# Livery driver kills himself in front of City Hall (NYC) because of Uber



## Kerplunkenstein (Sep 3, 2015)

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...-parked-city-hall-manhattan-article-1.3800082


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Kerplunkenstein said:


> http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...-parked-city-hall-manhattan-article-1.3800082


That was a bunch of bull. The driver had financial problems way before Uber was even a wet spot in Travis' pants. His declaration of bankruptcy shows very poor money management as far back as 13 years ago.

But, let's blame Uber for our downfall in life. Let's blame a transportation company that spends $0 on gas, $0 on vehicles, $0 on vehicle maintenance and doesn't have a single employee that drives fare for hire. I think that Doug had no clue to blame for his woes.


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## mark_mark (Aug 26, 2017)

Kerplunkenstein said:


> http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...-parked-city-hall-manhattan-article-1.3800082


NYC! Buy a used Prius and get some!!!


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## FormerTaxiDriver (Oct 24, 2017)

“some people don’t like to take responsibility for their own shit.” - Kalanick


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## mark_mark (Aug 26, 2017)

FormerTaxiDriver said:


> "some people don't like to take responsibility for their own shit." - Kalanick


Stockton CA is giving all "dont give a shit" $500 a month! yep $500 zero qustions askn


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## Brooklyn (Jul 29, 2014)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> That was a bunch of bull. The driver had financial problems way before Uber was even a wet spot in Travis' pants. His declaration of bankruptcy shows very poor money management as far back as 13 years ago.
> 
> But, let's blame Uber for our downfall in life. Let's blame a transportation company that spends $0 on gas, $0 on vehicles, $0 on vehicle maintenance and doesn't have a single employee that drives fare for hire. I think that Doug had no clue to blame for his woes.


Wow man. You were able to get all of that from a few sentences? That's amazing.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Brooklyn said:


> Wow man. You were able to get all of that from a few sentences? That's amazing.


It was an 840 word article. I think that there was a little more then "a few sentences".


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## Brooklyn (Jul 29, 2014)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> It was an 840 word article. I think that there was a little more then "a few sentences".


You compressed a 840 word article which touched a portion of this person's financial woes and were able to figure out this guys whole back story? 

Wow... that's amazing.


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## Trump Economics (Jul 29, 2015)

Yea, I’m depressed, too. Not gonna say I haven’t ever had an irrational thought about what life would be like without the $3 an hour I’m making from Uber and Lyft.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Brooklyn said:


> You compressed a 840 word article which touched a portion of this person's financial woes and were able to figure out this guys whole back story?
> 
> Wow... that's amazing.


A bankruptcy filing from 2005 indicates that Schifter's financial troubles preceded the disruptive effect of apps like Uber on the for-hire industry.
That year, the driver owed $203,000 to creditors, but had just $146,000 in assets.
He averaged $8,162 in monthly income, but racked up $6,278 in expenses associated with his for-hire work. That left him with only $1,884, bankruptcy papers show.

These three sentences that I pulled from the article pretty much sum it up. Since '05 Schifter has been struggling to live in NYC on less than $1900/month. Nearly $60k upside down back in '05 most likely grew to over $300k by '18 on a $1900/month income. Yea, I see your point. It's Uber's fault.


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## Jo3030 (Jan 2, 2016)

I'm sure the winter slowdowns didn't help the cause.


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## roadrunna (Oct 23, 2016)

So this real sad story in the New York Times today https://nyti.ms/2EnsrEg

There is also a link to Facebook post by Mr. Schifter prior to his suicide - https://www.facebook.com/people/Doug-Schifter/100009072541151

Something must be done. It's not just Uber and Lyft drivers that are getting screwed. Uber's disruption has decimated the tax industry across the US and in many cities globally.


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## ChinatownJake (Jan 3, 2016)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> He averaged $8,162 in monthly income, but racked up $6,278 in expenses associated with his for-hire work. That left him with only $1,884, bankruptcy papers show.


These numbers, from 2005, are crazy. $6,278 in monthly expenses?!


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

ChinatownJake said:


> These numbers, from 2005, are crazy. $6,278 in monthly expenses?!


Well, I figured homeboy had to rent the car for $1000/wk. or $4300/month. Then probably NYC Black Car Service Fees & Tax or whatever they call it for $1,000/month and $900/month in gas. There's your $6,300/month in expenses. Clearing $1800/month in this business as a full time Black Car driver is pathetic. Schifter should have changed professions 13 years ago. Again, Uber had nothing to do with his poor decisions in life. Just someone else placing blame for their lot in life.


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## Brooklyn (Jul 29, 2014)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> A bankruptcy filing from 2005 indicates that Schifter's financial troubles preceded the disruptive effect of apps like Uber on the for-hire industry.
> That year, the driver owed $203,000 to creditors, but had just $146,000 in assets.
> He averaged $8,162 in monthly income, but racked up $6,278 in expenses associated with his for-hire work. That left him with only $1,884, bankruptcy papers show.
> 
> These three sentences that I pulled from the article pretty much sum it up. Since '05 Schifter has been struggling to live in NYC on less then $1900/month. Nearly $60k upside down back in '05 most likely grew to over $300k by '18 on a $1900/month income. Yea, I see your point. It's Uber's fault.


Oh no I see your point... you create your own narrative of a story off 3 sentences and build the guys back story and how much debt he owed and etc... 

But no no I see your point... you're that know-it-all person. For all you know he cleared that debt but let's go with your story. It's easier.



SEAL Team 5 said:


> Well, I figured homeboy had to rent the car for $1000/wk. or $4300/month. Then probably NYC Black Car Service Fees & Tax or whatever they call it for $1,000/month and $900/month in gas. There's your $6,300/month in expenses. Clearing $1800/month in this business as a full time Black Car driver is pathetic. Schifter should have changed professions 13 years ago. Again, Uber had nothing to do with his poor decisions in life. Just someone else placing blame for their lot in life.


Lol. You're literally making things up.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Jo3030 said:


> I'm sure the winter slowdowns didn't help the cause.


He's been a fare for hire driver in NYC since '81. With 37 years experience than Schifter better have known every possible high and low factor of this business including winter slowdowns. He should have had 1,000 personal clients in 37 years. He should have had 20 other cars driving for him.


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## ChinatownJake (Jan 3, 2016)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> Well, I figured homeboy had to rent the car for $1000/wk. or $4300/month. Then probably NYC Black Car Service Fees & Tax or whatever they call it for $1,000/month and $900/month in gas. There's your $6,300/month in expenses. Clearing $1800/month in this business as a full time Black Car driver is pathetic. Schifter should have changed professions 13 years ago. Again, Uber had nothing to do with his poor decisions in life. Just someone else placing blame for their lot in life.


Out here, SUV black rental generally ranges $450-700/week.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Brooklyn said:


> Oh no I see your point... you create your own narrative of a story off 3 sentences and build the guys back story and how much debt he owed and etc...
> Lol. You're literally making things up.


Those three sentences were pasted from the story. Just like the one I'm about to paste right below here. So you're saying that the New York Daily News reporter made this up?

"I worked 100-120 consecutive hours almost every week for the past fourteen plus years. When the industry started in 1981, I averaged 40-50 hours. I cannot survive any longer with working 120 hours! I am not a Slave and I refuse to be one," wrote Schifter.

That top paragraph is taken directly from the article. Schifter admitted working very long hours for 9 years before Uber opened operations in NYC. I suppose it was Uber's fault that Schifter worked 120 hours a week from 2004-2012?

Why don't you post your viewpoints instead of constantly criticizing mine? Let's see your reasoning, or are you one of the typical American wimps that keep blaming the gov't and corporate America for your place in life?



ChinatownJake said:


> Out here, SUV black rental generally ranges $450-700/week.


NYC is double that plus fees.


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## Brooklyn (Jul 29, 2014)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> Those three sentences were pasted from the story. Just like the one I'm about to paste right below here. So you're saying that the New York Daily News reporter made this up?
> 
> "I worked 100-120 consecutive hours almost every week for the past fourteen plus years. When the industry started in 1981, I averaged 40-50 hours. I cannot survive any longer with working 120 hours! I am not a Slave and I refuse to be one," wrote Schifter.
> 
> ...


Oh so I was right earlier when I said you put your story together from a few sentences in the article? oh ok.

I know what the article said.. do you honestly believe the man worked 120 hours a week for 14 straight years? let's be logical here.

And NYC is not $900-$1,400 for a SUV rental a week in NYC.... and it's not $1,000 a month for the Black Car Fund... if you wanna talk strictly facts you should really start getting your facts down.

And I'll be happy to share my viewpoints... I don't think a bankruptcy filing from 2005 has much to do with anything. You don't know the results of those filings... for all you know the man was cash rich. If he was financially in a bad spot before Uber it's not as if Uber did him any good... or any driver good for that matter in terms of NYC.. if you know or not when Uber entered NYC they were advertising that drivers made $90k a year net on Uber which they were eventually sued because of. I think a man who took his life had his own personal demons for sure and I'd rather not comment on that because that's not my position to speak on a man I personally don't know. For all we know he went into heavy debt because he tried starting a business and failed like starting a driving company and went back to driving and Uber killed that income for him. We literally know nothing.

But I guess if you want to guesstimate some guys financial situation and numbers be my guest. Simply put... my view is I am in no place to be talking about a man's suicide by 3 sentences in an article based on a bankruptcy from like 13-14 years ago. If we did that then EVERYONE would view Donald Trump as a scummy person too I guess.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Brooklyn said:


> I know what the article said.. do you honestly believe the man worked 120 hours a week for 14 straight years? let's be logical here.


I don't think you really know what the article said. The 120 hour work week quote was from Schifter's own words that he had posted in the lengthy Facebook suicide note the morning of his death.



Brooklyn said:


> And NYC is not $900-$1,400 for a SUV rental a week in NYC.... and it's not $1,000 a month for the Black Car Fund... if you wanna talk strictly facts you should really start getting your facts down.


You are stating what *NOT *a Black Car/SUV operating expenses are. Then what *ARE *the operating expenses of a leased and/or owned Black Car/SUV in NYC?

For future reference, when the words probably and figured are used in a statement then it is suggested that the creator of that statement is assuming.



Brooklyn said:


> We literally know nothing.


Speak for yourself.

Doug Schifter was 61 and has been in the fare for hire business the past 37 years. He posted a lengthy suicide note on Facebook at 7:10am blaming Mayor de Blasio, Gov Cuomo and former Mayor Bloomberg for the collapsing wages of the fare for hire industry. He shot himself in the face with a shotgun at the City Hall's East gate. Also in his suicide note he claimed he was in poor physical condition with no health insurance. He has logged over 5,000,000 miles in the fare for hire industry. He claimed bankruptcy in '05 with being in the red over $57,000. His net revenue from self employed driving back in '05 was less then $1900/month. Another quote from the Facebook suicide note stated "I hope with the public sacrifice I make now that some attention to the plight of drivers......." Doug Schifter wrote columns for the Black Car News which is a local social media outlet owned by fellow driver Neil Weiss. Black Car Fund Chief Executive Ira Goldstein knew Schifter. He stated that Schifter did not have any children and did dedicate a lot of hours to the industry. He said that Schifter was very distraught about where the industry was going.

The reason you posted "We literally know nothing." is because you never read the article before you started challenging me. I just posted nearly 20 pertinent facts about Schifter.


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## Brooklyn (Jul 29, 2014)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> I don't think you really know what the article said. The 120 hour work week quote was from Schifter's own words that he had posted in the lengthy Facebook suicide note the morning of his death.
> 
> You are stating what *NOT *a Black Car/SUV operating expenses are. Then what *ARE *the operating expenses of a leased and/or owned Black Car/SUV in NYC?
> 
> ...


Oh my god I really wished the people that ran this site took my advice and updated their emojis because the current ones def. don't fit the amount of hilarity in your post.

1. Again... think logically. 120 hours a week for 14 years.. so you won't believe that he said Uber and the named politicians destroyed him but you'll believe that he worked 120 hours a week. Which one sounds more logical to you? A man working 20 hours a day(one day off) for 14+ years or all these politicians having a hand in destroying his income with proven facts of their actions?

2. If you want to talk about expenses in NYC you should learn for yourself. But if you want some help the BCF I believe the last time I remember took 1% of each trip so at $1,000 a month(your number) he had to have been earning $100,000 a month! Wow!

Renting an SUV for $1,400 a week lmao.

If you're looking to ask me to explain to you how it works here after this convo got this far then you literally are admitting you've been talking out of your ass the entire time.

I said we literally know nothing because of a few reasons
- the man touched on his health being an issue as well.. you conveniently avoided that topic. 
- there may have been other factors which played a part
- oh and the fact that since I don't know this guys life I'd assume if he filed for bankruptcy in 2005 I wouldn't be able to explain how those numbers would balloon to $300,000+... but I guess you do.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Brooklyn said:


> 2. If you want to talk about expenses in NYC you should learn for yourself. But if you want some help the BCF I believe the last time I remember took 1% of each trip so at $1,000 a month(your number) he had to have been earning $100,000 a month! Wow!


I just looked up the fee. It's 2.5% of the total fare. OMG, you live in NYC and were 150% off in your numbers. Damn, I sure wish that the moderators would check these posts for correctness especially with a poster from that very region. That's about how stupid your posts sound.


Brooklyn said:


> Renting an SUV for $1,400 a week lmao.


Where did you think I posted $1,400/wk? I posted $1,000/wk for $4,300/month. Any ways, your reading comprehension sucks. My numbers about NYC were all assumptions as I clearly used the words probably and guessed.



Brooklyn said:


> - the man touched on his health being an issue as well.. you conveniently avoided that topic.


The article said that the Facebook suicide note said that he was in only poor health and had no health insurance. I guess I can assume that he was obese like over 1/3 of the country is.


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## Pedro Paramo66 (Jan 17, 2018)

Trump Economics said:


> Yea, I'm depressed, too. Not gonna say I haven't ever had an irrational thought about what life would be like without the $3 an hour I'm making from Uber and Lyft.


Just remember, this is not about money, the important thing is that you are your own boss, you decide when to drive, you are meeting very excited and interested people, you are participating in Travis State of the art disruptive technology and you are making money aside in 16 hours daily of your spare time
Lol


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## Brooklyn (Jul 29, 2014)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> I just looked up the fee. It's 2.5% of the total fare. OMG, you live in NYC and were 150% off in your numbers. Damn, I sure wish that the moderators would check these posts for correctness especially with a poster from that very region. That's about how stupid your posts sound.
> 
> Where did you think I posted $1,400/wk? I posted $1,000/wk for $4,300/month. Any ways, your reading comprehension sucks. My numbers about NYC were all assumptions as I clearly used the words probably and guessed.
> 
> The article said that the Facebook suicide note said that he was in only poor health and had no health insurance. I guess I can assume that he was obese like over 1/3 of the country is.


I'm just saying... if you don't know what you're talking about you shouldn't talk about it... I guess since it's so easy to post on a message board for you it's easy to just throw out any and every idea that pops up in that little brain of yours, isn't it?

And that crazy $1,400 a week came from where that person wrote $450-$700 a week rental for a SUV black and you wrote "double that"....PLUS FEES

Look I'm not here to point out how misinformed you are and how your math makes no sense like when you talked about the guy owing over $300k "probably" even after filing bankruptcy, or to talk about fees you have no idea about but just comment about them to inflate this guys expenses so you can see like you know something. I'm here to tell you since you don't know the person, their life, or exact circumstances, then don't comment on his life... oh also especially since the man specifically blamed Governor Cuomo, Mayor De Blasio and former Mayor Bloomberg for destroying his livelihood, the taxi and FHV industry and etc... which again you conveniently forgot to mention but instead turned it into this guy shooting himself because of strictly Uber.. maybe other posters may see all of this and see how full of it you are.. and maybe you learn to learn and speak facts instead of focusing on 3 sentences in a 840 word article.


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

Well either way it's more good publicity for uber.


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## empresstabitha (Aug 25, 2016)

Kerplunkenstein said:


> http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...-parked-city-hall-manhattan-article-1.3800082


Here's my problem with this. A lot of Uber and Lyft drivers are doing it to grind through a living too. My dad was a cab driver in SF, then he got his first stroke. My mom had great insurance but still had copays. They lost a complete income and I was in my last year of college for a job that really wouldn't have paid much. My sisters a teaching artist and I went for Marine biology.

My mom ended up working a second job doing eats and I do Lyft/Uber. If we didn't have this job we could have lost our house, and wouldn't have had the money to pay for my dad's medicines and extra expenses related to his care and subsequent strokes. ( I mean if he planned ahead instead of being a cheating scumbag this wouldn't have happened, but I guess its too late for that.)

Also, cabs brought this on themselves by having a system which didn't hold anyone accountable to actually pick up people EVERYWHERE.I don't know how many people get in Lyft and say they love it because it would have been impossible to get a cab where they were before. They are still living in SF but closer to the ocean where it isn't as productive to just sit and wait for a ride, but with Uber and Lyft they can match people who are close by and they can finally get picked up.


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## Brooklyn (Jul 29, 2014)

empresstabitha said:


> Here's my problem with this. A lot of Uber and Lyft drivers are doing it to grind through a living too. My dad was a cab driver in SF, then he got his first stroke. My mom had great insurance but still had copays. They lost a complete income and I was in my last year of college for a job that really wouldn't have paid much. My sisters a teaching artist and I went for Marine biology.
> 
> My mom ended up working a second job doing eats and I do Lyft/Uber. If we didn't have this job we could have lost our house, and wouldn't have had the money to pay for my dad's medicines and extra expenses related to his care and subsequent strokes. ( I mean if he planned ahead instead of being a cheating scumbag this wouldn't have happened, but I guess its too late for that.)
> 
> Also, cabs brought this on themselves by having a system which didn't hold anyone accountable to actually pick up people EVERYWHERE.I don't know how many people get in Lyft and say they love it because it would have been impossible to get a cab where they were before. They are still living in SF but closer to the ocean where it isn't as productive to just sit and wait for a ride, but with Uber and Lyft they can match people who are close by and they can finally get picked up.


I definitely see your point. But if you read the guys actual final post on Facebook he points out that the politicians were the ones that did this.

Example

So Bloomberg had a beef with the taxi industry... he literally was the front page of the news stating he was going to destroy the taxi industry all he himself was the mayor and invested into Lyft...

Cuomo and Bloomberg had a bunch of former employees of there's actual work at Uber and Lyft. The former Taxi Limousine commissioner actually left his job and went to work for Lyft. The second in command went to work for Uber... after they sold a bunch of medallions where they raised the lowest price to high amounts at the auctions.

Then they placed a bunch of ridiculous rules and regulations... some of which made no sense or didn't solve any of the issues which the cab drivers have been fighting for years.

Before Uber came into NYC I forgot which companies but they were building an app but the city said they will design and build the app... this was back in like 2009 or 2010.... it's 2018 and they never released one.

People tried selling their medallions for less and the city literally jumped into the middle of sales and cancelled the transactions because they deemed the price too low for the transaction.

There was a lot of shady stuff like this going on which just put extra strain on the drivers here in NYC while Uber got a free pass to put as many vehicles on the road as they wanted... and now when there's statistical facts backing up that Uber has filled NYC with an insane amount of vehicles which has caused everyone's income to lower... the state wants to put a tax on taxi's because Uber has so many vehicles on the road. It really makes no sense.

I get that these apps may have helped you.. and the system in your city may be much more difficult to operate in... it doesn't change the fact that Uber has broken the law everywhere they've gone... all in the sakes that they can have more and more drivers on the road... and undercut cabs at predatory prices to put them out of business. Yes I get that they have surge pricing which surpasses cabs at times but look at that now where they do this whole upfront pricing and the more they fill the streets with vehicles it proves they solved nothing with cutting the amount of vehicles on the road and they're actually forcing everyone else to pay taxes because of the amount of vehicles they're placing onto the road.

While I am happy your family was able to save yourselves.. the politicians which were funded by Uber/Lyft and etc... screwed these people out of their livings and the best solution people on this forum have is "adapt"... "technology".... "prepare" as if it's easy for a 61 year old who's been working in the same industry for 41 years to prepare for a company to take $5 billion in losses every year to undercut him and put him, and his fellow partners out of business or work for their predatory prices.


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## UberLaLa (Sep 6, 2015)

The unfortunate thing is, I would say you are both ( Brooklyn & SEAL Team 5 ) correct in ways.

Sounds like he might have driven his health into the ground, and Rideshare did not help with things either, but not entirely at fault for decades of poor decisions on his part.


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## Leo1983 (Jul 3, 2017)

Sad sad sad. It’s the transportation industry now but more to come. The way things are going America will be middle class less within ten years. Welcome to soviet America y’all.


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## Leo1983 (Jul 3, 2017)




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## Leo1983 (Jul 3, 2017)

To new drivers. Know what you're getting into. Here is a great interview and explanation of how Rideshare business models operate.


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## empresstabitha (Aug 25, 2016)

Brooklyn said:


> I definitely see your point. But if you read the guys actual final post on Facebook he points out that the politicians were the ones that did this.
> 
> Example
> 
> ...


Here's the thing people have been saying for years that technology is going to replace most of our jobs. Anyone at any age can adapt and change. Take this as a warning, no job is safe, period.


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## Leo1983 (Jul 3, 2017)

empresstabitha said:


> Here's the thing people have been saying for years that technology is going to replace most of our jobs. Anyone at any age can adapt and change. Take this as a warning, no job is safe, period.


Technology hasn't replaced shit. Companies just don't pay what they used to. Most households have gone from one to two+ incomes within the last 30 years. 
Industry is just operating at a none sustainable rate. 
We've been using the rest of the world to fulfill our needs for cheap crap. It's just our turn to take it in the ass. A corporation has no loyalty by design.


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## driverdoug (Jun 11, 2017)

Ms Desai of the Taxi Workers Alliance was terrific in the Democracy Now! video. She details the corruption that led to the current drivers’ hardships.


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## hackco (Jun 30, 2015)

The deceased had some legitimate beefs with the politicians, but also had his own demons, health issues and ultimately financial problems. And felt that the merry-go-round would never stop unless he made it stop. Still, it's without question that the taxi/FHV/Black car business has always been the most political of all local businesses in every jurisdiction. Typically, those businesses were easy marks for campaign coffers until Uber came along with their armies of lobbyists. The current result is partially what drove this poor man to blow his brains out at city hall. No limits, no management of the city without commensurate infrastructure improvements and finally oversaturation of this business. Drivers churn in and out while professional full-time drivers suffer. An unsustainable business model, but, you guys already knew that.


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## empresstabitha (Aug 25, 2016)

Leo1983 said:


> Technology hasn't replaced shit. Companies just don't pay what they used to. Most households have gone from one to two+ incomes within the last 30 years.
> Industry is just operating at a none sustainable rate.
> We've been using the rest of the world to fulfill our needs for cheap crap. It's just our turn to take it in the ass. A corporation has no loyalty by design.


Technology replaced tons of manufacturing jobs.


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## Leo1983 (Jul 3, 2017)

empresstabitha said:


> Technology replaced tons of manufacturing jobs.


No a thousand tiny Chinese children did.


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## empresstabitha (Aug 25, 2016)

Leo1983 said:


> No a thousand tiny Chinese children did.


For some stuff, but a lot of stuff in the US is being automated. Geesh.


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## Leo1983 (Jul 3, 2017)

empresstabitha said:


> For some stuff, but a lot of stuff in the US is being automated. Geesh.


You'd be surprised how little robots actually do. Yes most manufacturing in the states use robots. But we don't manufacture most things in the states. Just paper. 
Believe it or not companies save as little as 10% manufacturing outside of regulations. So if a company will ruin its country for 10% they would do it for 1


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## Jesusdrivesuber (Jan 5, 2017)

Leo1983 said:


>


No ****ing wonder the unions keep getting halted and courts still consider people contractors after showing Uber/Lyft's full control via design and threats.

It's disgusting to see how low this country has fallen at the hands of corporations, politicians are all about money today, not country.


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## Ms Stein Fanboy (Feb 11, 2017)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> then


Than is spelled with an a. It's ok if ur dumb, but if ur one of dem that tries to sound smart, u should use the right words.



SEAL Team 5 said:


> way before Uber was even a wet spot in Travis' pants.


I don't understand this metaphor. If Uber were a wet spot in Trav's pants, wouldn't that mean it never came to pass? If he came in his pants, then no baby.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Ms Stein Fanboy said:


> Than is spelled with an a. It's ok if ur dumb, but if ur one of dem that tries to sound smart, u should use the right words.


Then; adverb, used to situate actions in time.

Than; conjunction, used to compare

Ms Stein Fanboy; noun, ignorant



Ms Stein Fanboy said:


> I don't understand this metaphor.


I'm sure you don't. You don't even know 4th grade spelling words.


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

This man should have made better choices. Now his family has to do without. That's all I'm going to say on the matter.


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> That was a bunch of bull. The driver had financial problems way before Uber was even a wet spot in Travis' pants. His declaration of bankruptcy shows very poor money management as far back as 13 years ago.
> 
> But, let's blame Uber for our downfall in life. Let's blame a transportation company that spends $0 on gas, $0 on vehicles, $0 on vehicle maintenance and doesn't have a single employee that drives fare for hire. I think that Doug had no clue to blame for his woes.


It's not about "blame". I think the guy who committed suicide was selfish, not considering what he is doing to the people who loved him ( most people have loved ones, don't they? ). While I'm sympthetic to the destitute, I'm not sympathetic to suicide ( unless someone is in real physical pain that medical science cannot avert ).

Anyway, it's not abot blame, the simple fact remains that Uber pay sucks, period.

Oh, I know, you're gonna say "no one is forcing you to work for Uber".

While technically true, I must work for Uber for the time being until i find away to replace Uber with something better, I don't have the luxury of just walking away.

That being said, it doesn't give Uber the right to take advantage of my situation, and the thousands of other situations similar to mine.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Oscar Levant said:


> It's not about "blame". I think the guy who committed suicide was selfish, not considering what he is doing to the people who loved him ( most people have loved ones, don't they? ). While I'm sympthetic to the destitute, I'm not sympathetic to suicide ( unless someone is in real physical pain that medical science cannot avert ).
> 
> Anyway, it's not abot blame, the simple fact remains that Uber pay sucks, period.
> 
> ...


People on here talk about Uber like its the automotive industry in which generations of families worked on the same assembly line for over 5 decades. They speak of Uber as it was the lumber mill that kept a town of 10,000 residents going for 100 years. UberX is only 4 years old with the majority of drivers having less than 2 years experience. I simply don't understand how a company with the slogans "Work when you want to" and "Get your side hustle on" can be viewed by anyone other than extra pocket money. It's black and white. UberX has been slashing their prices since the inception. June of '14 was the biggest rate reduction as prices fell $.90/mile overnight. UberX is just a bad stock tip that most gullible drivers thought they would make money. Uber is the 90's dot com craze of today.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

Seriously I have a major problem. My DISH network Hopper just auto rebooted in tbe middle of a movie.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Seriously I have a major problem. My DISH network Hopper just auto rebooted in tbe middle of a movie.


I'll tell you what scene you just missed. John found out how much his sex change operation was really going to cost so he became an Uber driver with dreams of literally making life changing money.


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> I'll tell you what scene you just missed. John found out how much his sex change operation was really going to cost so he became an Uber driver with dreams of literally making life changing money.


When he found out how much money there was to actually be made, he got creative and decided to dress in Drag and use his Uber XL for more significant side income.


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## sellkatsell44 (Oct 25, 2015)

Leo1983 said:


> Technology hasn't replaced shit. Companies just don't pay what they used to. Most households have gone from one to two+ incomes within the last 30 years.
> Industry is just operating at a none sustainable rate.
> We've been using the rest of the world to fulfill our needs for cheap crap. It's just our turn to take it in the ass. A corporation has no loyalty by design.


They don't pay as much because technology is eating into that cost. I was at a company that was tip top in technology. It had a fortress balance sheet...yet it was still finding ways to cut hours for the humans at the same time encouraging those humans to redirect the customers to the online platform and the new updated atms. Essentially shifting the work over from human interaction to computer/tech interaction.

I switched over to another company that has really outdated technology in comparison (it's trying to get there) and it has way more folks on staff...they have to...they're still operating on paperwork (mind boggling really, with the billions it handles). But I can see the writing on the wall...it's slowly getting that way. As it should. I'm tired of having to do things old fashion...but at the same time, I know with the cut of jobs...it'll just get more cut throat and the distribution of wealth is going to be more thin. It's a conflict for sure. I'm all for technology. I just don't want to leave the people behind.

Technology may not have 100% replaced humans, but they've definitely made the job more easier aka need less people aka there are people out there without a job. Referring back to that old job of mine, when people left (quit) we did not replace them. They simply made a 8 person branch (that's already very bare) become a 5 person branch, effectively doing the same with no pay increase. I did OT every week. They didn't care. It still cost them less. And the OT didn't mean jack to me after taxes.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

Also don't forget the Green Cab debacle. NYC released all these "almost free" metered livery medallions (green cabs). Brilliant idea. Needed to be part of a radio base, could work everywhere but the Battery to 125th. Also couldn't que up at airports.
Some men invested everything they had into green cabs. Hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Then NYC undercut their own product by going live with TNC as a legitimate base.

I've seen pictures of cab yards with hundreds of green cabs sitting all painted and set up but empty due to the city cutting this products throat.

There are many factors in the almost death of taxi/livery.
I'll probably survive, many have/will not.


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## hackco (Jun 30, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Also don't forget the Green Cab debacle. NYC released all these "almost free" metered livery medallions (green cabs). Brilliant idea. Needed to be part of a radio base, could work everywhere but the Battery to 125th. Also couldn't que up at airports.
> Some men invested everything they had into green cabs. Hundreds of thousands of dollars.
> Then NYC undercut their own product by going live with TNC as a legitimate base.
> 
> ...


When they first started, many of the green cabs were UBER T. It became the distribution system for Bloomberg's destruction of the yellow cab. He's not a dumb guy.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

hackco said:


> When they first started, many of the green cabs were UBER T. It became the distribution system for Bloomberg's destruction of the yellow cab. He's not a dumb guy.


Green cabs would have solved the taxi problem in NY.


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## Brooklyn (Jul 29, 2014)

hackco said:


> When they first started, many of the green cabs were UBER T. It became the distribution system for Bloomberg's destruction of the yellow cab. He's not a dumb guy.


The green cabs weren't UberTaxi... the green cabs were just that... green cabs that were able to download the Uber driver app and operate with the the UberTaxi option while being affiliated with another base. UberTaxi used to have yellow cabs as well until they discontinued that service when customers would use the UberTaxi part of the app when there was surges and etc.

It wasn't as if they were directly affiliated with UberTaxi under one of their bases.

The guy who killed himself was complaining about just that... that Bloomberg, Cuomo and etc used Uber and etc as their tools to destroy the driving industry in NYC.. not that Uber specifically ruined him. If it wasn't Uber it was going to be someone else. When your mayor is the in the news for literally being quoted saying that he's going to destroy the taxi industry and the next following day invests into Lyft and his former employees... especially the ones who were in charge of the taxi industry go and work for Uber and Lyft you know there's an issue.


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## at-007smartLP (Oct 27, 2017)

Mears Troll Number 4 said:


> Well either way it's more good publicity for uber.


anything that brings attention to the cause i suppose, really suprised many more havent gone postal it's beyond evil what they getting away with...

to average $3.37 minimum wage were talking prices from jim crow & pre 1920s to average so low, then take out the 4% of us experienced vets who screen & make $40 an hour its the definition of slavery



Oscar Levant said:


> It's not about "blame". I think the guy who committed suicide was selfish, not considering what he is doing to the people who loved him ( most people have loved ones, don't they? ). While I'm sympthetic to the destitute, I'm not sympathetic to suicide ( unless someone is in real physical pain that medical science cannot avert ).
> 
> Anyway, it's not abot blame, the simple fact remains that Uber pay sucks, period.
> 
> ...


man had gumption like those monks who set themselves on fire, extrene but if you going out with a bang might as well bring attention to modern day slavery being legal cuz its an app


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

This guy wanted Nat'l attention. He must have been a taxi driver.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/breaki...ts-shots-fired-today-03-03-2018-live-updates/


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