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.

Capitalism, best served with knowledge and education

 I have been reading a bit about capitalism vs communism (socialism is communism without the intestinal fortitude so include it in communism). Please note the small "c" and "c".

I was raised a communist in that I was free to succeed or fail knowing the State would pick up the pieces and give me another chance.

The problem was that I like reading and a diet of Westerns and Sci-Fi quickly was added to by every columnist I could access. 

I started thinking.

BIG problem.

As a young man wanting a "normal" life I tied up with a female, started working on a house and children. 

At that time the World was changing. The mid-late 1980s brought investment into play.

Unfortunately it did not bring information on how to use that investment.

I got tied up in an investment I would now know to avoid ( I hope Mr Renouf and Mr Judge have nightmares every night and waking moment until the devil shoves a hot poker up their ...but to continue) and lost the lot, leaving me behind where I started.

It was the lack of knowledge rather than the two tennis-playing scum that cost me.

I rebuilt, working 12 hours a day, often 7 days a week. My job, physically hard, was 12 hours, seven days a week. We had casuals and it was up to us to organise them so we could have days off.

Illegal then (but it worked), now some wanker would fuck it up and everyone would lose.

In the 90s New Zealand embraced gambling, particularly in pubs.

For some of us that only meant that the odd fellow got into trouble even easier than he would have normally.

I was in that camp until I found out my children's mother had a serious problem and I was again broke (I had relied on it to pay the bills - with my money).

We lost our house.

Eventually I packed my car, moved to the big smoke and started again.

I found I could work hard and long and earn a living by serving food and drinks to people who only needed a bullshit story to keep them amused. The bullshit I was good at.

I got sick of the bullshit for other people so I bought a taxi, a cab.

Cab driving involves two skills: knowing where you are going and being able to converse, on any level, with anyone.

Strangely I could do both

Starting with a pocket (no bank would touch me) balance of $29.00 in twelve months I bought my own cab (about $15,000) and carried on to create a business, all legal (we had police checks, tax audits etc) worth about $100,000. until a couple of East Asia import thieves decided to put pressure on Mr Bridges and Mr Joyce.

They,(the pollies) as is typical of their type, immediately put foreign thieves ahead of New Zealanders.

The value of my hard earnt business plummeted until I walked away, holding just the last vehicle I had.

A bit further on, after problems with a drug-addled son and another very large loss because of him, I live in a caravan in a holiday park.

I LOVE IT!

I'll probably freeze to death in the winter but hell, I've got to die of something.

My point, though, is simple: Capitalism is great but it must (MUST!) be accompanied by information and the education that allows that information to be absorbed.

That information and education is sadly lacking. Children are instead being taught by Minto and communist scum like him.

For the sake of Humanity it is time for a cleanout.

Start with and old fart at Woodend beach Holiday Park - he deserves it!