Monday, June 16, 2008

Gas prices

People in Europe, try to understand that Americans are entitled to cheap gasoline. I'm only kidding, but to see gas go from just over a buck to $4.50 for the cheapest grade of fuel in fifteen years is pure, unadulterated bullshit. I've been lax in calling the cab company owner to inquire about a rate increase, but I'm going to do it this week.

We went from 10% cars to 25% cars in two years. What I mean by that is: if we made $200 on the meter during a shift two years ago, it would cost about $20 in gas to fill the tank, which is 10%. Now it costs $40 or $50 on that same $200 earned. It galls me that every other form of transportation in America can ad fuel surcharges, luggage fees, or simply raise rates at will, but not taxis. We have to appeal to a committee at the county level, and it's nearly impossible to get them to agree to an in crease.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Ted, i stumbled on your blog a while back and read straight through. (i wish you would blog more!) But anyways, i have a question for regarding gas prices... i heard on the news that a lot of people who are close to the border are driving to Mexico to get gas. The news said gas there is only about $2.50 a gallon. Since you are so close, have you considered this?

Keep up the great blogging! It's very interesting!

Thanks,
Susan

Ted Martin said...

I've heard that TJ gas stations are running out of fuel because of all the San Diego people going down there to fill up. My thinking is this: crossing the border in a car takes between one and three hours, and I can make enough money driving the cab to make up the difference in price.

Also, U.S. car insurance doesn't work in Mexico, so I would need to get a one-day pass every time crossing the border. That's about $15, plus about an hour to stop by any of the insurance shops along the border. Most people risk a quick trip to TJ without insurance, but can you imagine getting in a crash there, with all the corruption and problems?

We do have one driver who goes down for diesel, but he has a 100-gallon fuel tank mounted in the back of his diesel truck. He fills the truck tanks, plus the 100-gal auxiliary, and then he has something to draw from to fill both his truck and his Volkswagen -- which is diesel.