Comments on: Mass. FAST LANE Tom Foolery http://dodgeretort.com/technology/mass-fast-lane-tom-foolery Tech, Media and other interesting stuff Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:56:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: John http://dodgeretort.com/technology/mass-fast-lane-tom-foolery/comment-page-1#comment-2421 John Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:40:42 +0000 http://dodgeretort.com/?p=1395#comment-2421 Barry, I could not agree more. Cab drivers treated terribly by the authorities....especially the Hackney division in the BPD or whatever it is now. How do I know? I drove a cab in Boston from 1972-76. The thugs at the Logan taxi pool were the worst....word was they took bribes for good jobs. I never paid. This was long before the transponder - the tunnel and bridge toll was a quarter. I was very involved with the union drive against Town Taxi....then I drove for ITOA for several years. All cash deal, no benefits. But I once felt your pain. Thing was I knew I would not be cab driver forever. I went back to school in 1976 and became a journalist....I wish you all the best... Barry, I could not agree more. Cab drivers treated terribly by the authorities….especially the Hackney division in the BPD or whatever it is now. How do I know? I drove a cab in Boston from 1972-76. The thugs at the Logan taxi pool were the worst….word was they took bribes for good jobs. I never paid. This was long before the transponder – the tunnel and bridge toll was a quarter.

I was very involved with the union drive against Town Taxi….then I drove for ITOA for several years. All cash deal, no benefits. But I once felt your pain. Thing was I knew I would not be cab driver forever. I went back to school in 1976 and became a journalist….I wish you all the best…

]]> By: barry from boston http://dodgeretort.com/technology/mass-fast-lane-tom-foolery/comment-page-1#comment-2420 barry from boston Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:52:04 +0000 http://dodgeretort.com/?p=1395#comment-2420 i agree with you, but if you think you were treated badly this is how they treat their very best customers - taxi drivers - . i spend about $12,500,00 per yearononei fast lane charges, if i were in business and a customer spent that much i would treat them very well. but this is a government agency and they treat me just the opposite. first they require that i have a transponder and that i use it. the initial cost to me was $30.00 plus a $75.00 deposit., then i had to put a $200 deposit with the cab company to guarantee payment if i went through with no funds. they deducted charges from my account when i used it but when the balance went below 75.00 they took out more money from a credit card or checking account, which ever way you set it up, which means they have $75.00 of my money forever. the bad part is that they take out a large amount every time , about $300 to $400 , they base it on the amount of money you spend ,but i dont know exactly how they come up with that amount. how quickly do you think my credit card or checking account can be overdrawn .another problem is that as a boston taxi i am charged $5.25 .each time i use the tunnels from the airport, but private cars are charged $3.50,and there are discounts for some people if you live in east boston. . they say i am a commercial vehicle so i should be charged more, i say i am your very best customer and i should be charged less., only government could do this and still be in business. what else they do that is hard to believe is they make us use the pass . TAXIS CANNOT PAY CASH FOR THE TOLLS, IT IS ILLEGAL AND IF YOU DO IT IS A $ 50.00 FINE. THE STATE POLICE ACTUALLY STAY BY THE TOLL BOOTHS AND PULL OVER TAXIS WHO PAY CASH, they dont do this all the time but you never know when they will be there so it risky to try it. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW OF ANY P[LACE OR AGENCY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD THAT WOULD FINE SOMEONE IF THEY PAID FOR SOMETHING IN CASH. my theory is that it was an easy way to stop the toll takers - their employees, from stealing, which they did, by pocketting the difference between cars and taxis a few years ago, it was easy if w, i will comment on e cant pay cash they cant steal. i have much more to say about this agency but for now i have run out of time i will comment later i agree with you, but if you think you were treated badly this is how they treat their very best customers – taxi drivers – . i spend about $12,500,00 per yearononei fast lane charges, if i were in business and a customer spent that much i would treat them very well. but this is a government agency and they treat me just the opposite. first they require that i have a transponder and that i use it. the initial cost to me was $30.00 plus a $75.00 deposit., then i had to put a $200 deposit with the cab company to guarantee payment if i went through with no funds. they deducted charges from my account when i used it but when the balance went below 75.00 they took out more money from a credit card or checking account, which ever way you set it up, which means they have $75.00 of my money forever. the bad part is that they take out a large amount every time , about $300 to $400 , they base it on the amount of money you spend ,but i dont know exactly how they come up with that amount. how quickly do you think my credit card or checking account can be overdrawn .another problem is that as a boston taxi i am charged $5.25 .each time i use the tunnels from the airport, but private cars are charged $3.50,and there are discounts for some people if you live in east boston. . they say i am a commercial vehicle so i should be charged more, i say i am your very best customer and i should be charged less., only government could do this and still be in business. what else they do that is hard to believe is they make us use the pass . TAXIS CANNOT PAY CASH FOR THE TOLLS, IT IS ILLEGAL AND IF YOU DO IT IS A $ 50.00 FINE. THE STATE POLICE ACTUALLY STAY BY THE TOLL BOOTHS AND PULL OVER TAXIS WHO PAY CASH, they dont do this all the time but you never know when they will be there so it risky to try it. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW OF ANY P[LACE OR AGENCY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD THAT WOULD FINE SOMEONE IF THEY PAID FOR SOMETHING IN CASH. my theory is that it was an easy way to stop the toll takers – their employees, from stealing, which they did, by pocketting the difference between cars and taxis a few years ago, it was easy if w, i will comment on e cant pay cash they cant steal. i have much more to say about this agency but for now i have run out of time i will comment later

]]> By: The Dodge Retort » Turning in my FAST LANE transponders http://dodgeretort.com/technology/mass-fast-lane-tom-foolery/comment-page-1#comment-1018 The Dodge Retort » Turning in my FAST LANE transponders Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:13:50 +0000 http://dodgeretort.com/?p=1395#comment-1018 [...] wrote about the experience a couple of weeks ago. Here’s the [...] [...] wrote about the experience a couple of weeks ago. Here’s the [...]

]]> By: Emmitt http://dodgeretort.com/technology/mass-fast-lane-tom-foolery/comment-page-1#comment-1007 Emmitt Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:59:40 +0000 http://dodgeretort.com/?p=1395#comment-1007 <a href="#comment-962" rel="nofollow">@Mike from Boston</a> I don't care how you slice it, Mike. Charging $50 every time one goes through a toll with an expired card is the very definition of extortion. This makes the TP Authority as bad or worse than the credit card companies we all complain about. If they want to penalize drivers, then charge the max toll for that trip, not $50 per incident. @Mike from Boston
I don’t care how you slice it, Mike. Charging $50 every time one goes through a toll with an expired card is the very definition of extortion. This makes the TP Authority as bad or worse than the credit card companies we all complain about. If they want to penalize drivers, then charge the max toll for that trip, not $50 per incident.

]]> By: John http://dodgeretort.com/technology/mass-fast-lane-tom-foolery/comment-page-1#comment-963 John Sun, 01 Aug 2010 19:34:14 +0000 http://dodgeretort.com/?p=1395#comment-963 Good points all and I figured someone would tell me to get a life concerning this point given there are more pressing problems in the world. I did update the card expiration date in time, but it did not take because I didn't input the card number. We'll see what happens.... Good points all and I figured someone would tell me to get a life concerning this point given there are more pressing problems in the world. I did update the card expiration date in time, but it did not take because I didn’t input the card number. We’ll see what happens….

]]> By: Mike from Boston http://dodgeretort.com/technology/mass-fast-lane-tom-foolery/comment-page-1#comment-962 Mike from Boston Sun, 01 Aug 2010 03:45:32 +0000 http://dodgeretort.com/?p=1395#comment-962 I don't like tolls in general or bureaucracies either and it does sound like you they are making you go through a lot of hassle. With that said, you refer to yourself as a "good" customer, but a good customer would keep an unexpired credit card on the account at all times, especially when they are using the tolls. Sure, it was a small oversight and I hope they forgive most of your fine - if and only if it is your first offense. Sure, it's lousy but there are people who go through with fake/invalid credit cards and the state may never get their money. I don’t like tolls in general or bureaucracies either and it does sound like you they are making you go through a lot of hassle. With that said, you refer to yourself as a “good” customer, but a good customer would keep an unexpired credit card on the account at all times, especially when they are using the tolls. Sure, it was a small oversight and I hope they forgive most of your fine – if and only if it is your first offense. Sure, it’s lousy but there are people who go through with fake/invalid credit cards and the state may never get their money.

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