Bob,
Just remember that Uber varies from place to place because the different
localities have diferent regulations. So people in Boston and NYC are more
protected than in some other places. And, given the kind of world we're
living in, people do what they need to do in order to survive.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bob Hachey
Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2015 5:08 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Fwd.: 7 Evil Things Uber Did in 2014 You
Should Know Before Your Next Ride
Hi Carl and all,
Boy am I ever guilty here. Not only am I a regular Uber user, I am also
considering doing a bit of sales and promotion for them.
Does that make me evil? Maybe so. But Donna and I are just getting back
closer to where we were financially before she got laid off in 2011. WE
still do not own a car. This has been the case since two weeks before her
lay off when our car caught fire.
Uber is now a cheap transit option for me. IT is especially useful to
transport Donna to places where she'd otherwise have to use a regular taxi
service. Unlike me, she is not eligible for paratransit. Since I began using
Uber, I have been concerned about how drivers are treated. I have been
trying to find out how much they like or dislike their jobs and they all
claim to love it and say they'd rather work for Uber than a traditional taxi
company. These folks tend to provide better service than the regular taxis,
are friendlier than the taxi drivers and they're also generally more
knowledgeable about things like finding a blind person in large areas like
college campuses, training centers for the blind and the like. There pay
equals 80 percent of the price I pay per trip. Yes, they do pay for
maintenance, insurance and the like, but some taxi drivers who own their
cabs also pay the same costs. Am I at greater risk if they get into an
accident, perhaps. Am I more likely to get mugged or Donna to get raped? Who
knows. I hear of regular taxi customers who face the same fate. I do know
that guide dog users are more likely to be discriminated against by
traditional taxis than by Uber drivers here in Massachusetts. I know of two
drivers who did discriminate and they were immediately terminated from the
system. I do realized that it is possible these folks are so desperate for
work that they'll claim the moon is made of green cheese.
But, I'm afraid that my struggles over the last four years have maybe made
me more selfish. Uber has especially made Donna's life easier. When the bus
to or from work fails to show, or the weather is especially harsh, Uber is
there to save the day. Before Uber, trips to BJ warehouse took much longer.
I would schedule a paratransit trip, and then another home. Often, I'd get
to BJ's way early and then get stuck wasting sometimes 1.5 extra hours that
I now save by taking paratransit one way and Uber back home. Without a car,
Donna's days of work are longer and she's way more tired than she was when
we owned a car. Thus, Uber has made her life easier. IT more closely
resembles the life she had when we owned a car.
Now, I do realize that if we weren't in such harsh economic times, none of
this would have happened. That is, we'd still own a car and perhaps drivers
would not be so willing to go to work for Uber. But, if taxis provided
better service at a lower cost, then Uber would not survive.
Donna has a second part time babysitting job and is saving up to buy a car.
But I'm still wary that the extra expense that will incur will head us back
toward bankruptcy. Wonderful country, isn't it? Incidentally, many of the
Uber drivers I talk to are either doing it as a second job or have retired
from a different job. I guess maybe I'm knuckling under to a lousy system,
but I'll be damned if I'll make Donnas life harder or eat Raman noodles just
so I can say I'm not using Uber anymore. IF we do get a car, I'd say my use
of Uber will be reduced by around two-thirds.
Now, I have an opportunity to make a bit of money, (commission only of
course, but nothing else much is coming my way. I do a bit of work for a
small startup helping blind persons garner training and experience so that
they're better prepared for work, but I get very little pay for that one
though I do enjoy it. IT really does seem more and more that we're in an
economy where there are fewer folks with the traditional employee employer
relationship. But, keep in mind that many taxi drivers are not that much
better off. They get a base pay, but it's usually a pittance and decent
income is highly based upon the number of trips they do and tips they get. I
guess I'm a little pawn in an ugly chess game. But I'm still doing a fair
amount of volunteer work for ACB and other worthy nonprofit organizations
that make life better for others. When I read posts like Sylvie's I feel
like a sellout or a hypocrite. What an ugly system! I'm sick of downsizing
my life. And, I don't want to beat myself up too much over this, or I'll go
back to the depressed mood that was really getting me down until about a
year ago.
I guess maybe that's way more than enough ranting and rambling for one day.
Bob Hachey
