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Cabbies sniff test

Regarding the cabbie sniff test I think.....

  • That's illegal!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Pure discrimination

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Somewhat dehumanizing

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • A bit tactless

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • A sniff test is understandable

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Cabbies should clean cabs and shower daily

    Votes: 5 83.3%
  • Why should I pay to smell stink?

    Votes: 1 16.7%
  • There outa be a law!

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    6

Ockham

Noblesse oblige
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USA Today said:
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Body odor is among 52 criteria that officials at San Diego International Airport use to judge taxi drivers. Cabbies say that smacks of prejudice and discrimination.
For years, inspectors with the San Diego Regional Airport Authority have run down their checklist for each cabbie — proof of insurance, functioning windshield wipers, adequate tire treads, good brakes. Drivers are graded pass, fail or needs fixing.
Anyone who flunks the smell test is told to change before picking up another customer.
Leaders of the United Taxi Workers of San Diego union say the litmus perpetuates a stereotype that predominantly foreign-born taxi drivers smell bad. A 2013 survey of 331 drivers by San Diego State University and Center on Policy Initiatives found 94% were immigrants and 65% were from East Africa.
Drivers wonder how inspectors determine who reeks. Driver Abel Seifu, 36, from Ethiopia, suspects they sniff inconspicuously during friendly conversations in the staging area. Airport authority spokeswoman Rebecca Bloomfield said there is "no standard process" to testing.

San Diego cabbies cry foul over body odor test

I don't get to the city often - I usually only take cabs in NY and Chicago but I must say, if the cab and cabbie smelled better I'd probably leave bigger tips. BO has a specific smell that is unmistakable from say a dirty cab, a cab which has been vomited in earlier and not cleaned properly, or the stench of garbage, pollution, or other foul things. So here's the question: Pick from the positive or negative options in the poll and explain what prompted you to choose that selection. This is a casual poll - have fun with it!
 
While it does perpetuate the stereotype that foreign born citizens smell different, it's hard to imagine an argument that would determine minimum hygiene standards to be illegal and inherently discriminatory.
 
San Diego cabbies cry foul over body odor test

I don't get to the city often - I usually only take cabs in NY and Chicago but I must say, if the cab and cabbie smelled better I'd probably leave bigger tips. BO has a specific smell that is unmistakable from say a dirty cab, a cab which has been vomited in earlier and not cleaned properly, or the stench of garbage, pollution, or other foul things. So here's the question: Pick from the positive or negative options in the poll and explain what prompted you to choose that selection. This is a casual poll - have fun with it!

Just stuff a couple of cigars up your nose... you won't smell anything! :2razz:
 
It's the hospitality industry.

Imagine a hotel maid service that stinks up the room. Why is a cab any different?
 
San Diego cabbies cry foul over body odor test

I don't get to the city often - I usually only take cabs in NY and Chicago but I must say, if the cab and cabbie smelled better I'd probably leave bigger tips. BO has a specific smell that is unmistakable from say a dirty cab, a cab which has been vomited in earlier and not cleaned properly, or the stench of garbage, pollution, or other foul things. So here's the question: Pick from the positive or negative options in the poll and explain what prompted you to choose that selection. This is a casual poll - have fun with it!

Does this mean they will provide showers and time paid for every third hour of sitting in a cab?
 
Does this mean they will provide showers and time paid for every third hour of sitting in a cab?

No. Why would they. Does your boss pay you to shower? No, he doesn't. But I'd venture to guess if you came to work smelling funky, he'd tell you to shower before you came back to work.

Simple, basic hygiene is all that is in question here, and I see nothing wrong with making sure your employees stay clean.
 
It would certainly more pleasant not to be exposed to BO while in close quarters or anywhere in someone's personal sniffing range. Therefor a BO meter should rank just below...dare is say it...background checks?
 
No. Why would they. Does your boss pay you to shower? No, he doesn't. But I'd venture to guess if you came to work smelling funky, he'd tell you to shower before you came back to work.

Simple, basic hygiene is all that is in question here, and I see nothing wrong with making sure your employees stay clean.

Yes, my boss does pay me to shower, thank you. It's part of the job. But to the link, I didn't see that they made a distinction that the offender came straight to work everyday smelly, after say lunch time or just occasionally. It did not talk about "simple, basic hygiene."

Next time don't be so quick to attack.
 
I probably have a terrible sense of smell. It's probably that I don't normally get close enough to smell other people... I stay within a 6-8 foot distance and thats' enough for me not to notice their smell. I remember being in Kenya and being about 2-3 feet from someone and them just smelling like pure sweat. However, that's very rare.
 
I probably have a terrible sense of smell. It's probably that I don't normally get close enough to smell other people... I stay within a 6-8 foot distance and thats' enough for me not to notice their smell. I remember being in Kenya and being about 2-3 feet from someone and them just smelling like pure sweat. However, that's very rare.

I lived in a leased house that, I swear, had mold behind the walls, but the owners wouldn't pay to have it tested. Ever since I lived there, my sense of smell is hit or miss. One day it will be working perfectly, and the next, nothing. For whatever reason, though, my sense of taste hasn't been affected. That makes no sense to me, either, as the two are closely tied together. If you can't smell, you can't taste. :shrug:

And I agree about people standing close to me, but it's not because I'm worried they will have an odor. I just don't like people in my space.
 
The hacks around here smell like death warmed over.
 
Interesting concept, and I just don't see anything wrong with it. Let's see how it goes.
 
What job do you have where you get paid to shower?

Private but, I take on average 3/day. Sometimes more sometimes less. Don't judge too fast. ;) There are bosses out there that do pay employees to shower.
 
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