ANY UNREALISTICALLY LOW RIDE OFFERS.
*WE DON’T SURGE RATES, WE LOWER THEM AND WE ARE 100% LEGAL TAXI OPERATOR.
 
>>>Make an Offer Airport Taxi in St Petersburg, FL 
 
 We gladly service following destinations:
Tampa, Ft. Myers, Venice, Miami, Orlando, Clearwater, Sarasota, Jacksonville, Ocala, Naples, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Fort Lauderdale, Cape Coral, Kissimmee, Lakeland, Winter Haven, Spring Hill, Panama City, St. Augustine, North Port, Port Charlotte, Panama City, West Palm Beach, Clearwater Beach, St Pete Beach, Key West, Tampa Airport, Sarasota Airport, Orlando Airport and many more within State of Florida.

Monday, August 22, 2016

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 ......


This article was brought to your attention by Legal Taxi Drivers Association of St Petersburg, FL
Please feel free to leave comments at:
http://saint-petersburg-florida-taxi.blogspot.com/2016/08/uber-drivers-are-21st-century.html#comment-form


Thursday, February 18, 2016

Alden Resort St Pete Beach, FL

Forget shoveling snow, shiver from the cold OR listen to your boss that you missed another day from work, plz come to St Pete Beach ASAP and enjoy Florida State of Mind at Alden Resort
....and while you here, Plz use only licensed and insured taxi cab services like Discount Taxi
We proudly service St Pete Beach, St Petersburg, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, Gulfport and surrounding areas.
.....To book Taxi to Airport, plz go to our website: Discount Taxi to Airport Reservations







Saturday, November 14, 2015

St Petersburg / Clearwater (PIE) Airport Taxi Reservation Online


 
Picture by Fly2pie.com

 

St Petersburg / Clearwater (PIE) Airport Taxi


"Going to PIE airport or catching a cab at St Petersburg / Clearwater Airport is made easier.
Please pre-book your taxi ride with Discount Taxi new PIE Airport reservation form.
Thank you

St Pete / Clearwater (PIE) Airport Taxi Reservation Service Online

  • Please Note, to ensure good service, Taxi reservation need to be made at least 6 Hrs in Advance of planned travel time.
    •   .........."


     For more info Please visit Discount Taxi website St Petersburg / Clearwater (PIE) Airport Taxi Reservation Service Online at:
     http://stpetersburgfltaxi.com/pie-st-petersburg-clearwater-airport-taxi/

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Text a Taxi St Petersburg FL at Discount Taxi


Please Include your address or name of the place where you need to be picked up and time of pick up. 
To Text 4 Taxi you can also use phone number 727-490-9164

St Petersburg Discount Taxi Company Hits Hi Tech Home Run

– A breakthrough development in the taxi cab business is taking the St. Petersburg Florida area by storm! An innovative, forward thinking entrepreneur down there has come up with a unique combination of traditional taxi service and high tech dispatching; it is called Text4Taxi and its advantages are many:

·       With this new service, there are none of the pitfalls of traditional over-the-phone dispatching.

·       There are never any annoying, time wasting busy signals.

·        There is never any need to worry about miscommunication or misunderstood directions due to spotty cell phone reception and garbled voice messages.

·        No crabby, impolite dispatchers answering the phone sounding grouchy and tired and talking to you as if they were angry with you, or sounding like they are doing you a favor by sending you a cab.

·       When special, detailed instructions for pickup, or complicated, hard to follow directions are part of the scenario, Text4Taxi really shines. There is no comparing the exact, precise details that can be obtained via text communication and the haphazard, hit-or-miss nature of verbal order taking.

·       Text4Taxi also provides the perfect method for positive verification and communication directly between the driver and the customer…"I am on my way, I should be there within 5 minutes" or "I am in front of the club in white Toyota Prius". Neither traditional phone dispatching, nor even the newly arrived taxi dispatching applications developed for smart phone users can achieve this level of accuracy and post contact verifiability.

·       Another tremendous advantage of texting vs. verbal contact is the ability can request a cab in noisy locations like concerts, sporting events or busy nightclubs without fear of your message being unintelligible or misunderstood. Additionally, Text4Taxi is also great when you need to be low key and unobtrusive such as when attending church, the symphony, at weddings and funerals. No need to whisper furtively into the phone while hoping no one hears you or notices you, and no more interrupting the proceedings and rudely exiting the room to call a cab. Text4Taxi eliminates the need for all of that.

·       Since texting provides a built in written record of all the details of the communication between driver and customer, there is never a problem for either party relying on faulty human memory to store vital information about who, when and where the taxi is going to show up.

Text4Taxi is also superior in many respects to its high tech counterpart taxi dispatching apps in that it provides a level of detail and ability for future ride booking that many apps are incapable of providing. Text4Taxi also allows the customer to pose detailed inquiries such as “how much would cost to get from downtown St Pete to south Tampa?”

Yes, there can be no argument that this clever taxi company’s ownership has hit a home run with their Text 4 Taxi concept. It is a winning combination of technology and outstanding customer service. Cab companies around the world are sure to follow suit and adopt this innovative new dispatching process.

Friday, November 28, 2014

Uber,- Insurance and Integrity Problems

Uber is up to it's old tricks again, advertising 'facts' that are not even close to being 100% factual. In this case Uber claims that they perform background checks that exceed the checks performed by conventional taxi companies, and they also  claim to have 1 million dollar per incident liability insurance. A recent NBC investigative report from a San Francisco TV station exposes the fallacy of these claims.

  It turns out that when you ride in an Uber car, you are typically not covered at all, neither by the drivers personal insurance nor by any insurance whatsoever from Uber. If you incur any injury while riding, or crashing, in an Uber car, you or your family will be stuck paying the entire medical bill yourself. This type of expense, potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars, could of course bankrupt even a well to do person. 



The insurance that private drivers carry does not cover the car, or the driver, if the car is being used professionally to provide transportation for hire. This kind of coverage requires commercial insurance, the type required by law in conventional taxi's and limo services. This commercial insurance is
significantly more costly than standard personal coverage, and to purchase this kind of insurance would render the driving of an Uber car economically unfeasible.

As for Ubers claim regarding extremely thorough criminal background checks, it seems that Uber is not being totally honest with their claims in this area either. They are clearly not more exhaustive than those required for legitimate taxi companies, and there is some question as to whether Uber performs any criminal background checks at all. NBC reports that they found drivers with criminal histories not only in San Francisco, but also in LA and Chicago. These drivers, some of whom were still on probation, had past convictions that include burglary, assault, and drug trafficking charges.  NBC even went as far as to have undercover felons apply for employment, and Uber hired them without question.

 Given these facts, I would not want my wife, child, or other loved ones to ride in an uninsured car
with a convicted felon which may very well be the case with an Uber ride. I'll stick with the traditional taxi companies who are required, by law,  to have proper insurance and also required by law to conduct a thorough background check performed by an accredited agency.



Thursday, November 20, 2014

The truth about UBER,- video

Four Myth’s That Uber is Spreading


Myth #1 – Uber is a Tech company

Uber is nothing more than a new way to dispatch taxi cabs. All of the “ride sharing” propaganda is just that;the fact is when you order a ride for an agreed upon price to a specific destination, you are acting as a taxi cab. Simply calling your taxi service a “ride sharing service” does not make it  a new and revolutionary product. As the classical wisdom says “ If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck” then it is most likely a duck. Uber’s claim to be a tech company providing a software service is just a very transparent attempt by the billion dollar company to avoid acting like a responsible business instead of a shifty, fly by night outfit. Uber is using this flimsy excuse to bilk local governments out of millions of dollars in revenue while lining their own pockets with Billions of dollars in ill-gotten profits. One day soon the hand of fate will deal the crushing blow to Uber, and I for one think it will be fitting and proper when it does finally happen! Uber has been making profit at the expense of honest, hard workibg people long enough and it is high time that it stops.

Myth#2- Uber and it’s drivers carry adequate insurance

Time and time again Uber drivers have been involved in accidents, including accidents that involve serious injuries and deaths, and Uber has consistently denied any responsibility or liability in these cases. Their claim of fully insured cars and drivers have been proven false time and time again as Uber drivers are involved in accidents and left to fend for themselves when it is time to appear in court. More than one Uber driver has had their lives ruined because of the company’s refusal to stand behind their drivers when the chips are down. A drivers personal insurance will not cover any injury or damage that occurs to the driver, his car, or the other party’s car or occupants because their personal policy specifically excludes any situations where the car is being used for commercial purposes. This has been the unanimous opinon of every sing insurance company involved in such a case, and has also been unanimously upheld by every court these cases have come before. Once again, it is the driver, and sometimes the other party’s in the accident, that end up paying the sometimes heavy price for Uber’s total disregard for decent and responsible corporate behavior. If you drive for, or ride in, an Uber car you are taking a very serious risk that could result in millions of dollars of debt as well as serious personal injury or even death. Do not be mislead by the outright falsification Uber presents regard the insurance issue, they have proven over and over again that they do not stand behind anyone and are only out to make a quick , and dishonest dollar.


Myth#3- Taxi laws do not apply to Uber ?

 – Despite Ubers claims of “not being in the transportation business” , and thus exempt to the rules and regulations governing the taxi industry, lawmakers across the country are realizing exactly what Uber is up to and are enacting laws to force Uber to play fairly.The fact is that Abe Lincoln was right when he said “ You can fool all of the people some of the time, or you can fool some of the people all of the time, but YOU CAN’T FOOL ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THER TIME. Uber has been playing their little game of legal cat and mouse for too long and in too many places and their house of cards is begging to rapidly fall. In the end of course it will be the drivers who suffer for Uber’s reprehensible tactics, just as it always has been their drivers who bear the brunt of the punishment for Uber’s transgressions. This abhorable, cheating organization will get what it deserves in the end, of that we can be certain.




Myth#4-  Uber drivers are thoroughly screened ?

- Murders, rapists, and undesirables of every description have been able to find employment with Uber. Apparently Uber’s “thorough screening” process is just like their “adequate insurance coverage”, a deliberate and brazen lie concocted to allow them to take unfair advantage of the legitimate, established taxi and limo companies by usurping the spirit, and the letter, of  local laws and regulations. Little, if any, screening of applicant is done, and certainly nothing even close to the rigorous and thorough legal screening required for taxi companies in virtually every municipality in America. If you are a shady character with a long criminal history, you need look no farther than Uber for your next job. Uber drivers have been accused, and convicted, of every crime you can think of, including sexual offenses, assault, and even murder. The shame of it is that it is Uber’s unsuspecting customers that ultimately pay the price for Uber’s disregard for their safety.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

UberX expanding its operation to Toronto Canada on pile of BS and Lies

Well it looks like Uber is continuing their expansion  policy, this time riding their magic carpet of lies and deceit into the beautiful Canadian city of Toronto, Ontario. Toronto is the largest city in Canada, and is also the provincial capital of Ontario. Now it is the arena where an oft repeated scam is about to unfold.

Using the all too familiar practice of paving their way into a new city with an onslaught of bogus claims and false advertising, Uber hopes to exploit the good people and local government of Toronto as it has across the United States and much of Canada. Grossly exaggerated claims of income, and outright lies regarding safety concerns and insurance policies are being proffered in Toronto as a matter of policy.  Uber has been using this method of moving into cities for several years now and they have refined the process into a highly effective one; They lur in hundreds of drivers with their unsubstantiated claims of outrageous earnings and low hours, while at the same time placating the local government with empty promises about safety and insurance concerns. It is a strategy that has served them well, and the billion dollar industry that has sprung up in their wake is motivating other illegal and unsafe copycat organazations. Lyft and Sidecar are two such outfits, and they invariably follow Uber when Uber infects a new city much like jackals follow lions to share in their kill. It is only a matter of time before honest, hard working drivers in the Toronto area start to come forward with stories of how Ubers dishonest and illegal practices have left the without a car, a job, or even a place to live. Uber drivers who are involved in accidents often lose their car, go deeply into debt after being sued, and are unable to find work as a result of their damaged driving record. Uber tells prospective drivers that they will be fully insured and that their lives and their personal safety are priorities at Uber, only to find that these are absolute falsehoods and that Ubers only true priority is the almighty dollar. Ubers rise from obscurity to fabulous wealth has been paid for by the pain and misery of the very employees that made that success possible. By the time the Toronto authorities catch on to Ubers treachery and finally put a stop to it, many hundreds of people will have had their lives irreversibly ruined as a result of choosing to drive for these scoundrels.

Uber drivers are not the only group to suffer as a result of Ubers abhorable practices; due to weak, and often non-existance criminal  background checks, the general population will be at risk as they get into cars being driven by drug dealers, thieves, even murderers and rapists. Innocent consumers, who’s only crime has been to use a new and purportedly safe alternative to traditional transportation options have suffered pain, financial harm, and even death due to Ubers lack of social responsibility and professional ethics. While they are claiming in their current publicity blitz to conduct background screening that exceeds industry standards as well as Toronto licensing requirements, the fact is Uber will hire virtually anyone with a drivers license and a car that runs.

If you are a professional driver in Toronto and you are being tempted by all of the smoke and mirrors of the current Uber recruiting drive, please do yourself a favor and look for employment instead at legitimate taxi and limo companies. These companies are regulated by the local Toronto municipal and civic codes, and are much more reliable and conscientious than Uber. They provide their drivers with safe, insured, company owned taxis and they insure both the car and the driver at all times. Of course, if you are a criminal, or have a poor driving record and a history of safety violations, you may want to consider working for Uber or one of the other ride-share outfits  because you will not be able to pass the criminal background check nor meet the high standards that the legal, conventional transportation companies adhere to.  Uber is setting up shop in Toronto, and if past experience is any teacher, there are going to be a lot of disappointed drivers and eventually a lot of outraged citizens and lawmakers that will soon see that Uber is not playing fair. The world is becoming increasingly aware that these ride-share scams are just that, scams, and are not living up to their promises, and are once again lying and cheating their way to financial success. Don’t be fooled, don’t become a pawn in this tragic game of bait and switch. Whether you are a driver or a customer, the hidden risk that lies behind the whole ride sharing concept is simply too big of an issue to ignore just to save a little bit of time or money;in the long run, you may lose in a big way




Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Uber safety concerns becoming more serious and more frequent

picture by foxnews.com

Uber safety concerns becoming more serious and more frequent

Traditional taxi cab companies have opposed the shady, corner cutting practices of ride-sharing operations like Uber since the San Francisco based software company began operating cut-rate transportation services to the northern California city. Now that companies like Uber and Lyft and Sidecar, the three giants in the billion dollar ride sharing business, are openly defying both the law and the establish ride for hire industry, legislators and lawmakers are beginning to see the importance of making these new kids in town pay the piper like their traditional transportation industry counterparts have been doing for many years.
District attorneys from both Los Angeles and San Francisco to the app-based transportation companies with stern warnings about their misleading statements to their customers and the public in general concerning what many see as serious safety issues. The letters to the three largest ride-share companies also contained accusations that the ride-sharing organizations are guilty of refusing to follow state laws and of incorporating illegal practices and the corresponding fines and penalties as a normal cost of doing business. In many cities Uber actually pays the fines imposed on their drivers by local police and courts.
San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascón has stated that Uber, Lyft and Sidecar need to correct multiple civil violations of state and local laws. He promised that if the app-based companies continue to disregard the law prosecutors will begin filing restraining orders as well as begin to assess the companies heavy fines.
The prosecutors' letters are the just  latest salvo by local governments in the ongoing war over how these Johnny-come-latelies to the transportation business attempt to undermine the existing structure of the industry by circumventing safety and permitting procedures that are designed to protect both the customers and drivers of these scofflaw companies. The companies allow customers to summon rides using smartphones and mobile devices based apps, and drivers transport passengers in their personal vehicles rather than licensed and inspected vehicles like traditional taxi companies are required to use. The services are often deceptively marketed as a safer, and The prosecutors' letters are the just  latest salvo by local governments in the ongoing war over how these Johnny-come-latelies to the transportation business attempt to undermine the existing structure of the industry by circumventing safety and permitting procedures that are designed to protect both the customers and drivers of these scofflaw companies. The companies allow customers to summon rides using smartphones and mobile devices based apps, and drivers transport passengers in their personal vehicles rather than licensed and inspected vehicles like traditional taxi companies are required to use. The services are often deceptively marketed as a safer, and cheaper alternative to taxis. These companies have been rapidly gaining popularity in San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as all around the world.
The latest investigations began in response to "a multitude of very serious complaints from both customers and legitimate taxi and limousine companies." Gascón said. The charges leveled by lawmakers include allegations  that the firms have failed to comply with multiple laws and local regulations that govern airport pickups and fare pricing. A recurring concern expressed both in California and nationwide is the fact that the ride-share have falsely told consumers that they perform background checks that  ensure their passengers that the drivers have no criminal record or previous driving violations.
Uber and Sidecar representatives said their firms' background checks comply with state law although they did not provide specific details regarding either the statutes they refer to or the exact background check process they claim to be employing. Echoing the vague defense the companies have been using in other cities, the reps for these companies claim that the charges are a result of misunderstandings. Their standard line is always something along the lines of this recent quote from Sunil Paul, the chief executive and founder of Sidecar:"We have a common interest," Paul said before a meeting with prosecutors "They have a high priority on safety, and our No. 1 concern is safety for riders, drivers and the public." Most experts agree that there is little truth to this claim and that the ride-share companies have historically shown little or no concern for the safety of either their passengers or their drivers. I think it is painfully obvious that their “No. 1 concern” is the billions of dollars of revenue at stake. Another commonly used, but inherently flawed defense used by the scofflaw companies is that they are merely ‘software providers’ and thus they are not really in the transportation business at all. Their flawed logic wears mighty thin under even the most casual scrutiny. It is no surprise that again, virtually all of the legal experts that have spoken out on the issue consider this line of reasoning unfounded and without any legal merit whatsoever.
What has become increasingly clear is that these companies are getting what they deserve and their time of making billions of dollars at the expense of legitimate transportation providers and local governments is quickly drawing to a close. If  California, the most supportive and lenient entity in terms of trying to work with these companies, has finally had enough of the lying and circular legal arguments Uber and their ilk employ, the rest of the country, and the world, can’t be far behind. I guess that is what happens when you bite the hand that feeds you, isn’t it?

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Jacksonville to lead Florida in dealing with Uber's corporate terrorism?

picture by http://angieaway.com/

Jacksonville City Council Wants Uber and Lyft to Pony Up 

In a move that many citizens and city council members feel is long overdue, the Jacksonville city council is planning to introduce legislation that will require ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft to go through the same permit application process as do other local transportation providers such as taxi’s and limousine services. Currently the ride-share outfits are sidestepping the permit process, claiming they are software services and as such they are not subject to the same rules and regulations as conventional  taxi cab companies. The taxi companies, and many in local government, claim that the result of this quasi-legal practice is an unfair trade advantage for the ride–share organizations because they do not have to pay the significant fees required to obtain and maintain the permits. Another issues often associated with Uber and other similar companies is that they are not currently required to perform the same level of background screening that the traditional transportation providers are subject to when applying for the permit. Proponents of the new legislation  claim that this results in both an unfair business advantage for the ride-share companies but also poses a significant public safety risk because the drivers for the ride-share companies often have been found to be employing felons; burglars, rapists, child molesters and even murderers have been alleged to be in the employ of Uber. 
Jacksonville City Councilman Stephen Joost recently announced that he plans to introduce new legislation that would give the city the power to impound unregulated vehicles using the Uber or Lyft software apps. The proposed new regulations would also allow the city to seize the vehicles of repeat offenders. Joost said the more stringent  sanctions  are what is necessary to motivate the drivers of ride-share cars to follow city laws.
These companies, with “ride share” models that allow people to arrange and pay for transportation with their smart phones, have come under increasing scrutiny  in recent months for employing drivers who have not been screened for criminal backgrounds and also not permitted or regulated by the city of Jacksonville..
City Council members and citizens alike say the unregulated vehicles pose a safety risk. They’ve also accused Uber of going back on an assurance made last year to not bring its unregulated driving service to Jacksonville. There are currently well over 100 Uber drivers operating in the Jacksonville area, some sources claim as many as 500.
Lyft and Uber spokespeople insist that they provide a popular and innovative service to a willing market among the residents of Jacksonville. They say their services may differ somewhat from  traditional taxi operations but they insist that their new model can be implemented in a manner that takes all necessary safety precautions and screens and insures their drivers.
In a recent email, Taylor Bennett, an official Uber spokesperson was quoted as saying “If the council’s true concern were safety, then it would embrace Uber for being the safest ride on the road. Instead, this proposal is nothing but an attempt to stifle free market competition on behalf of special interests, which have over time increasingly failed to innovate and meet consumer demand.”
Uber  first appeared on the scene in Jacksonville in 2013, and began allowing travelers to arrange high-end rides with local transportation companies through a cell phone app and arrange for  payment with a credit card kept on file in a database maintained by Uber.
In an effort to be fair to both sides of the ride-sharing issues, the city of Jacksonville  changed its vehicle-for-hire regulations to accommodate the high end lxury ride-sharing service, which the company calls UberBlack. In return for this concession, Uber promised the city it wouldn’t introduce its lower-cost uberX service to Jacksonville. As it has done in cities across the nation, and around the world , Uber has reneged on it’s promise and thumbed it’s nose at local government.
As with UberBlack, passengers can order uberX rides through their phones and do not need to pay with cash. But the drivers typically own their vehicles and they tend to be part-time drivers who pick up passengers to earn extra money..
Local police conducted an undercover operation during an august Jaguars and issued civil citations to both uberX and Lyft drivers. A judge is expected issue a ruling on those cases next week. The city also issues citations to the companies each time a driver receives a violation. Each violation can result in a fine of  up to $500.
Both Uber and Lyft pay their drivers’ fines, companies consider the fines as a cost of doing business and this  concerns  councilmen Joost and Lumb because the policy of these companies is accepting illegal behavior as part of their operating model.
Joost said his legislation would provide increased  motivation for prospective Uber and Lyft drivers to get permits if they knew their vehicles could be impounded and the could be charged with criminal violation of misdemeanor, if they didn’t. start to comply with local laws
It is becoming increasingly clear that local governments around the country are beginning to see through Ubers “tell them what they want to hear”  policy of making promises they never intend to keep, and to routinely breaking civil ordinances and pay the resulting penalties as a normal part of doing businesses.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Taxi Driver on Uber and Lyft / Opinion

"The commission’s executives are continuing to negotiate with the ride-sharing businesses over ways to help them operate legitimately, and many of the key issues, including more thorough background checks, commercial insurance, vehicle inspections and whether the commission can impose pre-determined rates on rides, have been worked out."

Neither Uber nor Lyft want to communicate with PTC, why?
because 3-6 months from now, when they are going to be forced to accept conditions imposed on them by court, they also will be forced to raise the rates to compensate drivers for extra expenses like commercial insurance, city license, hack license, car inspections, etc.
............but,.......... by then , their market share in local personal transportation field will be substantially higher, build on $1.20 a mile rides they advertise now.
Needless to say, when they are going to rise rates, they also  will be blaming "bad" PTC for that, making uber look like "Robin Hood" company FORCED TO COMPLY WITH EVIL GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS.
............a cinderella, fighting "corrupted taxi cartels"........?   

picture by TBO.com



By 
The simmering feud between the agency that regulates cab and limousine services in Hillsborough County and a handful of upstart ride-sharing companies escalated Thursday when a Lyft driver refused to take a plea on a misdemeanor of driving a taxi without a license and demanded a jury trial.
Farhad Kazemi, 42, rejected a misdemeanor intervention program that could have resulted in a dismissal of the charges and said he wanted his case heard by a jury. Hillsborough County Judge Lawrence Lefler set a trial date of Oct. 20.
Another Lyft driver, Darrell Rogers, was scheduled to appear in court Thursday on similar charges but failed to appear. Lefler issued a warrant for his arrest.
The two are the first of nearly two dozen cases made by local transportation inspectors over the past two weeks that now are wending their way through county court. The court cases began after the Public Transportation Commission, which has been locked in a dispute with Uber and Lyft over what level of regulation the ride-sharing services should be subject to, set up an operation to cite the drivers.
“I guess it was a sting,” Public Transportation Commission Executive Director Kyle Cockream said of the operation that netted Kazemi and other ride-sharing drivers. “That’s the closest thing to describe it.”............"

Friday, September 12, 2014

Canada vs Uber Con Artists



picture by http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com

Uber In Canada


Uber has become one of the fastest-growing tech companies of the past year. It seems you are hearing about it everywhere, and it has even launched in Canada. This year, the company has raised $1.5 billion in venture capital, and it touts itself as a cheaper alternative to taking a taxi, while also laying claims that it is possible to make $50,000 to $100,000 a year as an Uber driver.
The road for Uber has not been an easy one, especially in Canada. In September of 2012, it was reported that Uber was in a dispute with local regulators, and two months later it was announced that the company was raising its rates to $75 per hour to comply with regulations. By December, Uber had chosen not to get a licence from the city. That same month, Uber was charged with 25 municipal licencing offenses in Toronto, including having an unlicensed taxi brokerage and unlicensed limo service.
Uber has touted itself as an alternative to taxis, but many have found that just getting an Uber ride is very difficult. In a piece in the Financial Post, published in September of 2014, a reporter attempted to compare different transit options, including Uber. Depsite checking several times between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., he found no cars were available and the reporter had to take transit to work. As a result, the reporter could not verify the claim that it is 40 per cent cheaper than a Toronto taxi.
What about the claims of making $50,000 to $100,000? These claims seem to be greatly exaggerated upon. For one, there are often too many people offering the service now to actually bring in that much money. One driver stated that they work the busiest hours of the day for Uber, driving people around, and clear around $1,000 a month. That comes to $12,000 a year, far below the average and only in the busiest place at the busiest time.
The road for Uber has not been a smooth one, with many controversies surrounding the company, including in Canada. In December 2013, a person who was working as an Uber driver struck and killed a six-year-old girl with his car. The driver was not carrying a passenger but because the driver was checking the Uber mobile application at the time, the family launched a lawsuit against Uber.
The National Federal of the Blind has also filed a lawsuit against uber claiming that the company violates the American with Disabilties Act. There was one reported instance of a service dog being stored in the trunk and the refusal of the driver to acknowledge the concern of the blind passenger. Another case showed a driver getting into a verbal exchange with a blind man, and accelerating quickly, nearly injuring the guide dog. Cab drivers in Paris have also protested the competition created by the startup. Drivers blocked roads of many European cities in protest of what they see is a threat to their livelihood. They state that Uber, due to it being app-based, is not subject to the same fees and regulations they face.
Uber has also been cited as sabotaging other competitors. Uber employees in New York City were reported to have ordered rides from Gett, a competitor, only to cancel them later. This wasted the time of the drivers to get actual customers, and it lowered the incentives of the drivers to keep with the company, causing them instead to go to Uber. Lyft has also been subject to sabotage. A CNN Money story in August of 2014 found that 177 Uber has also been cited as sabotaging other competitors. Uber employees in New York City were reported to have ordered rides from Gett, a competitor, only to cancel them later. This wasted the time of the drivers to get actual customers, and it lowered the incentives of the drivers to keep with the company, causing them instead to go to Uber.   Lyft has also been subject to sabotage. A CNN Money story in August of 2014 found that 177 Uber employees ordered and cancelled 5,560 rides with Lyft over the past year. One Uber recruiter canceled 300 rides in the space of two weeks. Uber did not issue an apology for this.
With Uber in Canada, many see the company threatening the livelihood of taxi companies, when rides can be found at all. Many complain that all that is needed to be an Uber employee is a background check, but little else, which can put people at risk when getting in a car with someone who is not working under a regulated taxi cab service.
Uber has had many problems in the past, and their claims of paying upwards of $50,000 or more to people who drive for them seem to be greatly exaggerated. Many feel that the company has grown too fast, and has no real regulations to keep things in check. Coupled with its business practices, or the practices of its employees, when dealing with competitors, and it is clear to see that Uber has several black eyes for its business so far.
If you are thinking of being an Uber employee, don’t waste your time it seems. If you are thinking of using Uber, it might be best to just choose a regular taxi cab company.

Toronto, Ontario,
 Montreal, Quebec,
Calgary, Alberta,
Ottawa, Ontario,
Edmonton, Alberta,
Mississauga, Ontario,
Winnipeg, Manitoba,
Vancouver, British Columbia,
 Brampton, Ontario,
Hamilton, Ontario,
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Monday, September 1, 2014

What I hate about UBER Idiots?

Their lack of understanding and unwillingness to research social issues related to Uber,
 association of their own stupidity and ignorance with "PROGRESS",
Constantly miscategorizing Uber as a Godsend instead ROBBER BARONS,
refusal to understand dynamics surrounding UBER expantion and how Uber treats their drivers, communities, competition, customers, and local laws...........

picture by blindgossip.com/

"You-hate-uber-then-you-hate-america

.by (head in the butt) Lewis Krell / huffingtonpost

Portland, Ore., is a charming place with plenty of green trees, street names that inspired Simpson's characters, and people who still claim that drafting Greg Oden over Kevin Durant was the right move. Business took me to Portland last week, and despite all the wonderful things about the city, there is one major flaw: Portland hates progress. More specifically, Portland hates the taxi app Uber. The municipal government has caved to the taxi unions, and Uber is not allowed to operate in the city at all.
I looked down on these poor Portlanders, and I pitied how they lived quaint lives in a land that time seemed to have forgotten. These people still call dispatchers or, even worse, stand on street corners attempting in vain to hail cabs that they pray will happen to drive by and rescue them. Their own government has forsaken the population and forced them to live in a city filled with inconvenience rather than its much, much more popular counterpart, convenience. I couldn't wait to get back to Seattle, where I currently reside, so I could re-enter a world that embraces innovation and the disruption of broken, legacy systems. Surely, I thought to myself, Seattle would never make a mistake of that magnitude.
Last Monday Seattle made a mistake of this exact magnitude. My worst fears came true when the city council of Seattle passed a resolution that drastically reduces the number of Uber drivers who are allowed on the road at any given time. Living for a few days through the traditional taxi-cab system of Portland made me realize two things, the first being that I really, really love Uber, and the second being that I could not stay silent as these cities stifle innovation and ingenuity in a country that is supposed to admire and promote these attributes.
Companies and industries fail when they stagnate from an innovation perspective, and when they stop listening to, and caring about, the end consumer. At its best, capitalism solves a problem by disrupting an old and broken system and creating in its place something new and useful and better. The taxi system is the very definition of an old and broken system. Instead of continuing to rant like a lunatic who sounds like he must have worked as a speechwriter for the Romney campaign, let's go into some analysis of the best- and worst-case scenarios for an intoxicated person needing a ride home on a cold, winter night.
Best-case scenario using the current taxi cartel: Call a taxi. Wait on hold for 10 to 20 minutes. Finally talk to a human being. This human being hates you. This human being hangs up on you before you place an order. Call again. Wait on hold for 20 to 30 minutes. Finally talk to a human being again. This human really hates you. Eventually order a cab. You are........."

>>> Read More

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

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




Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Uber and Lyft drivers are being charged with misdemeanor





Taxi Owner Goes Undercover, Files Papers Against Lyft and Uber Citations seem to be part of doing business, and breaking into a new market, for the app-based ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft. They're finding out that elbowing their way into Houston's livery space for the past month doesn't come cheap. (Remember, Lyft is the one with the pink mustache on the grill, and Uber is the other one.) Neither organization is allowed to operate like it wants to in this city, just yet. There's this little thing called Chapter 46 and an amendment to for-hire requirements that's working its way through city council. An Uber spokesperson tells us that they're looking to eliminate a 30-minute wait requirement, as well as a minimum fair requirement for catching rides. Right now, both services operate without charging riders. But that might not really be the case according to testimony heard in city hall. The issue came up at yesterday's council meeting and Mayor Annise Parker said that undercover Houston police sting operations have resulted in 26 citations for Uber and Lyft drivers. They were likely, misdemeanor violations for operating an illegal taxi. See this: Houston Threatens Uber With Some Legalese Over Email Campaign The mayor's remark was in reply to testimony from Duane Kamins, a partner, along with his brothers in Houston's second largest cab company, Houston Transportation Services. He's also a lawyer and filed an affidavit with the state revealing his findings during his own undercover operation where he was charged some dollars for trips to the pharmacy and thereabouts. "We clearly have two rogue operators in the city of houston today, uber and lyft who are operating in clear violation of Chapeter 46 of the [city] code," he said......... .>>>Read More