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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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.......>>>

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How to become taxi driver in Tampa Bay

Taxi Drivers
You'll have to check with your local government offices or a taxi company. As a general rule, taxi drivers only need to have the standard, Class E driver's license. However, local jurisdictions may impose additional requirements.



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Taxi sharing ideas and opinions

A Few Simple Rules for NYC's New Taxi-Share Program

The TLC is introducing some newfangled way to share taxi cabs during rush hour. Clearly, we're going to have to come up with some sort of social contract to make these cheap rides bearable. Here is a good start.

This system has riders sharing rides from designated pick-up spots throughout the city between 6 and 10am and lets them get out at any stop along a designated route. Oh, finally a cheap alternative that drives on the streets, allows people to share the same space, and lets you get on and off along a set route. We've never heard of that before!

The shared cabs will pick people up at 57th and Eighth, 72nd and Columbus, and 72nd and Third, and people will pay between $3 and $4 for the ride. We haven't quite decoded how the whole system works, but it can't be that complicated. However, we may have unlocked the more difficult mystery of how to get along with other riders. Here are a few simple tenets, but let us know if we missed any.

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Free listings of transportation / Taxi jobs in Tampa Bay

If you are an owner of taxi company or one taxi cab and you are looking for reliable driver or dispatcher please place your listing on this blog for free.
All you need to do is fill the form below to list your taxi / dispatcher job
Please allow us 24 hrs to process your request

Picture by TampaBay.com

>>> Click here To list Your Taxi / Dispatching Job

>>>Taxi Driver Jobs, Cape Coral / Ft. Myers, FL

Restaurants Recommended by Rome's Taxi Drivers

Where to eat in Rome – by the city's cabbies

In her popular blog, Layne Mosler seeks out good, cheap eateries recommended by the city's taxi drivers. But how would she get on with Rome's notorious cabbies?

"Are you coming to Rome for a holiday?" the snowy-haired Italian sitting next to me on the plane asked.

"Actually, no," I said. "I'm coming to write about taxi drivers. And their favourite places to eat."

The man, an engineer and hobby archaeologist who was born and raised in Rome, slapped his hand to his forehead. "Our taxi drivers," he shook his head, "are terribili!"

He was not the first person to warn me about taxi drivers in Rome. Year after year, they are voted among the worst in the world. According to a 2011 EuroTest report by 22 European automobile clubs, "Rome's taxi drivers are aggressive, do not respect speed limits and traffic lights, and take long detours off the requested route."

In other words, if there was any city where taxi drivers were going to take me for a ride, it was Rome. But however naive it might have sounded to the Roman I met on the plane, I believed that some of the capital's 8,000 tassisti would show me where to find good things to eat in their city.

I based this belief on a steak. Five years ago I decided to climb into a random cab in Buenos Aires and ask the driver to take me to his favourite restaurant. After the taxista delivered me to a transcendent bife de lomo at a side-street steakhouse called Parrilla Peña, I started hopping into cabs in Buenos Aires, Berlin and New York, asking drivers where to eat and documenting my discoveries on a blog called taxigourmet.com.

In New York, I met two female cab drivers who showed me the way to Jamaican curried goat and Puerto Rican mofongo – and convinced me that I could drive a yellow taxi, too, which I did, for a year, chauffeuring everyone from hysterical brides to ex-New Yorkers searching for pastrami.

No one, my colleagues taught me, knows a city better than a cabbie. And four trips to Italy had taught me that few people know food better than Italians. What would happen if I tested these two truths in Rome – a city with some of the greatest food, and some of the most notorious taxi drivers, in the world?

"Buona sera," I said to the tassista who was parked, along with six of his colleagues, next to the Esso station on Piazza Albania. He winced at my accent and started rolling a cigarette.

"I'm looking for a cheap restaurant not too far from here," I continued.

"I never eat at restaurants around here," he said.................

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Taxi Drivers Fighting Windmills ?

Honking Cab Drivers Demand San Francisco Ban On Ride sharing Services

With horns blaring, a long line of taxicabs circled San Francisco City Hall this afternoon, with cab drivers demanding that the city ban smartphone-enabled rideshare services.

As their colleagues circled the block, dozens of taxi drivers gathered on the steps of City Hall to call for the regulation of rideshare companies such as Lyft, Sidecar and Uber.

One of the rally’s organizers, Barry Korengold, president of the San Francisco Cab Drivers Association, called the startup companies “unfair competition.”

He said, “legal cabs are getting screwed,” citing a large drop in taxi ridership since the companies began operating.

The taxi drivers are asking city officials and the California Public Utilities Commission to step in.

The CPUC, which regulates passenger carriers, has asked an administrative law judge to compile a report on rideshare companies.

In December, the commission tasked the judge with gathering information to “evaluate the safety of ridesharing businesses that utilize the Internet, social media, and location services to arrange transportation of passengers over public highways for compensation,” according to CPUC documents......

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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

Taxi Rates to Miami Airport, Information

How much is a cab fare to Miami Airport ?

Lets assume that passenger wants to get from point A somewhere in Miami Metropolitan Area to Miami Airport by taxicab.

The cost of cab ride might vary greatly depending on certain conditions like traffic, time of the day, weather, Taxi company providing him/her with service and their rates, experience of a Taxi Driver (if he knows what he is doing), if Taxi company taking passenger to airport offers flat rates, etc.


Below are examples of taxi fares to Miami Airport from certain points in Miami
Metropolitan area:


from Pembroke Pines $50 - $68
from Cooper City $55 - $72
from Fort Lauderdale Airport $55 - $68
from Hallandale Beach $45 - $60
from Hollywood $48 - $60

from Port of Miami $24 - $35

from Pompano Beach $88 - $106

Examples of Taxi rates to Miami airport (MIA) from some cities in South Florida

from St Petersburg, FL  $495
from Tampa      $545
from Clearwater       $535
from Sarasota   $450
from Spring Hill  $595
from Palm Harbor $545
from Cape Coral   $325
from Port Charlotte $375
from Ft Myers  $335

St Petersburg, FL, Best Restaurants by Taxi Drivers

Florida's Best Restaurants recommended by local cab drivers for other taxi drivers and their customers, - feel free to list your favorite restaurant if you are a taxi driver, -please list full name and address of particular restaurant and menu items you like the most.
Hey, you never know, - may be your next cab fare asks you if you know any good Italian restaurants in Downtown Saint Pete, Tampa or Orlando, this information alone could be worth 100% tip on the top of your cab fare and repeated customer, who might be going next day to Miami airport........:)
You just NEVER KNOW....

If you in Saint Petersburg area and need a cab ride, please call

727-490-5100

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

Are All Taxi Drivers Crooks?

By JC

For some, thinking of taxi drivers will conjure up images of crooked swindlers and professional con artists.  People think of characters like Louie De Palma and Danny DeVito's Character from the TV show “Taxi” and, imagine that any person in this profession must be just like them; an opportunistic, greedy, and completely self-serving thief who has no issues with stealing the money off weary travelers.  A few trips through a big city like New York can easily make this stereotype seem like fact.  The problem is the stereotype fails when you ask a single question; if all taxi drivers are crooks, why do people still use their services?

The Scams

People who live in cities rarely have issues with local cabbies that tourists and business people do, simply because the locals know the layout of their home.  In New York for example, the use of cab drivers is practically a tradition; it’s hard to swindle someone who knows what the quickest route is and, knows when their driver has suddenly opted for a longer trip.

What visitors rarely realize is that they often stand out as a tourist.  This makes them attractive customers to the few drivers who are looking for an easy target.  It gives “cabbies” the option to take longer routes that eat the meter, or to “assume” that they were supposed to keep the change as a tip and drive off before the mistake can be corrected.

Do Some Research

With scams like these, it's no wonder that some people regard taxi drivers with such suspicion.  Many drivers, however, are friendly, honest, and forthright.  Often, the problem is that tourists and business professionals who use taxi services unknowingly communicate that they're easy marks.  Some research can go a long way in making sure you get honest cabbies and thwart the couple of sneaks you might come across.

In any area where you’ll be spending a lot of time, do research on the taxi licenses that drivers should have.  Know what they should look like and know where the important information should be displayed upon them.  If the Taxi doesn't have a license don't use their service, most of the more dangerous and threatening cons are pulled off by unlicensed cabs!  Once you determine your cab driver has the right papers and permits write down the name and license numbers, the simple act of recording this information will show any dishonest drivers you may be dealing with that you're paying careful attention to what is going on; many tricks require oblivious or unaware customers.

If you have a smart-phone, use a GPS application to track the route they're taking.  When the driver diverts from the most efficient route promptly ask why.  You don't need to be suspicious right away as there can be completely legitimate reasons (such as closed roads) to change routes.  While you can use a paper map for the same thing, a cell phone is less obtrusive and maps kind of defeat the object of not drawing attention to yourself.

These few steps will help you thwart the handful of dishonest drivers you may come across on your travels.  Just pay attention to any red flags that come up during

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit workers go on strike

BART strike a moneymaker for ride-sharing services and taxi apps

From MercuryNews.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- The BART strike that unleashed chaos on Bay Area highways Monday has become a business opportunity for ride-sharing and carpooling services and taxi-hailing apps, which have stepped in to help stranded commuters get to work.

Bay Area ride services Uber, Lyft and Sidecar jumped on social media networks over the weekend, as a strike began to look imminent, to recruit commuters who needed to get to work. Early Monday morning they filled the roads with their drivers, and the calls came in. By 9:30 a.m. Monday, Sidecar had seen a 40 percent increase in rides over the previous Monday, and had increased the number of drivers on the road by 50 percent to keep up with growing demand, said Margaret Ryan, vice president of communications.

Public transit strikes are a marketing opportunity for these ride-sharing companies. Uber, which uses an app to dispatch black town cars, taxis and low-cost rides in hybrids or small cars, said it planned to visit some BART stations during the strike to recruit commuters without a ride. The company offered free rides in Boston when one of the city's mostly highly used rail lines shut down for several weekends in late 2011 and early 2012.

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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....

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Legal matters of conducting Taxi Business in General

Should Taxi Drivers and Taxi Companies Be Allowed to Sue Seattle City or City Council?

By AB

As an average person who hails the odd taxi now and then in Seattle, you may not be aware of the trouble that has been brewing over recent months (if not, years). It seems the difference between taxicab firms and for-hire drivers in Seattle is not only confusing to many customers, especially those who are not from Seattle but you could be spending more money than you should. This is where the argument lies with taxicabs (or so it would seem).
There are certain rules and regulations that both for hire drivers and taxi drivers must follow but, the biggest complaint is that for-hire drivers are flaunting these rules. As with everything, there are two sides to every story so, let’s start by outlining some of the rules that need to be adhered to and how these are being flaunted.

Taxicab Drivers
· Taxicab drivers have meters which mean they charge a specific amount per mile for the journey you take with them.
· People who drive these cabs must have a background check done to ensure they’re legally allowed to drive and are safe to do so.
· Every driver must hold a license to drive a cab.
· If you need to flag a taxi, it should only stop if the driver is licensed by Seattle City Council to do so.
· Taxicab companies must have a uniformed color scheme for all vehicles.

For-Hire Drivers
· Of course, a license is required.
· For-hire drivers are not metered and can, therefore, charge pretty much what they like.
· Background checks are not always done on for-hire drivers.
· It’s against the rules for a taxi service like this to accept custom when been flagged down in the street.
· For-hire drivers are not allowed to use the words “taxi” or “cab” anywhere on their vehicles.
· The same applies to color schemes; these shouldn’t really mirror the scheme a legal taxi company has.

The Debate
The main problem for drivers who are licensed to drive taxicabs or work for a legal taxi company is the way in which for-hire drivers are conducting their daily business. The biggest issue is the price. Some for-hire drivers are charging prices that cannot be competed with, add to this the fact they flaunt the rules by routinely picking up customers that flag them in the street and you soon start to

What is the best car to use for a taxi?

What is the best car to use for a taxi?

By Eric Edwards

When answering the question “What is the best car to use for a taxi?”, one must first consider the intended market that the taxi will be driven in. A car that would be advantageous for short trips with light loads may not be appropriate for a market that includes mainly long trips with large loads. Each market presents a different scenario, and each will be best suited by a different type of car. These scenarios differ in many aspects, including road conditions, terrain, fuel availability and prices, as well as the load size and trip length requirements previously mentioned. In this article I will describe 5 different scenarios, or markets:

Markets

USA – 

In the USA, taxis are most often used for short trips and carry small loads, and are used primarily in
the larger cities and to carry passengers to/from airports. Passenger comfort and mechanical longevity are the most important areas to consider in this market. The relatively low fuel prices in most parts of the US make a larger taxi, like the Ford Crown Victoria, a viable option. Many taxi’s in the USA have a partition between the front and rear seat, so the prospective buyer must factor this space requirement into their purchasing decision.

UK – 

The high cost of fuel and relatively light distance and load requirements make fuel performance  and physical size the primary factors in choosing a car for use in a market like the UK. Another important factor is the size and maneuverability of the car;the taxi needs to be able to navigate the crowded narrow streets one encounters in the big cities of the UK.
India – In India the initial cost of the car and the cost of operation are the most

Taxi Dispatching Solutions and Ideas

Full Service Taxi Dispatching Solutions: TaxiDispatchCenter.com

Services

Unlike traditional dispatch system providers where you purchase or lease all the equipment and train the staff to use it, CCSi offers full-service, turnkey reservation, dispatch and back office services by providing computer hardware, software and personnel.  A typical CCSi client takes advantage of the following services:

Call Taking – CCSi staff handles all incoming telephone calls, enters new reservations and looks up information about existing reservations using CCSi’s own best in class, Microsoft Windows based, VB.NET software.  CCSi’s software is fully integrated with its telephone switch.  The result is 100% guarantee that the fleet that owns the telephone number called by the customer receives the reservation.  Using customer’s telephone number, CCSi software displays the customer’s address and any special instructions if the customer has called us before.  The software alerts the CSA if a reservation has been entered from the same address or telephone number within the past hour to prevent duplicate trips and also to expedite callback handling by displaying the map showing the customer’s pickup address, the location of the vehicle assigned to the customer and the distance between the two points.  It is not unusual for CCSi customers to call back and be told by the CSA to look outside and to their amazement they see a taxi pulling up.  CCSi has developed and is currently using IVR technology to allow bars/restaurants and hotels to reserve taxis without speaking with a CSA.  Another application, called Auto CSA, intercepts customers who are on hold and have previously called CCSi and gives them a choice to place their reservation for the address their phone number is associated with without speaking with a CSA.  We also provide taxi reservation services through RideCharge web and iPhone reservations, through SMS texting from cell phone via GoFastCab.com and through CCSi’s own SMS short code (469222, www.4MyCab.com) and smart phone apps.

>>> Full Service Taxi Dispatching Solutions: TaxiDispatchCenter.com

The Mobile Data Solutions Company

Mobile Knowledge has been innovating and delivering automated dispatch technologies to the For-Hire industry for more than 30 years. Our team of approximately 50 engineers, business analysts and administrative personnel, are recognized throughout the world for the high quality of our equipment, software, and support services. Our open system approach distinguishes us from our competition and ensures that clients have the ability to tailor their overall system to meet their specific requirements.   With more than 150 systems deployed worldwide, and more than 50,000 vehicles equipped with Mobile Knowledge Mobile Data Terminals (“MDTs”), Mobile Knowledge is recognized as one of the largest and most experienced solution providers in the area of For-Hire Fleet management.  >>>The Mobile Data Solutions Company

Taxi Dispatch Systems

MTData has one of the world’s most advanced taxi dispatch    systems, used by over 29,000 taxis worldwide. Built on the latest technology platforms, the system has been designed with open architecture and extensive options allowing customers the utmost level of flexibility through self-configuration. MTData is committed to continuous improvement in order to provide the best technology as well as excellent after sales service and support. The consistent investment in research and development assures customers will always have access to tools that enable them to remain leaders in their market place.

>>>Taxi Dispatch Systems

Toyota Prius as a Taxi Cab

What is general opinion of cab drivers on using Toyota Prius as a taxi ?  

How long they last? 

Do they develop mechanical / electronic problems and at what points or after what mileage ?

How much does it cost to repair Toyota Prius ?

After how many miles / kilometers battery needs to be replaced and how much does it cost ?

How long lasts Toyota Prius  electric transmission ?

What can go wrong Toyota Prius electric transmission?

How many miles to a gallon or liters per 100 Kilometers does Toyota Prius taxi gets in real world usage?

Dave Matthews drives Toyota Prius, He Likes New York, dislike 50 sex stores at Frankfurt airport, he thinks about being a "sword" on ..... watch interview 

Dustin Hoffman drives Toyota Prius

Saint Petersburg FL Taxi Etiquette & How to Flag a Taxi

By Danielle Antosz

Whether you are native to Tampa Bay or just in town visiting, taxis are a convenient way to get around town and avoid dealing with parking fees, terrible traffic or unfamiliar public transportation system.
If you are in the Saint Petersburg FL area (or most any major cities) and want to get where you are going fast and without an issue, you need to treat your  taxi driver well! Here is how to successfully flag a taxi and get where you are going quickly.

1. Pretend you aren’t as drunk as you are. Your friend told a joke, and it was just plain hilarious. Awesome, but while you are bent over double laughing it up,  taxis are driving right past you. Picking up drunk people is part of the job, but if we get the idea you are going to be a huge pain then you aren’t worth it. We will keep on driving.

2. Know where you are going and be able to communicate it clearly. We can’t hear you when you mumble. Be ready to tell the driver where you are going, preferably with an exact address.  Please don’t discuss it with your friends for five minutes and make me wait. (with that being said  don’t be afraid to ask. Tampa taxi drivers

Benefits of Being a Taxi Driver in Tampa Bay

By Danielle Antosz

People become taxi drivers for many different reasons. No one is born knowing they want to be a taxi driver, usually circumstances push them to the job. With that being said, there are a lot of perks of being a taxi driver, and most of us love what we do. The hours are long, and slow shifts are tedious, but there is a reason we do it year after year. If you are considering becoming a Tampa taxi driver, here are a few things you can look forward to.

Be your own Boss!
Starting a business is expensive – you have to pay for overhead, taxes, licenses, equipment, and product. If you are looking for an easy way to be your own boss, taxi driving is a great place to start!

Your employment situation can vary based upon how your company is set up, but most Tampa taxi drivers rent their car from a taxi company or they own their own car and pay for dispatches from a company. There is no boss leaning over your shoulder all shift, and once you cover your fees the rest of the profit is yours. Which means the harder you work, the more money you make. And, unlike other startup businesses, the startup costs are relatively low.

Every Day is Payday
Instead of waiting for payday, you get to take home cold, hard cash after every shift. No more extreme budgeting to make sure you can last to next payday. However,