Yellow cab is a leasing company, and as far as I know drivers can refuse work. However I have worked for three cab companies. The first one I was an independent contractor, but they had a special bidding system. Each "area" was assigned a 2 digit number, and when the dispatcher had calls, she would start calling them out like "31,35,36,42,44,48,52W". If you were in one of those areas you would bid the call "unit 35 bids on the 44 from 70 and Springdale", and other cabs will do the same. Then a road manager (one of the owners) would call out "35 gets the 44", and then the address is given to you. At that point you are obligated to take the call or you can get bumped (told to check out and go home). The other companies I was (am still) an employee, I have to go where they tell me, charge what they tell me, etc). It all depends on the company. You should call different companies and ask "are you a leasing company?". You will find one that isn't, and usually they are smaller outfits, but much more pleasant to deal with, good customer service, etc. Those companies hold their drivers to standards (I have to follow a dress code, shave, be showered, etc), and more and more of them are utilizing advanced gps systems to facilitate their dispatching and increase efficiency (means you dont wait as long).
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