Under my Jun 26, 2015, article entitled, “Could Uber Be More Efficient Than Pace?” the following comment from Rockford Veteran Jason B. appeared.  (One of the 14 comments under that article led to the comment below.)

I find it engaging on so many levels, I thought you should have been access to it.

Maybe someone will even ask candidates for County Board Chairman about this concept at the League of Women Voters candidates’ 7 PM forum on Tuesday night at McHenry County College.

First off let me say this, I am a disabled veteran drives for UBER.

Illinois has a diversified group of both veterans and disabled veterans working for them, this is called job creation for a lot of us who physically cannot keep up with a 40 hr week anymore, and also creates jobs for our Veterans coming home to unemployment.

I hear sone of you crying,

” do you want an uninsured yahoo wanting to make a buck driving you”?

Well let me educate you, those yahoo’s are veterans, disabled veterans, local teachers, and your local community members.

94% of drivers work the areas they live near or in.

The city of Rockford created a 3rd shift transportion option to alot of people who didn’t drive, and had no public transportation to use, job and community employment we call that, also every city in IL.

That has Uber has seen their city and county grow in tax dollars because those yahoos, as you call them, spend that money back there on there community, gas, carwashes, maintenance etc. And small business have increased, and those teetering closing ate still open.

We call that community growth.

Also the city of Rockford is engaging in a plan to provide free rides to the elderly, disabled, low income etc.

Thru a federal transportation grant, and eliminated the rest if their pace bus system subsidiaries because of crediting 20 plus dollars to pace for a $5 to $9 ride, therefore the savings from thsee subsidiaries has been reinvested in adding transportation for families who have children in local colleges and cannot afford a 2nd or 3rd car, so rather than kids working for minimum wage to save to get a car, and taking a year or so off school, their in school expanding on their education.

So rather than hide behind critical comments here, write your local officials and ask them to look at programs in cities and counties like Rockford, Boone Co., Winnebago Co., Dekalb co. And those counties inner lying municipalities and ask them to quit wasting your tax dollars on transportation subsidiaries and instead create similar programs.

After working with these cities personally, I think Mayor Morrissey in Rockford really saw opportunity with rideshare rather than as some of you describe…destruction.

Not too mention every driver had to pass a backround check.

Local cabs only have to pass state and county in which they reside , uber has a stringent multi state, county , and FEDERAL back round check. Every Uber vehicle when in service is required by state law to carry 1 million in liability insurance, cabs are only 50,000 in some cities and counties jn il., top cabs paying only 500,000 in required insurance, which is in chicago.

Also every driver must meet strict DMV REQUIREMENTS, and pass a DMV back round also as well as yearly vehicle inspections for safety, cabs don’t have to do this at all.

So some of you need to get your facts straight, rather than jumping on the media banwagon, and hearsay of incorrect info.

I’m thinking though some of you with such wrong info. Are cab drivers!!!

So, re read active community partnership , business growth, tax base revenue, job creation, subsidiaries savings and development for the community and more written above.

Thats what rideshare co. Like Uber create.

Granted there are some bad apples, but that’s everywhere.

Think of it in another way, if your company you work for so hard and dedicated to, had an employee who did something horrible is it fair to then say everyone in your company is bad…hmm now the shoes on the other foot, so what’s your answer as to yourself being employeed at this very company this horrible act was done by one of its employees, one if your very co workers!!!

Last but not least, you need to go to the airport and get home one day, yoh know a cab is going to be around say $80 there and $80 back , but an Uber will be $40 there and $40 back, which will you choose, you know darn well the Uber because it’s cost round trip is a cabs 1 way.

Also since uber and rideshare came to IL., DUI results have drastically decreased, fact so much MADD just sponsored support for UBER.

WOW!!

WHEN is the last time you got into a clean cab, offering phone chargers, bottled water, news papers , sophisticated GPS system with accurate directions, and had a great conversation with the driver, and actually felt line a service was being provided for you at a reasonable cost, fact almost 1/2 a cab ride, 80% of the time , and 100 % of the time, compared to livery services.

Last but not least, In metropolitan areas and smaller communities where there are foreign drivers picking you up in those cabs, how many keep their earnings here in the U.S. and spend that $$ here rather than send 62% out of the country?

Also uber and rideshare drivers backround checks go back 7 years, max allowed by law.

If a person is only here in the U.S 2 yrs and decides he is going to be a cab driver, and has no min. 7yr history to do a backround check on, how in the heck do you know let’s say if he is 40 yrs old, what his prior criminal history is the first 38 yrs of his life in another country???

You dont, he could be a rapist, murderer, pedaphile, etc. Answer is you dont…so to those of you who say a yahoo is picking you up.when you order an Uber, who’s the real yahoo’s picking you up when you take a cab…

As a disabled veteran who has been hit by an IED blast, shot thru the back and paralyzed in his left leg, I am grateful to have this job, as there are not many I can be my own boss, work when I want to, or better yet when my body allows me too, and not have to rely on food stamps, and public aid to live off.

It also by not having to rely on those things actually keeps you critics taxes down and builds paying into social security and Medicare! !!

Enough said, yoh made your points off false statements, some of you so u am correcting them here. Thanks

BY THE WAY, IF YOU WANT TO ONE DAY USE THE SERVICE and try the experience for yourself, download the app, set up an account and in promotions section, if you never used Uber before and never had an account

ENTER CODE : EIT3G THIS WILL GIVE YOU YOUR FIRST RIDE FREE ON ME UP TO $20.