Posted on 06/19/2017 10:38:52 AM PDT by nickcarraway
An Uber driver in South Florida was given a hefty ticket for violating a county ordinance that speaks less to how she handles her vehicle than other skills.
Cell phone footage obtained exclusively by our sister station Telemundo 51 captured Carmen Echevarria, getting a $250 ticket from a Miami-Dade Police officer outside Miami International Airport. Her violation? Not being able to speak English correctly.
“I felt discriminated against,” Echevarria told the station. “I asked the (passenger sitting in her car) ‘Can you please help translate what she is saying?’ Then she asked why, if I was an Uber driver, I didn’t speak English.“
In May 2016, Miami-Dade County issued a memorandum with rules for transportation network drivers – with one of the requirements being "able to communicate in the English language."
“I told her ‘so sorry, a little English’ then she called the inspector who also confronted me and told me in order to be an Uber driver I need it to speak English”.
Last month, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed into law CS/HB 221, which overrides local laws like the English requirement across the state and also spells out insurance and background check requirements for ride-sharing companies.
Uber spokesman Javi Correoso sent a statement to NBC 6 saying the company is "proud of the diversity of driver partners in the South Florida market." Correoso went on to say that until statewide regulations go into effect on July 1, Uber asks all driver partners in the state to follow all applicable local laws and regulations.
The current language requirement for drivers in Miami is not listed on the Uber website for the area. Correoso said the memo law for Miami-Dade County is "very vague and difficult to enforce" and is not listed on their website because drivers are asked to follow all laws and regulations when they sign up.
Correoso said all paperwork given to drivers on applications is in English. He also said some fines for Uber drivers have been paid in the past by the company, but could not confirm if they would pay for Echevarria's fine.
Could be faking. But the Houston local FOX news does interview a lot of them and seems like most require translators. Lots of crime in the areas where they are the majority residents.
One of our neighbors, a single Hispanic mom with a three and four year old, insists that her children speak ONLY Spanish.
“If this was a visitor coming into the airport from Latin America, then the fine was wrong”
Huh? If the passenger came from Latin America then it is fine that their taxi driver speaks little to no English? Huh?
English is the mandated international language of aviation
English is the mandated international language of aviation
Are you an Uber driver. I am. You obviously did not understand my point.
That's cute. :-)
Still required for citizenship. It's just the citizenship itself that is not enforced.
Are they Legal?
As long as they get me where I want to go, who cares?
As a Country we have let the idea if assimilation lapse. We have Government forms in many Languages, so we obviously have no expectation that people living here as Legal Residents or who are Naturalized Citizens need worry about speaking our native Language.
At least he person is working for a Living, I’ll give them that.
If the person can't speak English then the likelihood of that person being an illegal is pretty high if not 100% certain.
How can you not speak English when you need to understand traffic laws, the customer, police, etc, to get your citizenship and work permits? Yea, there are “spanish” tests but to be a professional driver you better know MORE than a few phrases or pictures.
Taxi's are hard enough without the driver not knowing how to speak English (try explaining to the driver where the destination is if they don't speak English, and also the non-English speaker will not be able to communicate clearly if there is a problem or needs to call the police. . .).
A couple years ago, got in a taxi in DC and said, “take me to the State Department Annex.”
Driver: “State Department”
Me: “No, State Department Annex”
Driver: “State Department!”
Me: “No, the State Department Annex”
Driver: “Yes, State Department!”
Got out.
Imagine you are new in town, don't know where anything is and the driver doesn't speak English and takes you to the wrong place — like the incident above. Not knowing any better and you WILL end up at the wrong place and then you have a whole new argument going where the driver makes it your fault and argues that you owe money for a trip to a place you didn't want to go.
Yuck. . .and this brings up a whole new yucky aspect. . .smell. Muslime driver (in the case above) stunk of sweat and perfume. . .typical third world stink. In addition to speaking English they should be taught about hygiene and how to stop smelling.
Have the drivers painted on their cars: “No English spoken here, ride at your own risk”
Works for me.
And let me add that English is the international language of business. Worked international business for decades.
I speak English, no matter where, and am understood in Board Rooms to the street vendor. From sub-Saharan Africa to Europe to South America. . .no problem being understood.
Only in the US do the non-English speakers take pride in NOT speaking English.
Kelly AFB in San Antonio, visited the place, escorting reps from South Africa. . .met a 20-something female employee that did not speak a word of English. . .and her mother worked there for decades and didn’t speak a word of English, and the grandmother has been working there for decades and decades. . .not speaking a word of English.
No need to learn. Each work section had a GUY that ran the women and translated for then. The women were all data-entry techs so there was no need to learn the language. . .as long as they could recognize numbers.
Did NOT pick Kelly for depot repairs.
Still a requirement for citizenship. . .with an exception for “old” people, I think those over 50 don’t have to learn the language.
You need to speak Spanish!
Good thing I don’t live in AZ, and when I did travel there never spoke a word of spanish and am proud American that speaks nothing but American.
And I repeat, I’ve never had to speak anything other than English in my decades conducting international business.
Never needed a second language and would not speak spanish anywhere This is America, a great nation, not some hell-hole third-world dump that is yacking in a language that is nonsense and not the professional language throughout the world.
Any professional job links that say to get a job you must be able to speak spanish. Of course, if you have no skills and want to yack with the gardener, have at it but I don’t hire illegals and those that do not speak English.
I am a professional that works internationally, not a day laborer.
Was not intentionally combative. . . .just frustrated by the whole thing.
I didn't think you were at all. You provided interesting information.
.just frustrated by the whole thing
Me, too. And upset because a possible employer wants me to know Spanish.
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