Uber

 

Uber

There has been a fair bit of discussion over the Ocker court decision re Uber and their dishonest ways.

In many countries, including Oz and New Zealand, Uber came in and set up illegal operations.

In New Zealand they put anyone who wanted a go on their books.

At that time New Zealand had rather strict laws around transporting the public for monetary gain.

First you had to sit a couple of exams – one of those exams  I sat (The Area Knowledge for Christchurch) had 13 A4 pages of questions. You needed 80% to pass. You then had to have a police check to ensure you’d never been caught and the LTSA then had to approve your license. The P endorsement.

The license had to be renewed every five years although many chose renewal every year, mainly because of the cost.

Having that license (endorsement) you then could work for a authorised business.

If you wanted to own your own business you then had to sit more exams to gain a Passenger Service License at, of course, more expense.

You then took your shiny new PSL out into the world and purchased a vehicle.

Most I knew started with a used taxi, beaten up and very close to it’s use-by date. My first taxi (an imported 4 cylinder 1800 Camry) had about 250,000Kms on the clock. It had 350K when I sold it – to another cabbie.

If you decided to buy a new vehicle and set it up (quite often necessary due to the vehicle not remaining as pristine as the company demanded) on top of the coast of the vehicle you needed a sign-light, a metre (calibrated at CoF), cameras (Up to three depending on the vehicle) , a two-way radio and aerial. In many vehicles you also needed luggage racks and barriers.

Just setting up my last taxi (a 11 passenger van) cost me approx $10,000.

The CoF was every six months, company inspections at least as often and informal inspections daily.

In many companies drivers were also required to wear a uniform. I was a big, fat bastard and mine cost about $500. initially.

You then needed to buy a share in a taxi company (when I started anything from $10,000 to $35,000 depending on the company and subs in Christchurch, were normally in excess of $100. per week.

All that so you could go out every night with less than nothing and hopefully take enough to eat that week. As an example: With the van I needed to take just under $100. per day/night just to cover costs – those I mentioned plus fuel, RUC, maintenance and depreciation. You also had to earn enough to pay off any loan on the vehicle and/or save for the replacement you’d need in a few years time. In 17 years I wore out three vehicles and had started on no 4.

You then took the vehicle out where many members of the public tried desperately to damage it, after which you had to repair it.

Taxi drivers also have to deal with vomit and urine and the time spent not earning while those problems are fixed.

My share (the taxi number) in the company was at one stage worth, on paper, about $30,000.)

The Uber came in, publicly announcing that they would do none of the above. They would give anyone who asked an app for their ‘phone and let them go.

After a couple of rather nasty incidents the rules on “P” endorsement were tightened up but the company ignored New Zealand law and got away with it.

Two politicians in particular, Joyce and Bridges were terrified of being called racist because so many of the Uber scum were of brown skin, most hailing from the area encompased by the Sub-Continent across to North-East Africa (The area that celebrates theft and dishonesty as a honoured profession). So they ignored the honest, taxpaying New Zealand workers trying to feed their families and changed the law to accommodate the immigrant scum.

Bridges and Joyce gutlessness cost me approximately $100,000.

You may have got the impression I’m a bit bitter and twisted, still, over this.

I am!

I therefore applaud the Ocker decision and while it’s too late for me, hope it’s ramifications are felt this side of the Tasman forcing every Uber-driving scum and the disgusting business into bankrupcy.

May each and every one of the bastards die cold, starving, thirsty and very, very poor.

What's Wrong With New Zealand

 The headline:

 Police scour Auckland motorway protest footage as they look to lay charges

 There was an anti-Government protest in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch Saturday.

I have seen no reports of any violence, vandalism or illegal weapon possession in relation to these protests.

I admit to being slightly disappointed that the mobs did not arrest any Government of Local Body politician they could find, string them up naked and flog them mercilously.

The protesters would have gained my complete approval had they done so.

That is not, however, the point of this post.

In the midst of a particularly nasty gun-crime epidemic accompanied by daily ram-raids and vicious burglaries the New Zealand Police, instead of getting off their fat, useless arses and attempting, at least, to stem this crime are sitting back trying to find minor indiscretions recorded on film during the protest.

In a nutshell this typifies exactly what is wrong with New Zealand law enforcement; they simply have fucking idea of required priorities.

NZ Police have become Labour Government bullyboys!

 

 

 

 

 

Noise Pollution

 Driving around greater Christchurch (but not in the central city) yesterday was fraught with unusual challenges.

Dodging the piles of Covid victims left out for collection while also avoiding the typical (very, very bad) Christchurch drivers made things interesting indeed.

One thing that really annoyed me was the incessant, obviously electronic, bell sounds and calls.

I understand the need for modern equipment to replace the old and inefficient but surely the almost-pleasant hand-rung bell ringing out melodically and the human voice, with it's imperfections are far nicer for the audible environment, even when the calls emanating from the slowly driven flat-decks is the time-honored "Bring out your dead".

Perspective

 Three people died unexpectedly in Timaru last night.

Two people died unexpectedly in Christchurch the night before.

Both town and city continue on, relatively unexpected.

A 90+ year old died in Jafaville more than a month ago, not unexpectedly.

The whole fucking country was shut down for weeks, Jafaville still is.

NZ needs a bit of perspective here!

NZ's PM

Stolen from Kiwiblog:

 https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2019/11/pms_media_priorities.html

George Roper @GeorgeRopr

 · Nov 12, 2019

Ardern quick to cash in on Chch and our tragedy
She'll cash in on Chch with the royals tour and our devastating earthquakes and the scars we still bare
But refuses to front on @lynchinnz Canterbury show and answer a few questions
The excuse is offensive#StayAwayArdern #nzpol

Chris Lynch @lynchinnz

You think that's bad... Her press secretary recently told our producer Nellie that the PM won't come on the show unless there is "something like another March 15th" - I kid you not. Nellie was so shocked she repeated his words back to him.

160

7:48 PM - Nov 12, 2019

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Like Farrar, I don't think it needs comment either.

Dyers Pass Road

Christchurch has a road going up and over the hills to the South called the Dyers Pass Road.

It is a narrow-ish, winding road.

Narrow-ish in that two large tourist-type busses may need to do a dance to pass on two of the corners but over all there is plenty of room for traffic.

The only real hazard are road-lice and the problems they cause for equally bad road users behind steering wheels.

The road is generally a pleasure to drive and I have driven it probably 200 plus times over the last year, in vehicles of various sizes, most of the time while giving a commentary to the tourists in the vehicle.

I cannot remember a close call, not even an incident, on the road that did not involve a cyclist going down hill at high speed, uncontrolled and unable to keep to his (it's always his) lane.

On Sunday, last, two motorcycles collided on the road and the riders died.

I don't know the details but suspect that they were going the opposite direction from each other and one (at least) did not respect the keep left law on a blind corner. i.e. someone made a mistake and, unfortunately, two paid for that mistake.

The headline in the news the next day went along the lines of "Notorious Dyers Pass Road Claims Two More Victims".

What a load of pure and utter bullshit!

The road has no notoriety, it did not cause the accident nor did it, except in a completely passive way, kill the riders.

I have no doubt that because of the headline the disgraceful traffic mis-management scum contracted to the Christchurch City Council will attempt to "slow the road down".

I admit to never achieving the current speed limit on it but reducing that limit will simply increase frustration of motorists on the hill and those frustrated motorists are almost certain to make mistakes and put more of us innocent road-users in danger.

Far better, in fact, to remove all speed limits on the hill.

The road itself will set it's speed limit and the Darwin Principle will enforce it.