Southie Taxi Cab Boston 617-269-4444 Massachusetts,ma,mass,south boston,boston

Maybe it’s not “just the white guys”/Stupid has no color.

Per order of the Boston Police hackney carriage unit the I.T.O.A. taxi company at 223 Albany st. has begun using a G.P.S. based electronic dispatch system. The system runs Mobile knowledge software on the already installed CMT credit card machines that were placed in the cars by an earlier hackney mandate that all Boston taxis be equipped to take credit cards.

The decision to begin using this system last week by I.T.O.A. management has caused ,to say the least, several pounds of frustration for the I.T.O.A. drivers and more importantly ME as I now drive an I.T.O.A. taxi thanks to the best father in law any guy could ever ask for. Some of you may remember earlier columns I wrote where I detailed my frustrations with what I felt was an inadequate Verifone dispatch system. I would now like to apologize to Verifone management. Compared to the system now being used by I.T.O.A. the Verifone dispatch system is far superior and if the I.T.O.A. system is the standard then Verifone is a miraculous 10 year leap into the future.

Here are the problems with the CMT/MK system I.T.O.A.is using as I see them.

1) If its GPS based then someone should see if the computer has been drinking electronic beer. It tries to send me from Perkins Sq. to 9 west Broadway(you could be on the Broadway bridge and 9 west will be a nogo). D st. in Southie to E. Newton st in the South end ,L and Broadway to Harbor point in Dorchester and last night it tried to send me from I-495 South in Chelmsford to Somerville. If Laura who called for the cab in Somervile is reading this now you know why you did not get your cab.

2) I checked with one of the technology companies responsible for this system and they would not go as far as saying that the I.T.O.A. were morons who were improperly using the system but they did say that “to their knowledge the system is not usually used in conjunction with voice dispatch” The I.T.O.A for some reason chose to activate 10 cabs at a time instead of waiting until all their cabs were equipped and then turning the system on. Moreover they have around 50 cabs in the association who still have Verifone machines and will not be allowed to stay in the I.T.O.A. until they get CMT machines. You hear things on the radio all the time like “526 is top at D st. 526 get…never mind the computer gave it out”

3) There seems to have been no provision made for a nogo. If the computer gives you a job and you sit out in front of the address the required 10 minutes and no one comes out you don’t get the next job like Linda,Ellen and Jack would give you. I think your just screwed and that’s it.

4) You have no idea where the job it is offering you is located until you accept it. As I said it likes to pinball you all around the city so at this point I have decided not to accept any jobs from it until it is,if it can be,fixed.

5) The computer,much like my wonderful wife Jessica, does not accept no for an answer. last night when it offered me the Somerville job when I was in Chelmsford I had told it no 3 times and then finally said yes because I wanted to see where the hell it was trying to send me when I was driving south on 495 in CHELMSFORD!

Now I could go on listing the problems this system has presented but as it was recently pointed out to me I don’t run the I.T.O.A. and am “just a driver” so I won’t offer any more instructions on what needs to be fixed to make this system adequate. Besides they could just ask any driver. This past week I was at the I.T.O.A. to use the bathroom and as I was about to leave I saw another driver following I.T.O.A. treasurer “Lee” being followed into the downstairs by another driver angrily listing the faults of the system and heard “Lee” respond that there was nothing wrong with the system. “Only the white guys were having a problem if the systems gives a Haitian driver a job he doesn’t complain he just goes and gets it”.

At this I honestly lost my kool and went back into the building to tell him he was a moron and that his stupidity was going to make John Ford owner of the Top Cab association a rich rich man. He responded by telling me “GOOD GO BACK TO JOHN FORD” and storming back upstairs. I can only imagine what would happen if a white man in power said something like “only the Haitians are having a problem”

The funny thing is that this defensiveness that there was no problems with the system and that everything was fine did not stop at Lee. Friday night I texted Vice President Joe Litvack “it just sent me from Perkins to 9 west Broadway why would I chase that?” He wrote back “Y NOT” to which I responded angrily “Cause Joe Litvack aint buying the FUCKING GAS THATS WHY”

Saturday night I heard half of a conversation where Larry Meister former I.T.O.A. vice president must have been complaining to Linda that the system had tried to send him someplace far away as he drove his 1156 cab and Linda responded by saying the now familiar “ill take you off of it with a laugh”. At this point in the weekend I was to say the least ANGRY and I remembered a time about 1.5 years ago when Mr. Meister sat me down in his office and told me in a gloating manner that he felt my then boss John Ford had made a mistake in choosing Verfone and that he had made the final decision in picking CMT because of their past experience with dispatching. At this I became furious and when I had occasion to pull next to Mr. Meister at Perkins Sq. as I scoured Southie for street work I let him know that it was my sincerest belief that he was “a fucking nitwit and he should buy nitwittaxi.com” I let him know also that he was number 1 and was glad his customer did not see or hear any of this as they were still in the ATM at the time.

Some of you may have noticed that I did not have a column last month and wondered why. IT is because whenever I criticize some “men” they don’t have the nerve to call me up and confront me directly. They instead go to my wife and cry “why does Michael pick on us!!” Sometimes they threaten to fire her.. I don’t know how other marriages work but I assure my readers my wife and I have a strict policy to never ever discuss business at home but unfortunately these “men” threatening her job made her cry and I promised I would not write about them any longer.

So my first apology is to my wife Jessica. I am sorry honey I tried to keep the promise but I just can’t sit back and watch these “men” destroy our business and keep my mouth shut. Next I owe every voice dispatcher I ever criticized an apology. Bobby ,Heidi,Tommy,John”F.A.” , Linda, Martha,Chis,Ellen,Jack,John even that evil creep Ricky Picardi I am sorry! On your worst days your better then the computer!

Lastly I guess I should apologize to every “man” who ever complained or threatened my wife`s job. Gentleman I am sorry I offended your delicate sensibilities. I assure you my opinion on how you are ruining the Taxi Cab business here in Boston is not at all personal and if at any time any of you wishes to pull up your G string panties and call me up I’ll gladly buy you a coffee and we can sit down and discuss how things can be done better.

Sincerest thanks,

Michael Carter
617-934-5651

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