Once again, I find myself in a complete disagreement with our local governments. This time it is in East Hampton, which is proposing to regulate the taxi business there. Apparently, taxi‘s are out of control and it’s ruining the lives of people who live in East Hampton.
In today’s economy, EVERYBODY is trying to figure out a way to make some extra money, or even switch careers. A lot of locals are starting up little taxi services using their cars and marketing through word of mouth. In my opinion, this is a very good thing. More taxi‘s mean less drunk drivers on the roads, and it also means that more locals can find steady work outside of selling real estate.
But of course, the government of East Hampton, which by the way has nearly completely ruined itself financially, wants a piece of the taxi action. There’s HUNDREDS of dollars to made!
I’m not a raging conservative talk show host over here. I swear I’m not. I’m just a guy who thinks that if a person who is struggling needs to start up a small business because he can’t get by on what he’s currently doing, he shouldn’t have to go through a mountain of red tape to start a freaking taxi business in East Hampton. It’s crazy to me. We should be ENCOURAGING locals to open businesses, not stopping them, THE ECONOMY IS DIFFERENT TODAY, the government makes it sound like it’s raining money for local business today when in reality the only people that it’s raining money for today is Government, who is living on borrowed money.
Recently, there is support now to require that a taxi company has to have an office in Town in order to do business. Is this a joke? What’s next, requiring baby sitters to have an office in East Hampton?
Doing this will do absolutely nothing to benefit society in East Hampton. This will make it more difficult for people to start up a taxi business, which means there will be less taxi’s, which means that the price of a ride from Main Beach into Town will continue to cost $50. If taxi’s continue to get competitive, the price of getting a taxi will go down, PLUS there will be less drunk drivers on the road.
But maybe I’m looking at this all wrong. DWI fines are a big part of revenue for the Town of East Hampton. Maybe that’s what they are really worried about?
I just don’t get it. Let a freaking local make a living for crying out loud.
Dan Naive? Or is this a flashback to Rush Limbaugh still on Percocets? As a person who cut-his-teeth driving out East in Yellows and Blacks, and I’m surprised to hear anybody believing that transportation is different from other businesses here; I mean, “you get what you pay for”. There are a lot of new cabs out there now, just like in the city, its becoming a “real job”, but the driver’s are still sole proprietors, and not company employees. So if you call for a cab and it doesn’t have big bold professional looking lettering on the side, then it could be a gypsy, and your risking your life and the lives of your loved ones, on some un/mis insured amateur that, drives to many hours during “the season”, and is cheap with the vehicle maintenance, or may have fallen from grace with a pipe or spoon. Unless maybe that’s what you want to buy…a guy’s gotta make a living…right? Do they check the seat after you leave for a phone or wallet…you bet. See ya next time…ask for Chris
“Hi there, I’m a taxi driver and I want to make it as difficult as possible for other people to get into my business so I can continue to charge and arm and a leg.”
Warm regards,
Chris Sewell
By the way Chris, my step-father has been a taxi driver and limo driver for the last 20 years.