I've been driving for Big Green Cab Co for more than 3-1/2 years now. I like driving the cab, for the most part. Lots of good things, not many bad things, and the bad things I can tolerate... except...
I'm sure that most people in the States are at least aware of Uber. For those that aren't, it's similar to calling a cab, but it's people driving private cars instead of cabs, and tends to cost quite a bit less than traditional cabs. Unfortunately, Uber's rates are so low that we literally can't compete. (In Desert Hell, Big Green Cab Co charges $2.25/mile + $0.50/minute wait time (moving less than 5 mph) + $2.95 flag drop (hiring fee). Uber's base rate is $0.90/mile + $0.16/minute (regardless of how fast you're moving) + $2.00 in fees. Their prices increase based on demand, called "surge pricing", while ours can't, due to legal requirements.)
Big Green Cab Co spearheaded a lobbying attempt to get Uber illegalized, or at least brought under some sort of governmental supervision. (The meters in all legal cabs in Desert Hell are licensed and monitored by the Department of Transportation, and there is additional licensing for the vehicle to be considered a cab.) That lobbying effort failed when our current governor was sworn in at the beginning of the year. Gov. Cold Stone turned out to be friendly toward Uber, so much so that he (supposedly) performed the ribbon cutting at Uber's new call center in College Town.
So yay, my income has suffered one hell of a blow this year. Wheelchair biz hasn't really been affected by Uber yet... but it was affected by Big Green Cab Co tripling the size of the WC fleet... and now Uber has introduced wheelchair vans to Desert Hell (I checked; there's at least one in town now). Also, regular cash calls are/were a non-trivial part of my income.
As an additional slap in the face, Big Green Cab Co has some pretty sweeping changes coming in the next few months, some of which only affect wheelchair drivers, and they're all for the good of the company and not for the good of the drivers. (I won't go into what those changes are. They might belong in Morons in Management, but my feelings about them are definitely fratching material.)
So now I'm looking for something else. I really hate to do this, especially since cab driving is the first job I've had that I really liked, but I need to cover my bills, and I'm late on most of them. (Rent and phone I keep current on; everything else... I'm working on it...)
My first thought was to apply for a job in Big Green Cab Co's dispatch center. (Not the call center that receives customer orders, but the part that directly supports the drivers.) I'm fairly certain that none of the people working there have ever driven a cab, and I'd like to think that having an actual driver on staff would be helpful. Maybe. The questions are, do they have any open positions, and how much do they pay? (Rumor has it that new hires start around $9/hour, and that just won't cut it for me.)
Another option is working tech support for Large National Drug Store Chain. They have a corporate center in More Money Than You City (one of my regulars is a tech support lead there). Same questions as working for Big Green Cab Co, plus... it's more than 23 miles away in a straight line, and I don't currently own a vehicle. (I haven't needed one; my last car was about 10 years ago.) So it's a 2-hour bus ride that starts with a 2-to-3-mile walk (no bus stops near me). (That's a temporary problem; my lease is up in a few months and I intend to move anyway.)
Another option is a call center that handles customer support for Overnight Shipping Company. It's fairly close by, and I'm told new hires start at about $12/hour... which I suppose I could make work.
Yet another option is working IT at Holy Crap HUUUUGE Health Care Company. My brother's ex-wife works there and she makes about $18/hour. That's close to what I was averaging before my income fell through the floor, and it would let me use that stupid "degree" I got from Defunct Computer Trade School a hundred years ago. (Plus I imagine potential promotions and raises would increase that number.)
Sigh. I hate being a grownup. I vote we all just go back to high school. Or kindergarten! Yeah! Break out the fingerpaints!
I'm sure that most people in the States are at least aware of Uber. For those that aren't, it's similar to calling a cab, but it's people driving private cars instead of cabs, and tends to cost quite a bit less than traditional cabs. Unfortunately, Uber's rates are so low that we literally can't compete. (In Desert Hell, Big Green Cab Co charges $2.25/mile + $0.50/minute wait time (moving less than 5 mph) + $2.95 flag drop (hiring fee). Uber's base rate is $0.90/mile + $0.16/minute (regardless of how fast you're moving) + $2.00 in fees. Their prices increase based on demand, called "surge pricing", while ours can't, due to legal requirements.)
Big Green Cab Co spearheaded a lobbying attempt to get Uber illegalized, or at least brought under some sort of governmental supervision. (The meters in all legal cabs in Desert Hell are licensed and monitored by the Department of Transportation, and there is additional licensing for the vehicle to be considered a cab.) That lobbying effort failed when our current governor was sworn in at the beginning of the year. Gov. Cold Stone turned out to be friendly toward Uber, so much so that he (supposedly) performed the ribbon cutting at Uber's new call center in College Town.
So yay, my income has suffered one hell of a blow this year. Wheelchair biz hasn't really been affected by Uber yet... but it was affected by Big Green Cab Co tripling the size of the WC fleet... and now Uber has introduced wheelchair vans to Desert Hell (I checked; there's at least one in town now). Also, regular cash calls are/were a non-trivial part of my income.
As an additional slap in the face, Big Green Cab Co has some pretty sweeping changes coming in the next few months, some of which only affect wheelchair drivers, and they're all for the good of the company and not for the good of the drivers. (I won't go into what those changes are. They might belong in Morons in Management, but my feelings about them are definitely fratching material.)
So now I'm looking for something else. I really hate to do this, especially since cab driving is the first job I've had that I really liked, but I need to cover my bills, and I'm late on most of them. (Rent and phone I keep current on; everything else... I'm working on it...)
My first thought was to apply for a job in Big Green Cab Co's dispatch center. (Not the call center that receives customer orders, but the part that directly supports the drivers.) I'm fairly certain that none of the people working there have ever driven a cab, and I'd like to think that having an actual driver on staff would be helpful. Maybe. The questions are, do they have any open positions, and how much do they pay? (Rumor has it that new hires start around $9/hour, and that just won't cut it for me.)
Another option is working tech support for Large National Drug Store Chain. They have a corporate center in More Money Than You City (one of my regulars is a tech support lead there). Same questions as working for Big Green Cab Co, plus... it's more than 23 miles away in a straight line, and I don't currently own a vehicle. (I haven't needed one; my last car was about 10 years ago.) So it's a 2-hour bus ride that starts with a 2-to-3-mile walk (no bus stops near me). (That's a temporary problem; my lease is up in a few months and I intend to move anyway.)
Another option is a call center that handles customer support for Overnight Shipping Company. It's fairly close by, and I'm told new hires start at about $12/hour... which I suppose I could make work.
Yet another option is working IT at Holy Crap HUUUUGE Health Care Company. My brother's ex-wife works there and she makes about $18/hour. That's close to what I was averaging before my income fell through the floor, and it would let me use that stupid "degree" I got from Defunct Computer Trade School a hundred years ago. (Plus I imagine potential promotions and raises would increase that number.)
Sigh. I hate being a grownup. I vote we all just go back to high school. Or kindergarten! Yeah! Break out the fingerpaints!
Comment