Those who have shared my experience of life in California know there is a particular élan associated with driving along the Pacific Coast Highway, in any kind of weather, blasting your favourite rock anthems — or, if you're like me, some glorious Vivaldi — while you enjoy the scenery, or the quaint street life, or the nightscape.
I learned how to drive at 19, from the best teacher in the world (my Papa, of course!), and enjoyed decades of driving on all those famous American freeways... But then I moved to Europe. And Europe became my preferred home, the cultural and spiritual space I wear like a second skin.
I am perfectly content here to leave the driving to others, or to take any train (any train at all, to anywhere!). This feels safe, convenient and far more productive than being my own chauffeur.
Taxis, of course, are an essential aid to living car-free. Used judiciously, they do not cost more than owning your own vehicle. Plus, when ride-share services came along, it became possible to quickly find a willing driver in a clean car for almost any journey.
For a time, we had the best of both possible worlds and it was indeed a buyer's market in transport. As I always told my taxi drivers, I preferred taxis to Uber because I felt they were appropriately screened and virtually in every case knew the city better than the ad hoc gig-drivers.
On the other hand, using Uber or Lyft or another ride service facilitated someone's economic survival... We are a family of artists; of course I remembered what it was like scrambling to stretch a shoestring budget while bringing up children... I did not mind Uber being in the mix.
But, predictably enough, taxi services in Brussels organized to ban Uber. And then what happened? My usual taxi service, Taxi Verts, was sold to someone. Prices shot up. Service plummeted.
Waiting times are now all over the place, from 20 to 40 minutes. Sometimes the new management (that threw out or was not given existing customer addresses, for some reason) sends the driver to the wrong address - and retains that false address on file, even after several reminders to put in the correct address, to reduce time waiting in the automated queue. Frankly, it's a disaster.
I appeal to the City Fathers and City Mothers of this precious European capital: put your urban transport into Reverse gear and undo the unfortunate decision to suppress Uber and ride-sharing services. It has been a dreadful decision, contributing to monopolistic schemes and undermining, rather than improving, transport options in a city that is rapidly growing in both population and in global influence.
