Uber vs. Taxi

Most of Torontonians know about today (or I mean yesterday's) protest in the downtown core, where taxi drivers from all companies gathered to protest the operation of Uber.

What is Uber? In short, it's a transportation network company and uses an app on your phone to call for nearby Uber drivers to take you to your destination. From what people have said, it's more reliable than taking traditional taxis.

There are a few downfalls. Most important is insurance and licensing fees. Unlike taxi companies who pay for insurance and license to operate, Uber drivers are not licensed to operate taxicabs. So taxi drivers have complained that this is unsafe and illegal practice. Due to continuous competition, taxi drivers also lose out on profit to Uber drivers.

Ok, I understand that taxi drivers are unhappy because other unlicensed taxi drivers out there are stealing business and making more profit but not following protocol. But to hold up downtown traffic, which by the way affected all major routes and highways in Toronto, does NOT solve the issue of having Uber drivers. Not only that but those who rely on taxis to get them to work found that they were unable to find taxis because...well...they were all protesting. So of course what did they do? Call Uber! There have also been clips of some unethical practices from the taxi drivers themselves.

For example, one taxi driver accused a driver in a Civic sedan of being an Uber driver, carrying a passenger in the backseat. The taxi driver stood in front of the Civic, holding up traffic behind. He then started to try and smash the window and open the door. The driver tried to take off, but the taxi driver decided to hang on for dear life onto the door handle of the Civic. This was all caught on camera and broadcasted across various networks.

It sort of reminded me of the time when the car in front of me did not know how to drive properly. Approaching a 4-way, the guy in front of me stops, and then takes off. And then stops...IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. No pedestrians, no traffic. He just stops. If he had a heart attack I can understand, but he was very much alive. After I stopped and started to go and almost run into him, I give a honk. But he just sort of drove slow, then stopped. At this point I was already late in picking up someone, so I decided to go around him. Then he starts honking like mad. I ignored him and continued on with my journey.

I stopped at the office, and thankfully my dad was sitting beside me in the car. Because the next thing I know, there is this loud knock on my window. And this angry man is yelling at me. Telling me that I'm a dangerous driver, and that I shouldn't be driving. Maybe because I'm a female? Who knows. Then he threatens to report me to the cops and tries to "memorize" my plates, at the same time still trying to yell at me, and telling me he works for security. This was my breaking point. I came out, loaded with my....umbrella. Pointed at him, and said "YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO DRIVE PROPERLY YOU PIECE OF CRAP. GO BACK TO DRIVING SCHOOL. AND BY THE WAY, DON'T EVER TOUCH MY CAR EVER AGAIN!"

At that point he just walked away. That's right. FEAR THE UMBRELLA!!!! But seriously, if someone punched my car, that's like punching me, and I will retaliate. Except next time it's with a bat.

So going back to the Civic driver, I could just imagine the fear going through his head when some crazy dude comes walking up to the car and basically starts vandalizing it. He tried to get himself and his passenger out of the situation by not killing anyone.

Another clip showed an ambulance with its sirens on, trying to drive through a main street, when 2 taxi drivers in front of the ambulance would not move over. This was the one that pissed me off the most. As a health care professional, that is either life or death. And we want to try and save that person's life obviously. If that person had coded in the ambulance, they have 4 minutes to resuscitate before that person goes brain dead.  Doing CPR in a moving vehicle is not easy. But arriving in a hospital with way more equipment will help buy some time. So that's why what those 2 taxi drivers did, was very unethical. If that person had died before reaching the hospital, they should put manslaughter charges against those 2 taxi drivers. Absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable.

Taxi drivers are trying to protest their rights, but they are doing it the wrong way. They make themselves look like fools. Obviously not all taxi drivers are like that, but so far from what their reactions have been, they are not winning any hearts right now.

I have not had any experience with Uber so I can't say if it's been good or not to me, but I have taken taxis before, from drunken nights to airport rides home. Not only are they super expensive, but they are aggressive drivers, don't follow rules, and they don't stop the timer on time, so it requires me to pay more. The worst is when they didn't take my luggage out of the trunk. They just sit in the driver seat counting money. If it's part of your job description, do it. I'm not going to tell my physically challenged patient to wipe their own ass when they crap themselves. I'm doing it because it's part of my job description. So in a similar way, I'm not wiping my own ass here if I'm paying you to do it for me.

Thankfully there are no more drunken nights. I'm too old for those anyways. But if I could rewind back, I wouldn't take the taxi. I would drink, pass out in my car, sleep in my car overnight, and then drive home in the morning. At least with parking around the entertainment areas, you could pay until the morning and it will still be fine. I'm actually very fortunate and blessed that I can drive myself to places and not have to rely on public transportation anymore. It's come to the point where the only person I trust is myself (and God) in getting to places on time and in a safe manner. If for un-forseen circumstances my car broke down, my first call would not be to a taxi company. It would be to my folks or loved ones.

So, what's the solution? First one is stop acting like assholes. Second: don't make it a public protest like this ever again. You have an issue? Bring it to the table inside the office. But using stupid ways to garner attention through media is the dumbest way possible. Have some decency and some self respect for yourselves will you? You know Toronto is an embarrassment when the Chinese media picks up on the Uber/Taxi protest and broadcasts it to Asia. Now that's embarrassing.

It's been 2 weeks since my beloved cat passed away, and I'm still in mourning. But this issue and how taxi drivers are handling situations have made my blood boil. Now that I have finished my rant (sort of), I will return to my mourning. Peace out.