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January 26, 2007

How About "You're Fired"?

Man, I am so tired that this crap is still going on

In the past five years, 5,400 would-be taxi passengers at the airport were refused service for this very reason, said the Metropolitan Airport Commission, or MAC. Last May, passenger Bob Dildine says he waited for 20 minutes, and five cab drivers would not give him and his daughter a ride. He was carrying wine he bought on vacation.

..."It is expressly stated," said Kahlid Elmasry of the Muslim American Society. "Transportation of alcohol for Muslims is against the Islamic faith, and therefore forbidden."

Last September, airport officials sought a compromise, and suggested that distinctive lights could be put on the roofs of cabs operated by drivers who will not transport alcohol. That way, taxi starters -- airport staff who direct people into cabs -- could send passengers with alcohol to those drivers who have no objection.

"But the feedback we got, not only locally but really from around the country and around the world, was almost entirely negative," said airport spokesman Pat Hogan. "People saw that as condoning discrimination against people who had alcohol."

No sheet, Sherlock. It's also the State forcing a set of religious beliefs upon someone, which you would think might upset someone in the People's Republic of Minnesota. Oh, wait, those beliefs aren't Christian.

Right now, MAC says any cabbie who refuses a passenger carrying alcohol must go to the back of the line. No small thing, given cabbies often have to wait at the depot up to three hours for the next fare.

But because MAC officials have received thousands of complaints, they're considering stiffer penalties: a 30-day suspension for a first refusal, a two-year suspension for a second.

"We're now at a point where the drivers may have to make a choice," said Hogan.

Hello? They made a choice when they became cabbies: to serve the public, all of the public. They can not discriminate. They should be fired. Not 'sent to the end of the line'.

The interview with Adan took a long time. Our fare came to $150, a very good day for him. Normally, he makes about $100 a day, so it became more clear to us that refusing a fare is a big loss. But Adan said he won't accept the idea that in America a cab driver should allow something his religion forbids.

Well, you have to, Adan. That's what America is about. In your private life you can do mostly whatever your religion demands. But when you are in public, especially when you are licensed by the State to provide a service to other citizens, you render unto Caeser.

However, I hear that cabbies on Mogadishu can refuse whomever they'd like.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at January 26, 2007 07:31 AM

Comments

Fired is good. A discrimination lawsuit filed by a denied angry air traveler would be even better. Against the cabbie, the cab company, the airport, the city and the kitchen sink ~ no one would be waiting for a cab and I am STUNNED-ola that no one's filed one yet.

Posted by: tree hugging sister at January 26, 2007 08:14 AM

The Metropolitan Airports Commission, which licenses cabs at the airport, voted last week to proceed with a public hearing on the proposed regulations to suspend those drivers. I wish they could just implement the new regs, as does nearly every other person I've talked to around here, but there's a process that has to be followed by law. The good news here is that in a state that's as PC as Minnesota, a government body actually is listening to how angry most people are and is jettisoning the PC nonsense. Contrary to some reports, we aren't dhimmis yet.

Posted by: Dave E. at January 26, 2007 11:50 AM

I thought this chicken-shit behaviour had already been sorted out! Seems to me like the usual be-very-nice-to-the rag-heads-brigade have been active, instead of a heavy fist attached to a court order!

Posted by: Mike Cunningham at January 26, 2007 01:08 PM

Not true, Mike. This issue only became visible to most people in the Minneapolis area towards the end of last year when it finally got some media attention. The initial response by the Airports Commission was to try some kind of "compromise" involving color-coded cabs. The response from the public, here and elsewhere, was instant and overwhelmingly negative to any compromise. The staff has now proposed new rules that would suspend their airport license for thirty days. They have to hold a public hearing on new regulations, they can't just dictate them without public input. Yes, it takes a little more time, but in the end the cab drivers will have to serve all passengers or make a living somewhere else.

Posted by: Dave E. at January 26, 2007 03:00 PM

For God's sake, don't threaten anyone with pickled eggs while you wait!!

Posted by: tree hugging sister at January 26, 2007 04:43 PM

Will they take me in the cab if I carry a can of spam?

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at January 26, 2007 04:58 PM

Well, if they don't follow the right procedures according to state law then some cabbie will just sue and a judge will toss the new regs and we're back to square one.

I suppose in the meantime some of us could get all Tony Soprano on those cabbies, but I don't feel like doing five to ten for something that will be fixed in a few months. I know where you guys are coming from, but it's just going to have to work it's way through the system.

Posted by: Dave E. at January 26, 2007 05:45 PM

I use the cabs at MSP 2x/month for the past 10 months. The big issue isn't alcohol. It's drivers who accept you, then get upset when the fare doesn’t appear to be sufficiently large for their trouble of waiting for you. They then drive all over while "lost" and discussing the matter on their cell phone in a non-English language. They also are quite clear about their need for the larger fare, and are quite sensitive to not wasting your time if you just pay them more.

I’ve had 7 minute trips turn into 90 minutes, when I knew the directions and had them printed and handed to the driver. They do respond to no payment as well as direct calls to the police.

They are also extremely pious about their rejection of transportation to those with alcohol. Licensing, infractions, and fines should be brought up to the needs of travelers to deal with this recurrent problem. This isn't an Islamic issue, it's a performance issue, a contract issue (cab contract for MSP), an enforcement issue, and a big problem for those in need of taxi service from MSP.

Posted by: Thomas Locke at February 6, 2007 03:17 AM