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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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 Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:32 am Post subject: Bethel, Alaska overrun by Korean and Albanian taxi drivers |
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070717/ap_on_re_us/taxi_town
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Situated on the tundra about 400 miles west of Anchorage, Bethel has 70 taxis for a population of just 5,900. That's one cab for every 84 people.
That's better even than New York, the ultimate cab city, where there is one hired vehicle � such as a taxi, commuter van or livery car � for every 149 people. |
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As a result, taxi drivers � many of them non-Alaskans, mostly notably Koreans and Albanians � have flocked here to fill the gap. Cabs are seemingly everywhere, squeezing in passengers who pay $4 to go anywhere in the main part of town, and $6 to the airport three miles away.
The high number of vehicles for hire was a big surprise when Wally Baird moved here from Nebraska two years ago to take a job as city manager.
"In every place I've ever lived and worked you're lucky to see even one cab," he said.
Gim Jong-ihn, 72, was visiting his hometown in South Korea when he saw a TV story about the scores of cabbies working in Bethel. He came here two years ago to drive a taxi after retiring from asbestos-removal work in New York. |
Who knew? |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 11:19 am Post subject: |
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Lots of MOONIES up on the fishing boats etc.
* fyi
Sun-Myung Moon (84?) along w/ the Bush crime syndicate et al. apparently want to "LINK" up
Russia with Alaska & Canada underground, along the lines of the UK's Chunnel  |
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seoulsucker
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: The Land of the Hesitant Cutoff
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Yup...read a few months ago that the plan is to build the world's longest passenger trainline from Shanghai to New York. It's like 50 years off of course, but some people are actually contemplating the logistics. |
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desultude
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Dangling my toes in the Persian Gulf
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Bethel has not got a lot of roads, and probably one bar per person. Together with the fact that your car needs to be plugged in half the year to keep the battery and oil pan from freezing, and, in that part of the state, a huge amount of snow, it would make sense to want to take taxis. Also, look at the fares. Of course, that is an indication of how small the place is. If I lived in small town Alaska, I might have a dog team, but I would think twice about a car. |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| desultude wrote: |
| Bethel has not got a lot of roads, and probably one bar per person. Together with the fact that your car needs to be plugged in half the year to keep the battery and oil pan from freezing, and, in that part of the state, a huge amount of snow, it would make sense to want to take taxis. Also, look at the fares. Of course, that is an indication of how small the place is. If I lived in small town Alaska, I might have a dog team, but I would think twice about a car. |
My guess is that a lot of people don't own cars up there because they ride snowmobiles in the winter. They are a lot easier to take care of than dogs and much faster. I used to ride a Yamaha Phazer. Top speed was around 200km/h on the gauge (depends on the snow conditions. I brought it to over 175 on many occasions). Great acceleration, of course. |
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desultude
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Dangling my toes in the Persian Gulf
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Hollywoodaction wrote: |
| desultude wrote: |
| Bethel has not got a lot of roads, and probably one bar per person. Together with the fact that your car needs to be plugged in half the year to keep the battery and oil pan from freezing, and, in that part of the state, a huge amount of snow, it would make sense to want to take taxis. Also, look at the fares. Of course, that is an indication of how small the place is. If I lived in small town Alaska, I might have a dog team, but I would think twice about a car. |
My guess is that a lot of people don't own cars up there because they ride snowmobiles in the winter. They are a lot easier to take care of than dogs and much faster. I used to ride a Yamaha Phazer. Top speed was around 200km/h on the gauge (depends on the snow conditions. I brought it to over 175 on many occasions). Great acceleration, of course. |
And, at the end of the night at the bar, it is good that there are taxis around.  |
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