Tampa Taxi Shots

No Turkey Business

The state of the taxi is dire. we had less ten one page of time calls Wednesday when we should have had 7 pages. Our economy is very bad, I guess. They can't sell Buc tickets; they can't sell Ray tickets, can't sell cabs. Many of the drivers are going tro management telling them to get us some biz baby.

Training Day With Justin

 I was really broke and very glad to be able to get back to work. I walked over to the office and was introduced to a man named Justin who would take me out today and train me on how to be a cab driver. He showed me about the taxi meter and how the radio worked before we even pulled out of the parking lot. He said all of this will make more since after we take a few calls and I get to see how all this works. 

     On the way out of the parking lot, we head down an alley where there are some white houses and Justin says he needs to stop and get something. This apparently is his house. How cool is that!? I mean living about 200 feet from the shop would come in handy if you were running late. Justin got out and went inside. I was sitting all alone in the cab and I could hear over the radio "Fist call...second call...486..check 4..and so forth"  I would soon learn what all of that meant. 

    Justin gets back in the cab and I ask him is he owns this house. He says "Somebody own it."  I guess he must be renting.  He told me the owners of them company Nancy and J.C. (actually the managers, United Cab had been sold to a company out of Ft. Lauderdale called Gulf Coast Transportation inc.) owned  the house and he was living there.

     I did not realize it at the time but this underscored a real problem with the taxi business as a whole. Vetrern Drivers end uppennyless. I would soon learn that you can driver for twenty years and not have  a pot to piss in or a window to through it out of. It is even worse, there are no benefits and no retirement. I was not thinking about any of that, I just needed a job and I had decades to go before I retired. 

     Justin lived most of his life in Lousianna and was pretty much a wildcatter all of his life. He told me a story about a parish where the KKK had a hugh influence. There was a sign on the county line that said "Nigger don't let the sun set on your ass." I really hope that was a long time ago. Justin described himself as a "Coon Ass."  That was a compliment to be called that in Lousianna. He told me stories about drinking and gambling and fooling around with another mans wife. This guy really seemed to have lived an adventursome life. Mine seemed rather dull up to this point. 

   We swung by some of the stands so that I would know were they were at. Justin now said it was my turn to work the microphone in a bidding situation.  A stand 23 went second call. That means any cab that is in that zone, not on a stand, or any cab in a surrounding zone can give the dispatcher their location.  After the dispatcher takes all the bids, he will determine who is the closest cab. 

     I nervously gave our location as Kennedy and Himes. The dispatcher took a few more bids and determined that we had won the call. Cool! We now went over to channel two, which is our information channel to find out exactly where we were going.  Justin said we used to do it all on one channel, but other drivers were stealing fares, so they went to the two channel system. The fare was at the Days Inn on north Dale Mabry. 

     We roll into the parking lot up front of the lobby. This guy comes out with a couple suitcases and says he is headed to Dunedun to visit his elderly father who could not pick him up at the airport when he got in late last night. We were on our way. 

     Justin starts heading up Memorial Highway which will connect with US 19 in the heart of Dunedun. We stop at a red light. The guy in the back seat starts looking around and wants to know why he is seeing neighborhoods and red lights and stuff. He says that when his father used to pick him up, they would go over a long bridge over water. 

     "Thats the Courtney Campbell" Justin Says. "That would put another fifteen bucks on your fare sir if I did that" Justin insist. 

     The guy in the back seat starts to get agitated. He says he if from Broyklyn and he knows when he is getting the run around. That is what they do in New York and he is pissed. 

     "Your taking me the long fucking way you asshole" the guy from Brooklyn declars.

     Justin hits the brakes and pops the trunk. "Get the fuck out" he screams at the guy. The guys draw dropped. The guy says no and he and Justin argue back and forth. The guy finally promises to be good if we will just get him to his fathers house. Justin agress and we are now on our merry way.

    On the ride back to the office, Justin says that you don't ever have to take abuse from a passenger under any circumstances. Justin said he had put many a fare out for bad behavior, and he said you can use any profanity they use. I was thinking I was going to enjoy this job.

     Back at the shop part of my training was to sit in and watch the dispatcher do his job so I would have a better understanding of how everything works. The dispatchers name was Tom, but drivers called him Pirate. There was a time when they used handles instead of cab numbers. 

    I was telling Pirate that it had gone pretty good with Justin and that he had lived an interesting life in Louisiana.   Pirate began to laugh.  It seems most of Justin's time in Louisiana was in theLouisiana State Prison! The rest of that must of just been bullshit. 

 

Break Up The Rays

Joaquin Benoit left town yesterday. The Rays hope you did not notice. In fact, Rafael Soriano will be gone also. What people will soon learn is the owners will take apart this team while they try to get schmucks to buy them a stadium in Tampa. Carl Crawford and most of the lineup will be gone. Bring back "the hit show." The owners have no real choice, people love their hometown teams - not the Rays. The owners built it (a winner) but nobody showed up. I hope the team moves. At least the New York and Boston people won't be able to see their teams. They have themselves to blame.

Social Workers And Ministers on Wheels

     I was not trained in the ministry, or in drug and mental health counseling.  I wish I had, for those skills seem to be integral to the job description of a cab driver. You would think this was only about someone getting in your cab, telling you where they want to go, and you take them there; they pay you, and they are on their merry way. That is what happens in most circumstances, especially during the day when business people are on their cell phones and completely ignoring the taxi driver. There is nothing that says the fare must talk to the driver. Often, they do more then talk. In many cases you are called upon, directly or indirectly, to solve a crisis in their life. 
     One of the problems with the social services industry is there is a real lack of funding. People who are in real need of help are turned onto the streets. The cab driver becomes the social worker of last resort. We are handed over a lost cause that the system does not, will not, or has no clue how to help. That is when taxi charge vouchers kick in. 
     Hospital emergency rooms have billing arrangements with my cab company. They give us a call to pick up a patient (effectively just dumping them onto us) and the driver goes and picks them up. Many times it is to take them to some mental health place or alcohol rehab center. These State run agencies can only hold someone for a few days and then they are calling us again to take them to a flop house, or some place where their lives are going to magically transform. Considering most of those places are located in the worst parts of town where drugs and vice are rampant, the odds seem long to me. 
     I got a call to pick up this woman at the St. Joseph emergency room. The lady came out and had a travel voucher in her hand. The address was to a local detoxify center. She looked a little nervous and shaky at best. I asked her how she was doing. She said OK, and I proceeded to take her to the place. 
     In route, she asked if she could stop at a convenience store. There was one up ahead, so I pulled in. She got out and went inside. I picked up the newspaper as she went in and was not really paying attention. I heard the backdoor open as she got back in. I started the car up. 
     At this point, the Indian manager came running out yelling and screaming. “You fucking bitch, you pay for that beer.” I turned around and looked at her. 
“Where’s the beer?” I yell at her. She pulls it out from under her shirt and hands it to me. The manager is in the window angry as hell.  He says he is going to call the cops. I hand him the two bucks that should cover the tall boy Budweiser. I hand the beer back to her. 
     “Thank you’ she says to me. 
     “Why did you steel the beer?” I ask
     “I don’t have any money.”  She starts to cry. I let it go. I tell her I'm not mad at her, that I know what its like to want a drink. She should have just asked me for the money and I would have given it to her. I am making out pretty good on this charge, and I can just ad it to the back end.
     On our way to the center she tells me everything that could go wrong in her life has.  Her husband left her, she has not seen her son in a year, she is drunk, has no job, no place to live, you get the picture. Life is indeed tough for many people.
     The thing about alcohol is the individual develops a relationship with it.  It is so unlike other drugs. Booze becomes your best friend, at least, your most reliable friend. Face it, it is always there when you need it, you can’t say that about to many of your friends. When the problems mount in life, you can always turn to the bottle.  That is where the problem lies. 
     Instead of focusing on solving the issues you have, it becomes much easier to simply use your drug of choice.  You will clearly feel better about the situation and the moment; no longer have to deal with the pain.  The pain can be alleviated, and for the moment, you are fine. Unfortunately, your problems just get worse. 
     I can not tell someone they are an alcoholic.  Only they can make that determination.  I can ask you, however, if certain aspects of your life have become unmanageable. If so, then perhaps the kind people at AA can help.  Until that moment of knocking the denial down, nobody can help. That is what is so savage about addiction. 
     Love ones and friends will try to help.  They think that their efforts are useful.  I have learned the hard way that you are only prolonging the inevitable. The reality is that rock bottom in many cases is simply death.  The addict will take it all the way and there is nothing anyone can do. If you have a loved one with an addiction, walk away from them. They will never love you like the booze. Sorry to break this news to you. You will be doing the best thing you can do. 
     We pulled in front of the detoxify center and she had gotten her composer together, plus, finished the beer. She did get out, and walk bravely into the place. That really did surprise me.  I hope she got the help she needed and has pulled her life back together. 
     Many times I have taken people to these places and the just walk off.  They never bother to go in. They will beg me not to take them and want to be let off on some street corner where their clothes and stuff are hidden in a bush.  I can’t kidnap people, so I take them there and notify dispatch what happened. That happens a lot at mental health facilities. 

Once again...United Cab is Tampa's finest taxi company.

They Still Blame This On George Bush

This image of a neon gas sign was taken the day the oil spill in the Gulf Of Mexico was capped.  Then why has the price of gas gone up?  

I know, George Bush screwed everything up so bad not even a Harvard trained lawyer with a high IQ has a chance. I guess things are just a result of what Bush did, and nothing can be done. Someone needs to get this Bush guy back on the job since he is the one really in control..right?

I seems like a joke, right? Not really, I pick people up everyday in my cab who believe that Obama is powerless to do anything because of what Bush did.  I think the election a couple weeks ago shows how much that opinion is becoming a real minority. 

Cab drivers have to buy their own gas.  That comes right out of our pockets and nobody compensates us for us.  The non-tippers that clime in our cabs don't seem to care that we are going broke because of the price of gas. Wait until it gets over three bucks.  Get these bums out of there. 

Winter Clouds Move Into Florida

There is an old saying about 'mackerel Sky's and ribbons and ties.' That means the high atmosphere clouds of winter have moved in.  The heat has been relentless, and many of us are ready for a break. 

     Autumn is our spring.  That is the time of year when you can open a window, do work in the yard, take your dog for a walk (he even has an extra spring in his step).  I have to admit, it is my favorite time of year. I am still not ready for the Christmas songs that we will soon hear on the radio about 'Frosty the Snowman' and 'Baby its cold outside', but I can get into the mood. 

     Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks; hell, the Cowboys have a new coach and they are starting to play well again. The clouds I saw this morning had me thinking about the bird in the oven, mash potatoes, green beans and football.  Nobody to really share it with, but my cat does not seem to mind the scraps. 

     Tourist should be arriving soon, just behind the ducks who have their own GPS systems that never fail, and they never have a dispatcher wondering where they are at, and why it took them 20 minutes to cover six blocks. 

     We do have a new management system, or team, in place at United Cab. I guess the change of weather is a metaphor for their arrival.  Perhaps that was as inevitable as the shifting of the Earths axis. Nevertheless, there are many new things coming down the road.  The old ways are gone and some really good new ideas will be put into place which take advantage of the new technologies.  This has been a long time coming. 

The way I look at it, anything that can make me money fits just fine with the change of the season. I wonder what it will be like when things start to get warm again. 

I will be looking to the skies again and wondering what they portent for our future. 

Pop & Sons

I often eat breakfast at Pop & Sons on N Dale Mabry. I know all the people and regulars. Karen (she was bartender at green pengin for years) and George say hay. George says Gene just bought the Hanger bar. My food is here..got to go

United Cab Of Tampa Going To Computer Dispatch System

I am not so sure about this one.  I have been doing radio dispatch for many years, and it seems to work fine.  The dispatcher can find the right cab for the call, and he can determine who the stretchers and liar'sare.  The new system will use a GPS hooked up to all taxi cabs.  The drivers will be using a Blackberry for to read their calls.  That means I will have to be parked on the side of the road.  I need reading glasses to see the damn thing.  I will miss out on a lot of 

The New Face Of United Cab Tampa

Rob Searcy and Paul HInton are in charge now at United Cab of Tampa.  Most of the drivers could not be happier.  These are two really good guys that have the drivers interest in mined.  I have talked to both of the men (longer then I have ever talked to Nancy in 15 years).  These guys are turning around a failing company and returning it to prosperity and the glory days.  

You can tell by the motivation and morale levels of the back office and the garage.  Big Scott is back, Paul is back, Joe is back all the old guys that Nancy had blown out are back because they are good at their jobs.

The new management is installing state of the art dispatch and computer systems.  They believe in the new techs and they will  be using internet marketing to boost our business.  That is something the old management had no concept of.  Nancy still used a rotary phone.  Enough about her. 

She is gone and new guys are going to take this company to heights it has never seen.  United Cab of Tampa is the finest cab company in HIllsborough County.

By the way, it is my fifth anniversary since I started this blog.  Yahoo!

Betty-Jo Tagerson Needs To Go To Jail

I have been driving a taxi cab for 15 years full time. I have never gone off the road and run over children. What we know is that Tagerson had just had an argument with her husband, and left the house to get away. As a cab driver, I have been dispatched to homes where there is a domestic thing going on. These are very volitile situations, and they will often bring their argument out to the cab. I have picked up one spouse, and have the other follow us in their car (that is when I flag down the police). Alcohol is often a factor. That is why Tagerson should not have been driving. A baby is dead and this was no "accident".

The new faces of the NFL South

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday, the next generation of NFC South rivalry really could take root. Both teams are 5-2 and tied for first place in the division.

There's been some bantering back and forth over Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris' comment two weeks ago that the Bucs were the best team in the NFC South. And the matchup between Tampa Bay cornerback Aqib Talib and Atlanta receiver Roddy White promises to be highly entertaining because both players like to talk -- a lot.

But the real story in this game and what could make this rivalry special for the next decade or so is Ryan and Freeman.

“I've been real impressed [with Freeman],'' Ryan said.

He should be. Looking at Freeman should be like looking into a mirror for Ryan. In a lot of ways, they are the same guy. One year apart, each was drafted to be the franchise quarterback for a franchise in disarray.

via espn.go.com

Josh Freeman is very mobile on his feet. He can extend drives and keep the Bucs in games. The upside of this guy is unbelievable. Only 22 years old and he is the field general calling out coverages and re-routing receivers off of audible blitz packages. With the addition of a new found running attack in Legarrette Blount, the Bucs can explode on anyone. Blount is the kind of back that any time he touches the ball - he may be gone. Raheen Morris should be re-signed for a new contract.  His deal is up at the end of the year.  I believe he has shown an ability as a 'turn around' artist.  Coach of the year is not out of reach.  If the Bucs win Sunday, Playoffs are not a fantasy at all. 

Rules Of Engagement

     Its sometimes helpful after a bad experience to just go get another call, getting back on the horse that threw ya’ and all that.  After all, it was a Saturday night and there were lots of calls on the board.  So I took one.

      The address of my fare was read out to me by channel two, which is our information channel.  That is where you go after the channel one dispatcher has given you a ‘roll point.’  A roll point is a general area of where the call is at.  In the past they would just give you the call but some asshole cab driver would beat you to the call.  He would steal it right out from under you.  If you caught him, he would just play dumb and say he thought the dispatcher had given him the call. It really does not matter.  It’s not like the company is going to do anything about it.

      You see, we don’t get paid a salary or an hourly wage.  In fact, we pay the company a lease to drive the taxi.  We can pay ourselves only after we have meet expenses. We also pay for our own gas. This puts the driver in a jam in many ways.  On slow days you don’t make any money.  In fact, you can be out of pocket, and man that sucks.  Just think, most people work all day and get paid.  We sometimes have to pay them for the privilege.  A recent article stated that taxi drivers were the modern sharecroppers.  I agree.  Why do you think this business is only attracting refugees from third world countries? Most people could not, or would not, put up with this shit.  In fact, people are surprised when I pick them up because I am an American. I can relate to them.

     Channel two dispatch also gave me the destination address as well, it was on Albany ave near downtown Tampa.  Dispatch will ask for the destination at night for security reasons.  Not that it really helps much. People could just make some shit up I guess.

      My fare comes out and gets in the cab.  I ask him where he is going.  Even though I know where he is going, I want him to tell me.  One of the five rules of driving a taxi is to get a clear and precise destination.  Police studies have shown that people who are going to rob you will be vague about their destination point.  I always try to follow that rule.

      A long time driver/dispatcher George once told me that you’re not a cab driver until you’ve been robbed.  Oh great, does that mean your not an airline pilot until you’ve crashed a plane?  I don’t need to have a disaster to learn about security.  I just try to use common sense and my intuition.  At the point your little voice starts telling you something is wrong, it probably is wrong.

      Many drivers carry a gun.  I never have.  I always thought that if someone is sitting behind you, they already have the drop on you.  I would just give them what they want and hope they don’t kill me. I do have front airbags and I always keep my seatbelt on.  If he pulls the gun out, I could just hit the next telephone poll at about 85 MPH.  That would put him through the windshield. Just kidding.

      I mean, if you have a gun and think the situation is going to be like something out of Charles Bronson movie, you are nuts. A situation evolving guns could only come out bad, except for one of our drivers.  We had a driver who was a certified bad ass.  His name was Boatwright.  He actually killed two fares in two separate instances.  One night, this black guy put a knife to Boatwright’s neck.  The robber lived about three more seconds.  Boatwright pulled a magnum out of the door jam and blew the guys brains out all over the backseat.  The police called it self defense.  It happened again, but this time a rock whore tried to rob Boatwright - brains again.  I swear, he must be deaf, with a magnum going off about two inches from his head all the time.

      I don’t have a gun and all I want is a clear address. My fare tells me he does not know his address because he just moved there.  He did, however, give an exact address to dispatch.  This is what I call a red flag.  This is a MAJOR red flag.  Something bad is about to go down and the best thing will be if he only just runs on me without paying.  The next rule of security is to find out if he has any money and get a deposit.

      “The fare will run about 12 bucks; do you need to go to an ATM?”  I ask him.

     “Yes, stop at the Bank of America up ahead.”  He mumbles.

     The whole ATM thing I use is just a ruse.  It keeps people from being confrontational because you have not accused them of not having any money, and if they don’t, this is their chance to do the right thing.  I am hoping my fucked up looking fare is about to do the right thing.  We pull into the bank parking lot. He gets out.

      I always angle the cab so I can see what’s going on.  I want to see the card go into the slot.  More importantly, I want to see money come out of the slot. It looks like he got about 100 bucks out of it.  I am feeling somewhat better about all this.  I mean, he is now on a Band Security camera, and I know the time we were there.  If something happens, I can be identified. The truth is none of this really means anything.  If this guy wants to kill me, he will. It’s been done before.

      As we approach his street (he only knows Albany, not the numbers) he says he needs to use the bathroom.

     “You’ll be home in a minute, just use it there” I tell him

     “No, I need to get cigarettes too.”  He claims.

      I know what’s coming.  He is going to run on me.  Like I said, the dog and pony show at the Bank means nothing. My little voice, my intuition, my gaydar, everything is telling me he’s going to scat.      

      I pull into the Shell station.  He gets out and goes into the store. I can see him inside getting his cigs.  He comes out of the store with the key in his hand to the bathroom around the side of the station.  At the corner, he throws the keys down and hauls ass down the ally.  Ain’t that some shit.  I don’t purse.  I have survived fifteen years by not doing shit like that.

      You know, I really hate being right.

A Drunken Chick

                                                                     
      This night was going like any other weekend night; people were out partying and acting like fools. That’s the good part.  Unfortunatly, there comes that moment, late in the night, when the fares will turn the tables and try to make a fool out of the cab driver.  Alcohol combined with frustration can be a naughty combination, in more ways then one.  That is something you will soon learn as a cab driver at night. It was around 4:00 a.m. and the bars were closed when I got a call on the south side to pick up a female. This could be bad.  Unescorted females, at this hour, can be very bad news.

      I pull into the driveway and this glassy eyed woman gets into the backseat (I hate it when they want to ride upfront).

      “Take me to Deleon and Howard.”  She says.

       “No problem” I tell her.

       “Do you know where that’s fucking at?”  She says.

       With drunken chicks you can always count on the F word.

      I pull out of the driveway and head down to the end of the street and begin to turn south towards the Hyde Park area.  This should be a simple drive, just straight down Manhattan and dump her out.        

      “Where the fuck are you going?"  She demands to know.

      “I’m taking you home; you do live in Hyde Park right?”

      “All you fucking cab drivers want to take me the long way.”  She claims.

      I stop the cab and look back at her. This is the moment when I try to decide if I’m even going to take her another foot or tell her to get out. She looks really wasted.

      “Look miss, you are a little drunk, so just let me take you home.”  I tell her.

     “What makes you think I’ve been drinking?”  She says with slurred speech.

      She continues to demand that I head in the opposite direction.

      “Fine, let’s go your way.”  Now, I’m getting a little pissed.We head off in the WRONG direction, as per her instructions.  She just sits there quietly and says nothing. Then, the silence is broken.

      “Do you have any jams in this car?”

      I tell her I do, and ask her what channel she wants to listen to.  I am thinking it is the local Hip-Hop station.  Gee, how did I know that?  We continue now all the way down to Gandy. This is starting to get ridiculous.  If we go any further, we will soon be on the Air force Base. She now looks around and wonders where we are at.  She really does not know.

      I turn the radio down and tell her that if she is good, I will take her home.  The meter now has $10 on it (that’s what it would have been if we had gone the right way) and I tell her that is all I will charge her if she just lets me get her home safely.  She remains quit the rest of the way.

      We arrive at her house.  I am so happy.  I always feel uncomfortable around people who have lost control of their faculties.  She opens the door and gets out. She wads something up and throws it at me. It is a ten dollar bill.  No tip, no thank you, no nothing.

      “Fuck you asshole” she says as she walks away.

      Man, I love my job. 

I voted Today

I voted in the very important election today (Rick, Charlie and Mike).  I wanted my voice to matter.  Think about, if I am the only one that shows up....I decide it all!  Now that is a heady thought.  No chance of that happening.

The polls seemed to be very active throughout Tampa today.  it is raining (supposed to favor Republicans).  We will see around 7 tonight when the cable news networks make their first projections of the night based on exit poll results.  Dick Morris says the exit polls are very accurate.

The newscasters will give certain body language that will let you know what they know about the results.  Two years ago, it was all they could do to contain their glee that Obama was going to win.  Somehow tonight, I think they will curb their enthusiasm.  Block voting could hurt, however.

I don't see much of that.  The monolithic Black voting areas were empty today.  They don't seem to be to enthusiastic about the government being out of their lives and being left alone.