Tampa Taxi Shots

Tampa Taxi Goals For 2011

I would like to up the content of this blog with lots of new videos from my youtube channel. I also need to post on a daily basis so people will know what is going on in Tampa. Many exciting things are planned, si happy new year!

Huggy Bear

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A long time African driver.


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BlackBerry Taxi Dispatching

United Cab of Tampa is in the process of switching over to full computer dispatching using state of the art BlackBerry and Versa phone credit card approval technology. It has been a long time coming. The entire process should take about four weeks. My cab is already up and running. 

At this point, my calls are being transmitted over the BlackBerry to give me the name and address and phone number of my fare. The versa phone is a large black box that sits between the seats and the customer can swipe their card and receive a metered print out of the transaction. How cool is that!

Eventually,. this system will increase production by at least 30% which will allow us to grow into the most dominate cab company in Tampa while providing unmatched service to the public.

Change is sometimes difficult and stressful.  It is too bad all of this had to happen during the recent events. I guess in the years ahead we will see just how necessary this was. Everyone should benefit.

United Cab Drivers Would Not Back Down During Strike

"We have yet to be heard. This dispatch system will change or we will revolt. When United Cab has not one dime in their safe in the morning, they will know what is up" - United Cab Driver on 12-16-10.

They comapnygave us a few days lease to make up for everything we lost during the first week of the new system.  They also gave us a commitment to fix the computer by bringing in IT personal from the corporate office. This is good. Progress has come out of this. 

All the drivers like driving for United Cab. We are now glad to move on and start making money. Season is coming up and the new computer dispatch should increase production by 30%. It is just to bad we had to make our point in this fashion. Little John and Bash have now quit over this matter. There are casualties in these things.

Rob Searcy Addresses The Striking United Cab Drivers

Rob Searcy is one tough customer. He is the nicest guy you would want to meet, but when it comes to business he is as tough as nails. He told the 'angry mob' that he would not deal with United Cab drivers as a group.  We are independent contractors and he would talk to us individually. He is flanked by Justin and Paul as he states his position to the the crowd in front on the News Channel 10 and 8 cameras.

Tim Fasano On Tampa ABC WTSP News

The United taxi drivers knew that I was good in front of cameras and wanted me to represent them to the various media that came to the taxi protest. I did my best. This was a serious matter about a real labor strike.  Rob Searcy (The new United Cab manager) said for everyone with an issue, to come in and see him in his office.  I did, and it was more than satisfactory. He gave me compensation and assurance.  Things were going to get much better, and the drivers are going to make more money.  Searcy solved my 'labor strike.'

 

United Cab Drivers vs. The Boss

That was the headline on News Channel 10 tonight on the six o'clock news. There is a real labor dispute going on in the cab business in Tampa Bay at United Cab.

United Cab Of Tampa New Dispatch System Not Working Out Very Well

United Cab of Tampa is at the point of mutiny.  There is an old saying that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.' Truer words were never spoken.  When the new management took over two months ago, there seemed to be signs of progress. The motivation of the staff was high, and little details were being taken care of, even the bathrooms were painted, and the future seemed bright.  It seems to have fallen apart. 

United Cab installed a new computer system last Thursday, and they may as well have installed a virus. The first thing that happened was that all of our calls were being blocked and our customers were being left on hold. They ended up calling Yellow. The calls that got thru were miss-routed and drivers were being sent on old calls, and wild goose chases. A couple of days would have been alright, but it is now a week. 

It is the Christmas holidays and the men are making NO MONEY!  The company may not be aware of how bad it is. The general public are the ones that are suffering because people depend on us to go to the doctor, work, airport, court, their jobs and so forth. They need to be served.

I have it on good authority that at least 100 drivers will converge on United Cab tomorrow in a show of solidarity. United Cab has a new manager Rob Searcy. He is a likable and friendly guy with decades of experience in the cab business. I am sure he is more then capable of fixing this problem.

The new people I have met, such as, Rob and Paul seem like they are 'driver guys' and have the interest of the fleet in mind. I am very confident of this fact. I will be there tomorrow to show my suppot (I am a driver...and no scab) I hope United Cab understands this. 

I have enjoyed my job for the last 15 years, and would not want to move on. I hope tomorrow will be productive with reasoned minds prevailing. 

My Letter To The St. Pete Times About The Taxi Commission

I am a fifteen year veteran United Cab driver from Tampa Florida who likes his job. What could be simpler, someone calls or hails a cab, they get in and you take them to their destination. The best part is you get paid for what is mostly a pleasant experience for the customer. However, this simplicity belies complications that lie beneath the surface. There are intense issues of competition, meter rates, flat rates, free taxis, permits, conditions of the cars themselves, the background of drivers, compensation using high tech, public safety, organization, and even the health and safety of the drivers.

All of these issues can be addressed and resolved with a strong central body known as the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission. The groundswell to dismiss this entity would be a terrible mistake that would be detrimental to the community and visitors to Tampa, as well.

The HCPTC for years had set a limited number of permits for taxi operation. The limited number was sufficient to serve the public, and it allowed the drivers of United and Yellow to make a living, with some days off to be with their families. The major companies (United and Yellow) would shelf permits in the summer when it slowed down to meet the demand of the market.

Former commissioner, John Cox, expanded the baseline of permits, it had an undesirable affect of allowing small operators to begin who would eventually cut into the market and undermine the service the public was receiving. How? A company of only six cabs cannot serve the general public in a timely manner. Many customers found this out the hard way. They would then make other arrangements, and that would further erode the industry as a whole.

Meter rates are established by the HCPTC and all are inspected each year by the division of weights and measures out of Tallahassee. Regulating meter rates protects the public by not allowing flat rating which is always a ‘high ball’ and it rips off tourist. They only flat rate is to the airport and a map a is posted in every taxi showing the zone in influence. The HCPTC prints and post those maps which protect the public.

An unregulated free taxi service was recently started in Tampa which was mostly a glorified golf cart. It was unsafe, uninsurable, and a public safety hazard. The HCPTC did the right thing in shutting it down, and yellow put out a courtesy fleet of new cars with insurance and background qualified drivers.

To get a hack permit in Tampa, you must go through a background screening which includes mug shots, fingerprinting, and being run on the FBI computer. If the applicant has a warrant anywhere in the world it will show up. The public is protected because they are not being picked up by dangerous fugitives. The HCPTC is now regulating the use of credit card scan machines that would put us on a par with most major cities. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard “they have them in New York.”

The commission also has requirements on the mechanical condition and cleanliness of taxis and requires that drivers dress appropriately. I am sure you would not want your wife being picked up my unshaven man in a tank top shirt and cut off jeans. The commission makes sure that does not happen by issuing fines for poor dress.

With the National Republican Convention coming to Tampa in 2012 we need order to ensure Tampa makes a good impression to the nation. Without a commission it would be wide open with all the quality drivers long gone because they could not make a living in this town.