Twitter’s Response Beats 911?
on Jun 23, 2008 - 2:22 PM PST
At about 10:00 last night, when a van swerved into the bike lane on the PCH where I was cycling, I decided to stop riding. I know how dangerous the PCH can be and didn’t want to end up another PCH casualty.
I called my girlfriend and we both called every Ventura cab company we could find. Most didn’t pick up. The ones that did promised to pick me up in 15 minutes, but they never came. When we called to check on them, they didn’t answer their phones.
So I called 911 and asked for help. 911 said they’d call me back.
I was cold and alone, so I twittered. It was a habit. I didn’t expect anything. But within minutes, @KenFeldman texted to see how I was doing. Then he called and offered to pick me up. Then Efrin of @TechZulu called me.
By then my girlfriend realized she’d have an easier time getting a cab in Santa Monica and taking the hour-long drive to get me. So she came to my rescue. But after hours of standing in the cold by myself, it felt great to talk with friends, to know there’s someone willing to help.
911 eventually called me a cab–they called the same company that left me hanging. They have more important things to do. I understand.
I just can’t believe how helpful twitter–a company that didn’t exist a few years ago–could be.
I know there’s a lot of doubt about the utility of recent startups, but I see every day how startups are improving lives and changing the world. That’s why I love helping new companies grow.
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June 23rd, 2008 at 2:49 pm
That is a great story. I generally use Twitter for non-sensical things. It’s great to see this and you were smart to be off of PCH at that hour. I’ve had far too many close calls on that road.
I went to a Malibu city council meeting to talk about the dangers of the road that goes through the middle of their city. The response from them was basically that it’s a bad idea to ride a bike in Malibu and that doing something about it would upset people who spent $3 million+ for their homes since it might infringe on how they are able to park their cars.
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Great post Andrew. What a wonderful story to know when talking about the value of new technology, and thank God you’re safe! (the rippling benefit of this post makes it quite an unselfish act).
October 31st, 2008 at 2:10 pm
[...] Andrew Warner (@andrewwarner) was stuck late at night with his bicycle on the side of the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) in Los Angeles. Andrew called a cab and 911 and neither would pick him up. Alone, he Twittered his dilemma and a Twitter friend (@KenFeldman) offered to pick him up. Others not in the neighborhood kept him company by Tweeting. While he wanted to take Ken up on his offer, Andrew’s girlfriend eventually was able to pick him u…. [...]
October 31st, 2008 at 2:30 pm
[...] Andrew Warner (@andrewwarner) was stuck late at night with his bicycle on the side of the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) in Los Angeles. Andrew called a cab and 911 and neither would pick him up. Alone, he Twittered his dilemma and a Twitter friend (@KenFeldman) offered to pick him up. Others not in the neighborhood kept him company by Tweeting. While he wanted to take Ken up on his offer, Andrew’s girlfriend eventually was able to pick him u…. [...]
April 18th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
[...] Andrew Warner (@andrewwarner) was stuck late at night with his bicycle on the side of the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) in Los Angeles. Andrew called a cab and 911 and neither would pick him up. Alone, he Twittered his dilemma and a Twitter friend (@KenFeldman) offered to pick him up. Others not in the neighborhood kept him company by Tweeting. While he wanted to take Ken up on his offer, Andrew’s girlfriend eventually was able to pick him u…. [...]
December 19th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
It's true that 911 has somewhat better things to do, but keeping you from being roadkill is part of their responsibility, IMHO.
December 19th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
I couldn't even get a cab. So glad I had Twitter.
December 20th, 2009 at 4:43 am
It's true that 911 has somewhat better things to do, but keeping you from being roadkill is part of their responsibility, IMHO.
December 20th, 2009 at 5:25 am
I couldn't even get a cab. So glad I had Twitter.