Kiss n Ride Congestion

The kiss n ride situation in the Aberdeen-Matawan parking lot has gotten bad ever since a new taxi company started making a virtual taxi stand out of the curb in front of the white station building. They take up all of the spaces where my spouse meets me during the evening rush, a real inconvenience. They stand around and talk and don't move their cars up. The line of cars behind them can get very long, making a long walk for commuters looking for their ride home.

Drivers with the other cab companies serving the station have absolutely nothing good to say about the new company. I initially thought these comments were sour grapes over a new competitor and that could still be the case, but I've heard the same complaints from different drivers from different companies over a period of months, so I'm more inclined to believe them. These drivers tell me that the new company's drivers lack proper documentation and have had more than their fair share of accidents, including driving into a phone pole near the Singin gas station. They also say that the drivers don't speak English well so they can have difficulty sorting out interactions with their customers, including destinations, directions, and payment. Perhaps some of my readers can comment one way or the other?

The other cab company drivers hypothesize that the new company is not getting close scrutiny because they are planning to relocate to Keyport soon. That won't remedy the kiss n ride situation, though. I hope our local municipalities will look into it.

Update (22 Sep 2011): The line at the kiss n ride was really long tonight. Costera had four taxis parked with such big gaps between each vehicle that they filled the entire curb between the stop sign and the end of the white building. The drivers were parked and standing outside of their vehicles talking. Behind them, at the end of the line, were the common folk waiting in the dark for family and friends to emerge from the train and find their rides.