Them Stinky Cabbies!
I was shooting the breeze with someone yesterday about the taxi cab ordinance review. Then we got into a discussion about how short-sighted the council was. I said,
“Isn’t it ironic that while the council is trying to figure out the best solution for public transit, they are limiting FREE enterprise and the private industry of cab companies in town?”
Talk about being extremely counterproductive!
It is no secret that many people depend on the cab companies in Sioux Falls for their public transportation, for several reasons, mostly because the public transit system in SF is inadequate.
And while the council sits around with their fingers up their butts about what to do with SAM (Sioux Area Metro) they want to limit private transportation services.
My advice?
1) Leave the cab companies alone. They are private business that provides a service in this community. While I do think there needs to be some ‘tweaks’ with them, not many.*
2) Do a full forensic and financial audit of SAM.
3) Hire an outside (OUTSIDE) consultant to review SAM, it’s routes and it’s frequency. Having a couple of part-time councilors review this mess is a waste of time and really pointless. An independent study of what needs to be done, needs to be done. While I complain about the city using outside consultants, this is the one time they would be extremely valuable. The city has a contract with an independent contractor, SAM, they really can’t review this themselves.
While our council wastes time talking about magnetic signs, seals on taxi meters, and background checks, they totally ignore the real problem with transpiration in this community, SAM!
*A South DaCola foot soldier recently heard city councilor Aguilar complaining about cab company owners testimony by the clerk’s office at Carnegie after a public services meeting. While I won’t say all the things that were said, I will say that it is quite pathetic for a councilor to be complaining about the ‘low’ people in our community in a building that the ‘low’ people fund. No wonder this elitist could only roll one term, she isn’t one of us, and certainly doesn’t get it. Sue should hope she never needs a cab in this town, she might find herself walking.
And while the council sits around with their fingers up their butts about what to do with SAM
Trust me….their fingers are not up their butts. They’re just wating til after the election on April 8th to throw SAM and Para Transit under the bus. Word is already out to the retirement community about these services. Bottom line. They are on there own when it comes to transportation services. Too bad. So sad.
The problem with transpiration in the city at the moment is that it’s winter, and the trees have no leaves.
Also, I find it quite amusing that since there was a story about a “forensic audit” re: the GOED and EB-5 program in the news a few weeks ago, you’ve decided that’s a cool new term you need to through out once in a while in some rant on something every now and then. Yes sir – quite amusing. 🙂
throw – frikkin’ spell checker.
I was behind a city bus on 12th Street. It was a middle time between school dismissal & rush hour. There’s a problem. The bus passed most stops leaving 3 or more people waiting half an hour for the next bus. Most residents can’t afford a car because minimum wage isn’t enough. I spoke to one senior who had to transfer and it took her 4 hours to get to a doctor appointment. A taxi was $30 each way she couldn’t afford. I suggest an investigative reporter take bus trips & do a story. It’ll have to be national media because local reporters don’t get out much.
I agree about the audit of SAM. When I rode Para transit four days a week, I saw some things that could be changed in riders without knocking off the ones that weren’t abusing the system. Also when I first started riding Paratransit they had a deal set up with Yellow Cab, that if the buses were too busy to pick up a rider and get them to their destination on time, they would send a yellow cab to pick the rider up. It didn’t cost the rider anything and I don’t know how the payment was made to Yellow Cab. But since all of this hullabaloo started I have wondered if some arrangement could be made to have Yellow Cab take a payment from the rider of $2.00-$3.00 each way. It would be less expensive for the rider than the current cab fares. I no longer use Paratransit because of all the hullabaloo. It is just too hard for me to ride the bus to their office for recertification and go for a walk, ride a fixed route bus, etc. One thing what other means of transportation that the city comes up with for people that can’t ride Paratransit any longer they have to make sure that the alternative rides are basic sedans and not vans/SUVs because for one reason or another some elderly/disabled people can’t get into or out of them. The driver is also going to have to be one that is able to get a walker with seat on it in and out of the trunk, because they are a lot heavier than the plain walkers.