A break... A switch... A new thing
Ironically I think today would be as good as any to redirect the flow of this blog. I mentioned previously that I switched companies, the new one being much closer to the City of Atlanta – where all the action is.
Well, I am parked at a Whole Foods sucking up some free Wi-Fi. The reason being that the computer that runs the taxi, i.e. it gives us the calls, fares, etc., has been on the blink for a couple days now, so they are finally deciding to pay some attention to it. A message was sent out saying the system would be down for 15 mins so I decided I had better hit the keys and puts some words up on this blog before it is swallowed up into cyberspace as another blog abandoned by its author.
As for the change, the main difference has been the fact that just about everything is computer driven. This, of course has many positives and alternatively on a day like today where the computer is on the fritz one see the drawbacks.
The biggest (material) benefit is that the fares are larger. Naturally the taxi lease fee is also more expensive but it is in line with the increased possibilities of larger fares and tips.
The customer base is also a little more intellectually stimulating which is always a good thing. The only issue that has shown itself is with credit card transactions. The company has a built in card reader but it does not take debit cards and they extract a hefty fee (10%!!!) from the fare. But have no fear @Square www.squareup.com is here!. If you are not hip to the @square card reader, well you need to be. I can take credit/debit card payments by attaching the reader to my (i)phone, swipe, wait for the approval, then I’m done. The customer has a choice of getting an electronic receipt via email or via sms to their mobile phone. Its quick, its easy, and for most customers actually fun!
There is a lot more to say but I wanted to end on a positive note, but more importantly my timer has gone off telling that the 15 minute schedule for fixing the taxi cab computer network is up. Let’s hope it is fully resolved and there are hundreds of fares waiting to be picked up!