TKC EXCLUSIVE AND BREAKING NEWS!!! CHECK THE LYFT CRACKDOWN AFTERMATH: KANSAS CITY CITATION BUSTING REPORT!!!
So, just about every Kansas City cabbie and taxi dude was in a tizzy this weekend over the Lyft ride share service battle that broke FIRST on this blog.
Now . . .
CHECK THE WORD FROM LOCAL CABBIES IN THE AFTERMATH OF A DISASTROUS WEEKEND FOR LYFT DRIVERS ON LOCAL STREETS!!!
This was a big deal and I even had some Somali dude track me down in order to tell this blog community his take on the story . . . All the info was appreciated. Here's what we could make out . . .
THIS WEEKEND FAR MORE THAN A DOZEN LYFT DRIVERS EARNED CITATIONS FROM POLICE!!! THERE'S EVEN WORD OF LYFT DRIVER ARRESTS!!!
Clarification . . . Those driver arrests also coincide with other violations but include a (slight) connection to the pink mustache . . . So don't get all pernickety with me for blogging the deets first and before the newspaper rewrite that's mostly focused on trying to compete with our bloggy adventure. More importantly . . .
In fairness, here's the Lyft petition and reasoning on Change.org: Please bring ridesharing to Kansas City
But, like it or not . . .
BILL GEORGE AND HIS TRANSPORTATION GROUP STAY WINNING AGAINST INTERNETS RIDE SHARING DESPITE SOCIAL MEDIA OUTCRY!!!
Internets insiders already predict a retreat from KC for the startup.
And all of this kinda contradicts Mayor Sly's support of the "creative economy" and offers a bit of a reality check about the power of political connections for a near monopoly in Kansas City.
Developing . . .
I like Lyft. They did not rape me like many KC cabbies have been known to do.
ReplyDeleteMayor Sly's "creative economy" is just another form of crony capitalism.
ReplyDeleteFree enterprise. There's nothing like it! Unless, of course, it threatens the establishment.
ReplyDeleteYep Sly's creative "we need to attract talent to be competitive" economy. Best time of year for the creative economy here though is the long 4 day Thanksgiving weekend. This is when it seems like almost all of the useless, rent-raising, green t-shirt sporting, costume-wearing, out-of-place, pseudo-creatives vanish back to their cul-de-sacs and one-horse towns in Nebraskansachiconsin. It’s where they will exaggerate to their enabling parents and family members that did not pioneer and discover Kansas City about how well creative jobs are doing; how great their art projects are coming along; how successful their fusion food and craft businesses are; and how their “nabes” are changing for the better since more and more “vibrant, cultured visionaries” moved in, cars with mustaches are plentiful, and trolleys have replaced the automobile. This is also a time of year along with Christmas time where after telling their families how amazing they are doing in Kansas City, they can also recharge their parentally-issued credit cards and bank accounts for another year of funemployment, leisure, and art art art art! This happens to be a great time if you are a burglar – most likely these clueless hipsters have left their doors and windows unlocked because they believe in the good nature of people and the good vibes and karma of the “nabe”.
ReplyDeleteLyft is great. Two rides this weekend. Yellow Cab is unreliable.
ReplyDeleteCall Lyft then make the driver wait outside for a half hour while you finish getting ready to go out to get drunk.
ReplyDeleteAgain, we divert police resources to silly shit like this. It is a shame Lyft doesn't operate casinos. The city would have changed the ordinances any way they wanted, allowed smoking, let them serve free liquor and given them a blow job in the alley.
ReplyDeleteWhen the "creative class" runs headlong into the status quo and the revenue streams of entrenched insider companies, tomorrow will be crushed by yesterday every time.
ReplyDeleteJust another example of how thin Sly's rah rah all really is.
Ribbon-cuttings, speeches, receptions, balloons, bands playing, all big-time stuff.
But actually making something happen....not so much.
Just wait for the real bills from the streetcar to start coming due.
Cab companies all over the country have set up monopolies with their city's help. Then the cities get sued and lose in court. It will probably happen here too but at least some of Sly's attorney friends will make money.
ReplyDeleteListen to the hipsters whine about monopoly's while waiting for their parents third quarter earnings check to beef up their credit card accounts for another year of funemployment and art art art!
ReplyDeleteI noticed the petition was started by the privileged startup village trust fund princess.
ReplyDeleteIs she in town or on one her worldly jaunts mom and dad pay for?
I saw one of these cars with that stupid looking hipster douche bag pink mustache on the grill yesterday. Couldn't get the plate number stache was obscuring it. Was a silver compact SUV probably a Honda or something with a nervous looing bald headed douche driving.
ReplyDeleteYes that mustache looks terrific next to those ugly green and yellow vehicles darting in and out of traffic, like maniacs, all over the city. Funny they seem to do a terrific job of dodging citations.
ReplyDeleteThink about it, you can now go to downtown KC via a cool Lyft car, and watch artists, urban cheesemongers, professional tricyclists, novelty button manufacturers, food truckers, and artisan mustache-growers!
ReplyDeleteSo this is a Hipster gig ???? Just wondering...
ReplyDeleteNo VC's gave this company $325M in financing because they feel sorry for the public who don't have rides.
ReplyDeleteHey how is talent like this going to get around CK without Lfyt and Streetcar?
ReplyDeleteWait till you see the Federal grant money about to land with lyft. Can't wiat to see the local bureaucrats choking on that one.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see Lyft go to hell!
ReplyDeleteDon't think Sly getting his palms greased is going to work. He messes with the locals on this and he'll be a one term wonder.
ReplyDeleteAh the fun is starting up again on the Mayors twitter feed today.
ReplyDeleteCan we deport all these Lyft geeks and hipsters? Ship em out en mass on trains to the border or something?
I hereby decree that anyone caught not wearing a KC Chiefs, KState/KU/Mizzou item will heretofore be referred to as a "hipster."
ReplyDeleteJust who do these folks think they are, caring about things other than the games played by strangers?
Signed, Cornfed and Braindead in the Heartland