[Aw Jeez]

Picked up two young Navy females at the mall. Noticed that their destination was on Pensacola N.A.S., which is closed to Uber for now. I informed the women that I couldn't get on the base and that I'd be dropping them prior to reaching the gate. You cannot get on the base without a military ID. They suggested that I "try" to get on, which I know is not possible. We got to a turn-around point just before the gate and I stopped and ended the ride. At this point one of the woman because surly and rude. "Well you *could* have tried to get on-base and just dropped us at the Visitor's Center," she said. (The Visitor's Center is where they make cars turn around that can't get on-base for some reason.) Which is not allowed - and at that time of day the Visitor's Center was closed in any case. "That's fine, whatever," she said with that dismissive wave of the hand which told me I wouldn't be getting five stars from her. (Nope! Two stars, that *****. I'm sure she called me uncooperative or rude or something.)

As they got out of the car one of the gate guards came over and yelled to us. I closed the doors and left the scene. They got yelled at, because duh, Uber is not allowed on base and that little piece of property (the turn-around) belongs to the Navy. I would have gotten yelled at too, but screw that - I don't need that hassle of being treated like a child by the Base Police. I put up with enough of that bullshit for the last seven years as a taxi driver who had actual, legitimate authorization to be on-base. And they still treated us like criminals!

So, lesson-learned. Next time I pickup military kids and the destination is inside the Navy base, before moving an inch I'm going to tell the passenger to cancel the ride. Or I will cancel it. Let them try that crap on someone else.

 

[Soulless_senpai]

I dropped off a girlfriend of a marine at camp pendleton. There are two gates there. One for military ,one for uber/lyft. I went through the wrong gate and the guard ended letting me through,because my pax had a military I.D.

 

[Aw Jeez]

Every military base is different, it seems.

 

[GMAn-5563]

I have an advantage as I am retired military with an ID card. I don't press the issue much. I'll make an offer to drop off on the base at Corry Station, but most times my riders decline.

 

[Dr Phil]

Picked up two young Navy females at the mall. Noticed that their destination was on Pensacola N.A.S., which is closed to Uber for now. I informed the women that I couldn't get on the base and that I'd be dropping them prior to reaching the gate. You cannot get on the base without a military ID. They suggested that I "try" to get on, which I know is not possible. We got to a turn-around point just before the gate and I stopped and ended the ride. At this point one of the woman because surly and rude. "Well you *could* have tried to get on-base and just dropped us at the Visitor's Center," she said. (The Visitor's Center is where they make cars turn around that can't get on-base for some reason.) Which is not allowed - and at that time of day the Visitor's Center was closed in any case. "That's fine, whatever," she said with that dismissive wave of the hand which told me I wouldn't be getting five stars from her. (Nope! Two stars, that *****. I'm sure she called me uncooperative or rude or something.)

As they got out of the car one of the gate guards came over and yelled to us. I closed the doors and left the scene. They got yelled at, because duh, Uber is not allowed on base and that little piece of property (the turn-around) belongs to the Navy. I would have gotten yelled at too, but screw that - I don't need that hassle of being treated like a child by the Base Police. I put up with enough of that bullshit for the last seven years as a taxi driver who had actual, legitimate authorization to be on-base. And they still treated us like criminals!

So, lesson-learned. Next time I pickup military kids and the destination is inside the Navy base, before moving an inch I'm going to tell the passenger to cancel the ride. Or I will cancel it. Let them try that crap on someone else.

I see that you have crossed over to the dark side.............

 

[Aw Jeez]

My cab died so I bought another, nicer vehicle...but I cannot yet turn it into a taxi. In the meantime I signed up with Uber to see what it was like. It's fun to drive around the mall the "wrong" way, and wave to my taxi driver friends as I do. But not getting on base anymore sucks.

 

[SomarYNot]

dont worry not missing much now they make the taxis sit at one spot all lined up and its a frenzy but dont know why they turn uber lyfts around thier background checks better than city and the base Lyft denied me on misdermeanor charges from 14 years ago but i had NAS access and drove cab in the city

 

[Aw Jeez]

The Commanding Officer of NAS does not like Ubers *or* taxis...or civilians of any kind on "his" base. He considers them a security threat. But taxis were already on base, so he couldn't very well stop them from coming - he just sequestered them into the queue. I'm sure the Commanding Officer of NATTC would've raised a big stink if ol' Capt. Martin banned taxis on NASP like he did on Corry. (We used to pick up just about anywhere on Corry.) He's sure made it difficult though! 90-day base passes...what are you, kidding me? That's when I said screws the Navy! No mo' taxi for me! You can have it.

Anyway, rumor has it that the City of Pensacola bought the "dirt lot" at the foot of the bridge just outside of the base, and they're going to turn that into the taxi queue. That same rumor says that the Navy will run a shuttle from the Galley to the dirt lot. We're hoping that Capt. Martin gets promoted and moved out of NASP before that happens. But who knows...the next Commanding Officer could be more of a hard-ass than Capt. Martin!

 

[SomarYNot]

the captain of the miltiary police told me theres a proposal right now to kick all cabs off the base because they still breaking rules at the cue because he dont have the man power to babysit them over here in nola at the airport the cabs are babysitted and they are angels over there its chaos and the reason why isnt cause commanding officer its cause of Trump beefing up and also cause one owner called the commanding officer an idiot in the newspaper when they wanted to put taxis outside the back gate the main reason why taxis get shit is because of some owners caused some of the most trouble and because thier not babysitted 24/7 at the cue those taxis will continue to break rules when I had enough I had customers literally at my door about to open it when the taxi next to me pulled out like they were leaving literally stopped yelled out there window to talk them into thier cab now I remember there being a rule back in the day and its on that paper every driver has to show entering the base about no fishing and soliciting and used to get a ticket have to go to the kangaroo court with the "pimp master" judge and if you were cab driver you were instantly guilty nothing could help you and you were kicked off base 30 days but if cabs are forced to pick up outside the gate your gonna see a ton of people with signs outside the bridge everyday

 

[Aw Jeez]

Let's face it, the owners of the taxi companies in Pensacola are just not that smart. Not singling anyone out here, just saying. They act like having access to the base is a God-given, legally-defensible right. Oh yeah? Just watch. The base commander will call it a "security" issue and...ba-da-bing!...no more cabs.

Protesters? Feh. Won't happen. But even if it did, what good would it do? Who will care? It won't make a difference. Taxi drivers have a terrible public image. Oh, and cabdrivers tried a protest, downtown when Uber first came to town. See how that went! Unfortunately, taxi drivers do not "present" well in front of the TV cameras. Looked like a bunch of hooligans and meth-heads (and in at least one case it was true).

No, if the base commander kicks the cabs off, that will be the end of taxis in Pensacola. As long as the kids have to go off-base to get a ride, they will all just take Uber/Lyft, and there's be no more "fishing" or soliciting or whatever. Out of the duty van, into the ride you called. Easy-peasy. I'd hate to be a cabdriver sitting in the new queue in the dirt lot watching Uber after Uber picking up the kids who used to ride with me.

Downtown at night on the weekend is GONE...gone to Uber. The last time I worked a Friday night downtown - about six months ago - I got *ZERO* rides. Everybody stood at the curb with their phone in their hands, waiting on their Uber. It was frustrating. But all those lit-up phones did at least show me the handwriting on the wall!

The airport is just about dead too. Most days there are hardly enough cabs working to fill the "slab" up at the terminal. And sometimes the same cabs are sitting on the slab for hours upon end, while ride-share cars make multiple trips in and out. At most, all I've ever seen is four taxis or so back in the queue. Without the possibility of trips to the base, taxis are done...finito. Yellow or Lucky Cab *might* survive, because they do a lot of ghetto work where the (elderly? poor? suspicious?) people might not have credit cards or might not want to give their information out to some big global corporation. But I don't think both companies will. Lucky Cab, which started off with some nice, clean, new vans sure has a lot of crappy-looking cars on the road now. Once you start scrimping in maintenance...

This new "Z-trip" thing just might work, especially if riders can still pay in the car. Since "Yellow Cab is now Ztrip!" I wonder if they'll still have taximeters? We'll have to see whether the Pensacola Airport considers them a taxi and requires them use the queue/slab, or whether they'll be lumped in with the ride-share guys.

I resisted The Big Switch to ride-share as long as I could. But eventually it became a no-brainer. Look, taxi drivers are vetted and approved by the Navy to legitimately be on that base - just like the pizza and soda and other delivery people, right? But the Navy treats taxis like they're the enemy. Nobody else gets their vehicles searched *every* time on the way in. And so as long as that idiot Navy base commander creates a hostile work environment on the base (which he does)...and as long as the Base Police hassle taxis and treat them like children (which they do)...and as along as taxi drivers continue to act like children (oh, do they ever!)...I'll just say screw NAS and drive for Uber.

I know I'll get the kids back sooner or later anyway.

 

[SomarYNot]

personally dont care anymore i lost my job cause owners think they king/queen shit they can all be kicked off for all I care actually Lyft should be allowed on cause thier background check is more diverse than even the city and military they found stuff on me 14 years ago but I was allowed on NAS...
I can point out drivers of companies there dealing and picking up thier drugs in the cab or from the buisness I know one using illegal meters that you just plug in doesnt need to be installed by a certified professional nor have the tag thing on it with intials of the certified person who installed it but the city and base allow them to operate

 

[Aw Jeez]

1) Of course we all know which drivers fish aggressively, we know who use bogus meters, and we know which drivers deal drugs. Cab drives do not act like responsible adults. They don't follow the rules, they fight, they cause trouble, and they crash into each other. It's why the Navy wants *ALL* taxis off the base. They'll catch the drug-using kids in the random pops. But they can't catch the drug-doing cabdrivers.

2) As for the City, they really don't care anymore, at least not in between the inspections/recertification thing they do every September. To the City, taxis are a headache that they neither have the manpower nor motivation to regulate closely.

3) The criteria for being granted access to any military installation is more involved than simply passing a criminal background check. Currently, you have to be a Contractor to have a base pass (not this quasi, "independent contractor" that Uber says we are). In other words you have to have your own legitimate business license or work for a legitimate, licensed business. You need to have Commercial insurance in effect at all times when on the base, not just when you have a passenger onboard. This leaves Uber/Lyft out - when we don't have a passenger we're just another civilian vehicle. And they don't like civilians on base. When I applied for my last base pass, they required that I have my insurance company put the cab company I was working for on the declaration page...because the name on my Commercial insurance form did not match the cab company name on the side of my car. Oh, the military and their attention to detail!

I see taxis getting thrown off the base sooner rather than later.

 

[mjwalker504]

I have an advantage as I am retired military with an ID card. I don't press the issue much. I'll make an offer to drop off on the base at Corry Station, but most times my riders decline.

Are you interested in making a few$ by bringing some popeyes on nas Pensacola?

 

[MadTownUberD]

Are you interested in making a few$ by bringing some popeyes on nas Pensacola?

The post you quoted is over 3 years old.