What is up with taxi service in this town? (Pittsburgh: lease, crimes)

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

How do people find out about the Jitney service?

I was taking a train that got in around midnight. There were no taxis around, but a jitney driver there named Otis asked me where I was going, and he drove me home. He gave me his name and phone number, and I called him every time I needed a cab. Unfortunately, I lost my Rolodex (it was that long ago) and that's the only place I had his phone number.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

How do people find out about the Jitney service? 4 years ago we made reservations downtown for my birthday, we wanted to have some wine and cocktails at dinner so we thought a cab would be the best option. It did not work out, it took 2 hours to get a cab and we had to cancel our reservation. We called the cab company a few hours earlier to ask what time we should call etc.. I lived in Squirrel Hill and was going to a nice restaurant downtown, location was not the issue for us.

You need to find them in advance and collect their phone numbers. I had a guy I accidently ran into when I worked at Gateway Center. His name was Ken. I found him via a taxi driver who was lined up at the Hilton hotel. He pointed to his car across the street and recommended him for taking me across the river. He rode me to AGH and picked me back up when I called. I left my phone in his car and we reconnected a few days later. He told me to call anytime I needed him, and I used him to go from work to doctor's appointments for a long time until I lost his number.

I have used regular taxi drivers in the same way. If you take them both ways, you can get phone numbers. I always tip them well and ask them for their number to come back to pick me up. If I was planning to collect phone numbers for future use, I wouldn't hesitate to just ask taxi drivers for their numbers anytime I happen to be in a taxi.

I've been approached by jitneys at various places asking me if I wanted a ride. One place was at the Giant Eagle in East Liberty. He approached me when I was walking out with my grocery bags. I declined because I had my own car. I do know jitneys really do work the grocery stores near the impoverished areas like that. I've seen them loading old ladies' groceries into their trunk, sometimes they take more than one shopper at a time.

I think it's a bit shady when they approach me (as opposed to me approaching them) so I've never taken one like that. I'm probably more cautious because I'm a woman. I have some ideas on how I could minimize the risks if I desperately needed a ride in that type of situation though. I would try to ensure he was safe via finding someone working at the Giant Eagle (or wherever) who could give him a reference. I'd also require he give me his driver's license and I would call a family member with the information in front of him so he would know that someone is holding him accountable for my safety. That's a safety idea I came up with decades ago for other scenarios and it works.

You could try asking friends and family if they know anyone in the East End who doesn't have a car if they use a jitney because you'd like the number.

[Hopes]

Look what I found on Craig's List!

Very Busy Jitney business for sale.

I always thought jitneys were independents.

[Hopes]

Here's one.

Driver / Jitney Services

[Herodotus]

The best and safest way to get a jitney is through a jitney station. Riding with someone parked in front of a bus or train station is dangerous, as he may not be a jitney at all, just someone looking for a victim. Asking around is the best way to find a jitney number. Jitneys generally won't pick up someone they don't know if they are too far from the station, so they are not usually an option if you live in suburbia.

[Hopes]

What's a jitney station, where's a jitney station, and/or how do you contact a jitney station?

[selltheburgh]

During the day there's almost always a jitney or two on Highland Ave near Penn Ave.

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by Hopes

What's a jitney station, where's a jitney station, and/or how do you contact a jitney station?

A jitney station is a place where jitneys wait for customers to call. As I mentioned before, it's usually in a storefront, but can be in any building. There is a phone, and usually a tv for the drivers to watch while they wait for trips. Most will have a bathroom as well. There will a an owner, who runs the place. Not anyone can come in and work. The owner hires drivers. They will pay him weekly "dues", and in return will get a key to the place. The dues are used to pay for the phone, and utilities, with the owner pocketing what's left over as his profit. There is usually a price list on the wall, listing the most common destinations for the people who call. Drivers will answer the phone in the order that they arrive at the station. The most important thing for a jitney station is the phone number. Once a station is well established in an area, a large number of individuals will know the number by heart. It's also common for many businesses in that area to know the number as well. In many ways, this is a more efficient business model than the one used by the cab companies. Large neighborhoods like the Hill, or Homewood, will have multiple jitney stations.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by Hopes

What's a jitney station, where's a jitney station, and/or how do you contact a jitney station?

Jeez, and I thought I was a white person! Word up, homey!

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Herodotus

A jitney station is a place where jitneys wait for customers to call. As I mentioned before, it's usually in a storefront, but can be in any building. There is a phone, and usually a tv for the drivers to watch while they wait for trips. Most will have a bathroom as well. There will a an owner, who runs the place. Not anyone can come in and work. The owner hires drivers. They will pay him weekly "dues", and in return will get a key to the place. The dues are used to pay for the phone, and utilities, with the owner pocketing what's left over as his profit. There is usually a price list on the wall, listing the most common destinations for the people who call. Drivers will answer the phone in the order that they arrive at the station. The most important thing for a jitney station is the phone number. Once a station is well established in an area, a large number of individuals will know the number by heart. It's also common for many businesses in that area to know the number as well. In many ways, this is a more efficient business model than the one used by the cab companies. Large neighborhoods like the Hill, or Homewood, will have multiple jitney stations.

So the owner of the phone number doesn't even man the phone or sit in the office, but just collects his cut for owning the number? That's like owning a Laundromat without the overhead and large initial investment. Thanks for explaining.