We called him "the wizard" because that is essentially what he looked like. He had greying hair with a grey beard and was as thin as a chicken bone. He had claimed the prime window washing spot at the intersection of Barry Drive and Northborne Avenue. You would see him there regularly, rain, hail or shine. Unfortunately, his health had started to deteriorate over the course of 2013 and he ended up using a walking stick and shedding 10kgs from his already skinny frame. He had a partner - she didn't look like much chop - a probable meth addict by the way she looked. At one stage she was pregnant but I never saw her bring her baby down to where he worked if she did have it. She used to swear at him and carry on whenever she was down at the traffic lights. I'm not sure what the problem was - maybe he wasn't making enough money. It is with great sadness that I reveal the wizard has passed away. His death has begun a turf war, a battle to claim the prime window washing spot at the intersection of Barry Drive and Northborne Avenue.
Steve in TX13 said he saw these two blokes fully going at it at the wizard's old spot, smashing each other with their window washers. He said it was like two bears fighting for territory or an attractive female mate. As is what usually happens in the animal world, the taller guy won out and the smaller guy was left to find some other less fertile territory. It will be interesting to see who eventually wins the battle for the prime window washing spot. I'm still yet to figure out how the wizard, given his tiny frame, held on to the spot for so long.
Tuesday 31 December 2013
Sunday 22 December 2013
The adidas sandals
You may have seen him at the bus interchange - he has dreadlocks, about 5 foot 10", and carries his backpack around with him. He is a homeless guy that sits in the corner of the city bus interchange on a Friday and Saturday night while the revellers throw change at him. He is a protected species - nobody touches him and he lives in relative harmony with the night owls in Civic. Steve in TX13 had a little incident with him on Friday night.
Last Friday night was massive - Steve had his best night ever in terms of money taken but he still had a few dickheads. One of these dickheads asked to be taken from Civic to Fyshwick so they could check out the Men's Club. Much to Steve's annoyance they drank along the way and were just a general nuisance. To cut a long story short, one of the dickheads left his adidas sandals in the back of the cab and Steve didn't realise this til he got back to Civic. He thought about returning them and then thought to himself they were dickheads, they don't deserve their sandals back.
Steve pulled in at McDonald's Braddon, one of the most incompetent McDonald's in the history of McDonald's. Steve ordered a Grand Angus burger and instead he got a cheeseburger and two apple pies. Steve then drove into the bus interchange and parked his cab next to where the homeless guy was. He gave him one apple pie and the adidas thongs and said "Merry Christmas, mate."
Last Friday night was massive - Steve had his best night ever in terms of money taken but he still had a few dickheads. One of these dickheads asked to be taken from Civic to Fyshwick so they could check out the Men's Club. Much to Steve's annoyance they drank along the way and were just a general nuisance. To cut a long story short, one of the dickheads left his adidas sandals in the back of the cab and Steve didn't realise this til he got back to Civic. He thought about returning them and then thought to himself they were dickheads, they don't deserve their sandals back.
Steve pulled in at McDonald's Braddon, one of the most incompetent McDonald's in the history of McDonald's. Steve ordered a Grand Angus burger and instead he got a cheeseburger and two apple pies. Steve then drove into the bus interchange and parked his cab next to where the homeless guy was. He gave him one apple pie and the adidas thongs and said "Merry Christmas, mate."
Thursday 19 December 2013
Pissing on cars
Doug from outside of Wagga is a character. He moved to Canberra after his wife landed a very well paying job in the public service. He sold his farm and absolutely hates Canberra but has to be here because of his wife and kids. He could have sat and home and been a made man but he choose to go out and do some taxi driving. Doug hates two things about driving taxis in Canberra: the snobs who ask to be taken to the Hyatt Canberra and the lack on clean and safe public toilets in Canberra.
And you know what happens when you put these two hates together?
Well, whenever Doug needs to go to the toilet and he is near Civic he swings by the Hyatt and parks his taxi next to an expensive car: a BMW 7 series, An Audi A8 or R8 or a Porsche 911. He gets out of the taxi and pisses on the driver's side door handle. He likes to get a full load on there. But he knows not to piss on Austin Martins. It will set the alarm off.
And you know what happens when you put these two hates together?
Well, whenever Doug needs to go to the toilet and he is near Civic he swings by the Hyatt and parks his taxi next to an expensive car: a BMW 7 series, An Audi A8 or R8 or a Porsche 911. He gets out of the taxi and pisses on the driver's side door handle. He likes to get a full load on there. But he knows not to piss on Austin Martins. It will set the alarm off.
Monday 16 December 2013
"Take your McBurger, take your Mcfries, and McFuck Off!"
Steve in TX13 had an interesting night on Friday night. He picked up a male at McDonalds Braddon who asked to be driven to O'Connor. The guy had some McDonalds with him and was drunk, but still with it. Steve asked him not to eat the McDonalds in the taxi and the guy reluctantly agreed. For some reason Steve knew it was going to be a bad fare. The conversation went a little like this:
Steve: How's your night been?
Male: Crap
Steve: Gee, that's no good.
Male: Women are fucked. Canberra's fucked. Males are cunts. It's all just fucked.
Steve: Gee, mate. Things aren't that bad. I think you need to be a little more positive.
Male: Positive? Nah mate, you can go and get fucked. You taxi drivers are fucked too. You don't know the routes, most of you are curry munchers that stink and rip people off.
Steve: Mate, that's a bit of a generalisation.
Male: Generalisation? I'm just telling you like it is. You're a fuck head too.
Steve thought about pulling over and telling him to walk but they were close to the destination so he let it ride. When they got to the destination, the male pulled out a credit card with pay wave functionality. Steve tapped in the fare and waved the card. The transaction went through. Steve attempted to give the male the receipt but he asked what the fuck he was doing. Steve said he used pay wave and the payment went through. The male replied that he had never had that done before and asked to cancel the transaction. Steve said he couldn't cancel it and that the payment had already been made. The male started to get angry and demanded he cancel it. Steve stepped out of the cab and explained that he had pressed the alert button and that the cops would soon be on their way. The male said he didn't care. Steve then grabbed his McDonalds with the coke and the male stepped out of the cab. Steve sized up to the male and the male took a backward step. Steve then chucked the McDonalds into the bush nearby and then exclaimed "Take your McBurger, take your McFries and McFuck off!" as he hurled his coke down the street. The male stood there stunned.
Steve: How's your night been?
Male: Crap
Steve: Gee, that's no good.
Male: Women are fucked. Canberra's fucked. Males are cunts. It's all just fucked.
Steve: Gee, mate. Things aren't that bad. I think you need to be a little more positive.
Male: Positive? Nah mate, you can go and get fucked. You taxi drivers are fucked too. You don't know the routes, most of you are curry munchers that stink and rip people off.
Steve: Mate, that's a bit of a generalisation.
Male: Generalisation? I'm just telling you like it is. You're a fuck head too.
Steve thought about pulling over and telling him to walk but they were close to the destination so he let it ride. When they got to the destination, the male pulled out a credit card with pay wave functionality. Steve tapped in the fare and waved the card. The transaction went through. Steve attempted to give the male the receipt but he asked what the fuck he was doing. Steve said he used pay wave and the payment went through. The male replied that he had never had that done before and asked to cancel the transaction. Steve said he couldn't cancel it and that the payment had already been made. The male started to get angry and demanded he cancel it. Steve stepped out of the cab and explained that he had pressed the alert button and that the cops would soon be on their way. The male said he didn't care. Steve then grabbed his McDonalds with the coke and the male stepped out of the cab. Steve sized up to the male and the male took a backward step. Steve then chucked the McDonalds into the bush nearby and then exclaimed "Take your McBurger, take your McFries and McFuck off!" as he hurled his coke down the street. The male stood there stunned.
Wednesday 11 December 2013
Capel's pot deal
Capel's in his late sixties, loves his whiskey, beer and pot and regularly drives TX666. He earned his nickname Capel because of his beloved Mazda Capella, a car he has been driving around for over forty years. He used to own a pub on Groote Island but had to move back to Canberra after his two main clientele: the indigenous and the miners stopped turning up at his pub. The miners stopped coming because the mine closed down and the indigenous stopped coming because most of them died due to liver disease.
Before moving to open a pub on Groote Island, Capel used to work for the military police. To meet him now, a relaxed, loving and caring bloke, you would never believe he was part of the military police. Back in the 1980s, pot growing was rife around Canberra. Capel was asked one day to be a spotter for a recognisance helicopter mission conducted by the AFP. The AFP were using military aircraft to conduct their mission. It was Capel's job to spot pot plantations and mark them on the map. While hovering above the airspace outside of Canberra, Capel spotted a decent size pot plantation. He thought about marking it on his map but then he realised he knew how to get there and get the pot. He kept silent and didn't mark it on his map.
The next weekend, Capel borrowed his mate's Landcruiser and drove out to where he saw the pot plantation. He loaded up the back of the Landcruiser with marijuana, a year's supply mind you, and drove back to Canberra. Before leaving, he left a note: "Sorry mate, pigs were on to you, I saved you. Had to take my fair share." Capel's never had a deal like that again, and probably never will.
Before moving to open a pub on Groote Island, Capel used to work for the military police. To meet him now, a relaxed, loving and caring bloke, you would never believe he was part of the military police. Back in the 1980s, pot growing was rife around Canberra. Capel was asked one day to be a spotter for a recognisance helicopter mission conducted by the AFP. The AFP were using military aircraft to conduct their mission. It was Capel's job to spot pot plantations and mark them on the map. While hovering above the airspace outside of Canberra, Capel spotted a decent size pot plantation. He thought about marking it on his map but then he realised he knew how to get there and get the pot. He kept silent and didn't mark it on his map.
The next weekend, Capel borrowed his mate's Landcruiser and drove out to where he saw the pot plantation. He loaded up the back of the Landcruiser with marijuana, a year's supply mind you, and drove back to Canberra. Before leaving, he left a note: "Sorry mate, pigs were on to you, I saved you. Had to take my fair share." Capel's never had a deal like that again, and probably never will.
Sunday 8 December 2013
The Caltex C!nt
There are plenty of people out there who think that taxi drivers are just a step above used car salesman in order of social status. I often get a remark "Gee mate, you seem intelligent, why are you a taxi driver?" The simple answer is because I love it. Studies have actually shown that taxi drivers use their brains quite frequently during a shift - navigating, working out where the work is, calculating change and chatting with customers. You actually have to have a degree of intelligence to be a taxi driver. Dumb fucks don't last long as taxi drivers because they can't figure out how to make money or get abused by customers and don't get paid because they take long routes.
My mate in TX 13, Steve, had an interesting experience one night. He picked up these two guys in the city and recognised one of them as the night owl from the Gunghalin Caltex who regularly served Steve after a fuel up from a late night shift. He was thinking that this was going to be a good fare. But his mate, whom I call ASSHOLE in the back, started to give Steve some curry about his existence as a taxi driver.
ASSHOLE: Mate, you're a white taxi driver, what the fuck are you doing with your life?
Steve: I actually enjoy being a taxi driver.
ASSHOLE: You enjoy it? Dealing with drunk people, people spewing up in your cab. You can't be fucking serious.
If you've read my earlier blogs you would realise that Steve in TX13 has a take no prisoners attitude to taxi driving. I was a little surprised when Steve first told me this story that he didn't pull over and make them walk. For some reason Steve decided to run with it.
Steve: Yeah mate, I do. I really enjoy and I make enough to get by.
ASSHOLE: Well mate, I'm an APS6 doing really important work in the public service. What the fuck are you doing with your life?
Steve: Good for you.
ASSHOLE: Hey Barry (the Caltex C!nt), do you think we can break him?
Barry: No mate, I don't think we can break him.
Break him??? What a pair of assholes. How weak a human being to have to be to try and break someone. Oh, ASSHOLE, you think you've made it as an APS6 employee well I've got news for you. You are a glorified document filer. You don't actually do any real work in the APS until you make EL1 level.
And yes, Caltex C1nt, we got plans for you. We are going to break you. Nothing illegal. We are going to make your night a misery.
My mate in TX 13, Steve, had an interesting experience one night. He picked up these two guys in the city and recognised one of them as the night owl from the Gunghalin Caltex who regularly served Steve after a fuel up from a late night shift. He was thinking that this was going to be a good fare. But his mate, whom I call ASSHOLE in the back, started to give Steve some curry about his existence as a taxi driver.
ASSHOLE: Mate, you're a white taxi driver, what the fuck are you doing with your life?
Steve: I actually enjoy being a taxi driver.
ASSHOLE: You enjoy it? Dealing with drunk people, people spewing up in your cab. You can't be fucking serious.
If you've read my earlier blogs you would realise that Steve in TX13 has a take no prisoners attitude to taxi driving. I was a little surprised when Steve first told me this story that he didn't pull over and make them walk. For some reason Steve decided to run with it.
Steve: Yeah mate, I do. I really enjoy and I make enough to get by.
ASSHOLE: Well mate, I'm an APS6 doing really important work in the public service. What the fuck are you doing with your life?
Steve: Good for you.
ASSHOLE: Hey Barry (the Caltex C!nt), do you think we can break him?
Barry: No mate, I don't think we can break him.
Break him??? What a pair of assholes. How weak a human being to have to be to try and break someone. Oh, ASSHOLE, you think you've made it as an APS6 employee well I've got news for you. You are a glorified document filer. You don't actually do any real work in the APS until you make EL1 level.
And yes, Caltex C1nt, we got plans for you. We are going to break you. Nothing illegal. We are going to make your night a misery.
Sunday 24 November 2013
Two years on $90,000 with no work to do.
I spent about six years in the public service and I would have been in the top quartile for laziness. During my last contract in the public service I would take ten smokos a day, take a week to do half a days work, turn up at 9.30am and leave at 4pm but still say I did an 8 hour day on my time sheet. Not only did I not have the competence, I had a bad attitude as well. Had I not of left I would have got myself fired which is no mean feat in the public service. It is pretty hard to fire someone in the public service. This is why taxi driving suits me.
We all know that public servants are lazy and wouldn't last a second in the private sector, not only that, but the public service wouldn't know efficiency if it smacked them on the head. Steve in TX13 has a regular customer called Greg who lives in Holt. Steve loves in when Greg calls up because he knows he got a $40 "cashy" to the City. If you don't know what a "cashy" is - google it. Greg told Steve that he used to be a public servant until he got made redundant. Greg used to have a public service job in Gladstone and got asked to move to Canberra for a year to do the same job. He moved and found that after a year he liked it so much that he wanted to stay. The Government agency brought another guy in to do the same job as Greg and offered Greg another public service job in Gladstone. Greg told them he wanted to stay so they said okay. The problem was there was no work for him because it was all given to the new guy. For the first two weeks, Greg thought it was awesome. No work to do, getting paid $90,000 a year, take a smoko when he wanted, go for coffees. All good. Eventually he started to go insane so he became a movie watcher. He would go to the movies and watch films three times over. And you know how long Greg was given no work for before they decided to make him redundant? Two years. Yep that's right. Two years. Efficiency? I don't think so.
We all know that public servants are lazy and wouldn't last a second in the private sector, not only that, but the public service wouldn't know efficiency if it smacked them on the head. Steve in TX13 has a regular customer called Greg who lives in Holt. Steve loves in when Greg calls up because he knows he got a $40 "cashy" to the City. If you don't know what a "cashy" is - google it. Greg told Steve that he used to be a public servant until he got made redundant. Greg used to have a public service job in Gladstone and got asked to move to Canberra for a year to do the same job. He moved and found that after a year he liked it so much that he wanted to stay. The Government agency brought another guy in to do the same job as Greg and offered Greg another public service job in Gladstone. Greg told them he wanted to stay so they said okay. The problem was there was no work for him because it was all given to the new guy. For the first two weeks, Greg thought it was awesome. No work to do, getting paid $90,000 a year, take a smoko when he wanted, go for coffees. All good. Eventually he started to go insane so he became a movie watcher. He would go to the movies and watch films three times over. And you know how long Greg was given no work for before they decided to make him redundant? Two years. Yep that's right. Two years. Efficiency? I don't think so.
Monday 21 October 2013
The male whore
Remember my mate Steve in TX 13 from Adelaide? The bloke who got $50 for letting someone smoke in his taxi. Well he told me a story from his time in Adelaide that had me laughing out loud. One time he was cruising past some pubs in Adelaide in his taxi hoping for a fare. Out of the blue, this scruffy mid forties bloke hailed him down, jumped in the taxi and asked to be driven to an address out in the suburbs. By the way he was talking, the guy was high on something, most likely amphetamines. He said he was a gigolo by trade and crapped on how he was going to bang this 35 year old blonde hotty who had a husband with a small dick who couldn't satisfy her. Steve thought this bloke was talking shit. He was pretty scruffy looking, well past his prime and he was high on something.
They arrived at the address and the scruffy looking bloke said to Steve that the hot blonde's husband was going to pay. Steve got out of the cab and walked to the front door. He was thinking if this guy really was a gigolo then the door would be answered by a big fat Samoan women with a beard. Low and behold, a hot blonde did answer the door and she was every bit as stunning as the scruffy looking bloke had described. The husband pushed past the blonde and paid for the fare. Steve looked at him in bewilderment and the scruffy looking bloke gave a pinky finger sign to indicate that the husband had a small dick.
They arrived at the address and the scruffy looking bloke said to Steve that the hot blonde's husband was going to pay. Steve got out of the cab and walked to the front door. He was thinking if this guy really was a gigolo then the door would be answered by a big fat Samoan women with a beard. Low and behold, a hot blonde did answer the door and she was every bit as stunning as the scruffy looking bloke had described. The husband pushed past the blonde and paid for the fare. Steve looked at him in bewilderment and the scruffy looking bloke gave a pinky finger sign to indicate that the husband had a small dick.
Monday 7 October 2013
"You overcharged me twenty cents"
A great deal of the taxi work you do in Canberra involves taking public servants to and from meetings and taking them from the airport to their home in the evenings after they've had meetings in urban and remote Australia. When the government is paying for the taxi ride all public servants want is to get home via the fastest route; price does not matter. However, there are exceptions to the rule.
One time I took home an employee from the Defence Material Organisation to his apartment on Corranderk St near the City. He was one of these types that thought he was better than everyone else, especially a taxi driver like myself. He wasn't interested in chatting; all he wanted was to be taken home. That's fair enough, I appreciate that sometimes people have long days given they have to get up at 5.00am in the morning don't end up getting home till 9.30pm. But things started to get interesting when I dropped him off.
The fare came to $22.70 and I swiped his card on the EFTPOS machine and accidently typed in $22.90 instead of $22.70. He checked the docket and looked up at the meter. The conversation went something like this.
DMO employee: You've overcharged me 20 cents. The fare says $22.70 and you've charged me $22.90. What, so you overcharged everyone 20 cents to make an extra buck mate, do you?
Me: Sorry mate, it was an accident. I accidently pressed the wrong button.
DMO employee: Well I want my 20 cents back.
Me: I can give you it in cash but I can't put it back on your card. I'm sure it's not going to blow the Defence Budget of whatever billions a year.
DMO employee: Well I want a cheque from you, payable to the Defence Material Organisation for 20 cents. Please have a letter accompanying the cheque explaining why they have received the cheque.
Me: Sure mate.
I'm not going to write the cheque. These overpaid public servants can bugger off.
One time I took home an employee from the Defence Material Organisation to his apartment on Corranderk St near the City. He was one of these types that thought he was better than everyone else, especially a taxi driver like myself. He wasn't interested in chatting; all he wanted was to be taken home. That's fair enough, I appreciate that sometimes people have long days given they have to get up at 5.00am in the morning don't end up getting home till 9.30pm. But things started to get interesting when I dropped him off.
The fare came to $22.70 and I swiped his card on the EFTPOS machine and accidently typed in $22.90 instead of $22.70. He checked the docket and looked up at the meter. The conversation went something like this.
DMO employee: You've overcharged me 20 cents. The fare says $22.70 and you've charged me $22.90. What, so you overcharged everyone 20 cents to make an extra buck mate, do you?
Me: Sorry mate, it was an accident. I accidently pressed the wrong button.
DMO employee: Well I want my 20 cents back.
Me: I can give you it in cash but I can't put it back on your card. I'm sure it's not going to blow the Defence Budget of whatever billions a year.
DMO employee: Well I want a cheque from you, payable to the Defence Material Organisation for 20 cents. Please have a letter accompanying the cheque explaining why they have received the cheque.
Me: Sure mate.
I'm not going to write the cheque. These overpaid public servants can bugger off.
Monday 19 August 2013
I snatched her handbag...
Some family members have told me not to tell this story. I'm a little bit embarrassed by it and it came at a time when I was inexperienced and a little naïve about taxi driving.
For a while there I loved Manuka rank. It seemed to deliver good jobs but gradually I began to realise that I had just been lucky as most jobs are small jobs to the surrounding suburbs. My two spewers were both from this rank so now I boycott it.
One night during my first couple of months of taxi driving I was waiting there at Manuka rank and a lady, about 55 or older, hobbled towards the taxi. She got in and asked to be driven to a street in Yarralumla. As we drove along things were going nicely and then she asked me to clean my windscreen as she couldn't see where she was going. I did this but then she got all angry and asked me to pull over. I did so and she started to get out. I requested payment of the fare and she told me that she wasn't paying the fare and that I had been rude. As she got out she said, "Sue me!"
It had been a really bad night, I had hardly made any money and something snapped in me. I should have just let it ride but I got out of the taxi and demanded my $10. She refused. And this is where I did the wrong thing. I grabbed her handbag and in the process she fell over. As I walked off with her bag, she yelled at me, "My keys are in there." And then she realised that she could not get up. She called after me, "Ï'm really sorry, can you help me up and drive me home?" I approached her, helped her up and led her back into the taxi.
Back in the taxi her whole demeanour changed. She was quite chatty and friendly. And then I got the question, it is the question that most foreign taxi drivers hate. "Which country are you from?" she asked politely. I was a little bewildered by this question as I had spoken in my broad Australian accent and I thought my blue eyes and brown hair would indicate that I had Anglo-Saxon heritage. For some reason I lied and responded, "Afghanistan." I didn't put on a foreign accent, I just spoke normally and in any case, I couldn't even do one foreign accent if my life depended on it. Then she asked what my name was. "Muhammed." I responded. She then asked whether I was Christian or Muslim and I said I was Christian. She then said that Muhammed was an unusual name for a Christian. I thought I had been caught out but she ignored it and asked whether I was educated. I said "No." She then went on to ask why I don't educate myself to give myself a brighter future. I replied that I had a wife and two kids to support and that I couldn't afford the time to study as I had to work seven days a week to support them.
We pulled up at her townhouse and then she said she was so sorry for being so rude. I responded that there had just been a misunderstanding. The fare came to about $15. She pulled out a $50 note and gave it to me saying that maybe I could buy my family a nice meal with the money. I thanked her and said I will. I helped her with her bags, taking them to the front door and then she hugged me and wished me all the best.
"People are strange, stranger than strange." - The Doors.
For a while there I loved Manuka rank. It seemed to deliver good jobs but gradually I began to realise that I had just been lucky as most jobs are small jobs to the surrounding suburbs. My two spewers were both from this rank so now I boycott it.
One night during my first couple of months of taxi driving I was waiting there at Manuka rank and a lady, about 55 or older, hobbled towards the taxi. She got in and asked to be driven to a street in Yarralumla. As we drove along things were going nicely and then she asked me to clean my windscreen as she couldn't see where she was going. I did this but then she got all angry and asked me to pull over. I did so and she started to get out. I requested payment of the fare and she told me that she wasn't paying the fare and that I had been rude. As she got out she said, "Sue me!"
It had been a really bad night, I had hardly made any money and something snapped in me. I should have just let it ride but I got out of the taxi and demanded my $10. She refused. And this is where I did the wrong thing. I grabbed her handbag and in the process she fell over. As I walked off with her bag, she yelled at me, "My keys are in there." And then she realised that she could not get up. She called after me, "Ï'm really sorry, can you help me up and drive me home?" I approached her, helped her up and led her back into the taxi.
Back in the taxi her whole demeanour changed. She was quite chatty and friendly. And then I got the question, it is the question that most foreign taxi drivers hate. "Which country are you from?" she asked politely. I was a little bewildered by this question as I had spoken in my broad Australian accent and I thought my blue eyes and brown hair would indicate that I had Anglo-Saxon heritage. For some reason I lied and responded, "Afghanistan." I didn't put on a foreign accent, I just spoke normally and in any case, I couldn't even do one foreign accent if my life depended on it. Then she asked what my name was. "Muhammed." I responded. She then asked whether I was Christian or Muslim and I said I was Christian. She then said that Muhammed was an unusual name for a Christian. I thought I had been caught out but she ignored it and asked whether I was educated. I said "No." She then went on to ask why I don't educate myself to give myself a brighter future. I replied that I had a wife and two kids to support and that I couldn't afford the time to study as I had to work seven days a week to support them.
We pulled up at her townhouse and then she said she was so sorry for being so rude. I responded that there had just been a misunderstanding. The fare came to about $15. She pulled out a $50 note and gave it to me saying that maybe I could buy my family a nice meal with the money. I thanked her and said I will. I helped her with her bags, taking them to the front door and then she hugged me and wished me all the best.
"People are strange, stranger than strange." - The Doors.
Sunday 4 August 2013
Taxi driving: how much do we make?
A few times I have had public servants in my taxi asking me how much money I make. Typically, they are washed up and pissed off APS6 employees who have worked the same job for ten years and are looking for an out. The first thing I ask them is whether they have a mortgage. A typical reply is "Yes". Then I ask them how much they think I make and I indicate that I work approximately 70 hours a week. Most of them think it would be around $20 an hour and so they say $1500 a week before tax. This is when I laugh. Most of them are quite astonished when I say that it works out at about half that. They very soon start to realise that there is no way they can pay their mortgage as a taxi driver. Last year I made $38,000, worked 6 nights a week, 11 hours each night, a couple of spewers, ten runners and thirty dickheads. But most of the time I was having fun. It certainly beats filing, reading emails, dealing with office politics, pushing paper and just generally doing nothing as an APS6 employee.
So if we look at the average night and day taking of a taxi, I think people will be quite surprised. Remember that these figures are the total takings of a taxi, and the taxi driver takes half of it.
DAY SHIFT
Monday - $260
Tuesday - $265
Wednesday - $270
Thursday - $275
Friday - $280
Saturday - $220
Sunday - $270
TOTAL: $1840
So if I driver works 7 days a week (77 hours) they will make approximately $920 a week before tax. After GST is taken out they make $836. And after PAYG is taken out they make $727 a week. Not a real good hourly rate when you work 77 hours - approximately $9.50 an hour. Most drivers work 6 days a week - Monday to Saturday and make approximately $650 after tax is taken out.
NIGHT SHIFT
Night drivers generally fair better because you make better money on a Friday and Saturday night.
Monday - $240
Tuesday - $250
Wednesday - $270
Thursday - $300
Friday - $450
Saturday $425
Sunday - $250
TOTAL: $2185
So if a driver works 7 nights a week (and there are plenty that do) he will make $1092 a week. After GST and PAYG is taken out he will make approximately $832 a week. A better hourly rate than a day driver ($832/77 = $10.80).
Drivers in maxi taxis and 7 seaters have dramatically better income on a Friday and Saturday nights. They can make up to $900 on the meter in a single night. A few drivers work the maxi taxis and 7-seaters on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and make the same amount per week as drivers who work six nights in normal taxis. These are the lucky ones and they usually do some wheeling and dealing to get these nights in these kind of taxis.
So if we look at the average night and day taking of a taxi, I think people will be quite surprised. Remember that these figures are the total takings of a taxi, and the taxi driver takes half of it.
DAY SHIFT
Monday - $260
Tuesday - $265
Wednesday - $270
Thursday - $275
Friday - $280
Saturday - $220
Sunday - $270
TOTAL: $1840
So if I driver works 7 days a week (77 hours) they will make approximately $920 a week before tax. After GST is taken out they make $836. And after PAYG is taken out they make $727 a week. Not a real good hourly rate when you work 77 hours - approximately $9.50 an hour. Most drivers work 6 days a week - Monday to Saturday and make approximately $650 after tax is taken out.
NIGHT SHIFT
Night drivers generally fair better because you make better money on a Friday and Saturday night.
Monday - $240
Tuesday - $250
Wednesday - $270
Thursday - $300
Friday - $450
Saturday $425
Sunday - $250
TOTAL: $2185
So if a driver works 7 nights a week (and there are plenty that do) he will make $1092 a week. After GST and PAYG is taken out he will make approximately $832 a week. A better hourly rate than a day driver ($832/77 = $10.80).
Drivers in maxi taxis and 7 seaters have dramatically better income on a Friday and Saturday nights. They can make up to $900 on the meter in a single night. A few drivers work the maxi taxis and 7-seaters on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and make the same amount per week as drivers who work six nights in normal taxis. These are the lucky ones and they usually do some wheeling and dealing to get these nights in these kind of taxis.
Monday 29 July 2013
The tight industry
For a while, I thought about leasing my own taxi. I had enough money to buy a second hand taxi and to pay some of the running costs. In other words, I had enough to make a start. So I sat down and worked out how much extra it was going to make me. In a good year, it would make me an extra $5,000 and in a bad year or if something went wrong with the taxi like the transmission or the engine I would probably be down $5,000. A great number of people think that taxis are too expensive and that taxi drivers and operators just print money. Let's look at how much a taxi makes and the running costs.
During an average 12 hour shift a driver will do approximately 13 jobs and the average price of the job will be $20. So a taxi makes approximately $260 a shift. Two shifts a day equals $520. Multiply by 365 days a year and you have approximately $190,000.
An operator has to split the revenue 50:50 with the driver so they make $95,000 per year from a cab. But now lets look at the yearly expenses a cab has.
Taxi Plate Lease - $25,000
Base (Taxi Company) fees - $20,500
Taxi registration and CPI - $10,000
Car Insurance - $7,500
Fuel - $17,500
Workers Compensation Insurance - $3,000
Maintenance costs - $5,000
Total running costs - $88,500
Profit: $95,000 - $88,500 = $6,500
In a perfect world you make $6,500 a year from a cab if you are an operator. But this assumes you have a driver for every shift, nothing majorly goes wrong with your cab and that business is average. If business is bad, you could lose money.
During an average 12 hour shift a driver will do approximately 13 jobs and the average price of the job will be $20. So a taxi makes approximately $260 a shift. Two shifts a day equals $520. Multiply by 365 days a year and you have approximately $190,000.
An operator has to split the revenue 50:50 with the driver so they make $95,000 per year from a cab. But now lets look at the yearly expenses a cab has.
Taxi Plate Lease - $25,000
Base (Taxi Company) fees - $20,500
Taxi registration and CPI - $10,000
Car Insurance - $7,500
Fuel - $17,500
Workers Compensation Insurance - $3,000
Maintenance costs - $5,000
Total running costs - $88,500
Profit: $95,000 - $88,500 = $6,500
In a perfect world you make $6,500 a year from a cab if you are an operator. But this assumes you have a driver for every shift, nothing majorly goes wrong with your cab and that business is average. If business is bad, you could lose money.
Monday 8 July 2013
The pros and cons of being a taxi driver
After a few weeks in my new cleaning job, I have a greater perspective on the pros and cons of being a taxi driver. I worked on Saturday (day shift) and made very little money, doing small fares from the National Gallery of Australia and probably spent more money on coffee and cigarettes than the commission I actually made during the day. Earlier in the day I spent some time at the Airport chatting to other drivers and all they did was whinge about how bad things are. I have little time for these whingers - they could save up their money, get a truck licence or a security licence and earn more money but they still expect to make millions from taxi driving. You never make millions from taxi driving - you only make enough to survive. You learn to shop at Kmart and Costco and grab $1 coffees at 7-Eleven and to bring your own lunch.
I'll start with the cons of taxi driving and end with the pros.
The cons of taxi driving
Some drivers expect when they first start that they are going to make $20-$25 an hour and then they get a shock when it is closer to $14 an hour unless you work a Friday or Saturday night. Obviously the first con is the remuneration and conditions. You only make half of what the taxi makes during a shift - on a Saturday day shift that can be as little as $6 an hour. And there is no such thing as sick pay and holiday pay, let alone an allowance for superannuation. If you do a day that is half cash, then that is good because you can take your commission from that. But if all your payment are EFTPOS then you have to collect your commission from your taxi owner at a later date. Some operators are good and pay you weekly while some pay every three weeks if it all. You see drivers at the airport waiting for owners to turn up so they can collect their part of the commission, and then the owners see them, U-turn and piss off out of the airport.
Passengers/customers can be a real con too. Some do runners or worse, throw up in your cab. A great number whinge about the fare or if you are not from Australia, direct racial abuse at you. A run of bad customers can really destroy your shift.
The pros of taxi driving
A run of good passengers can really make your shift. Interesting people who tell you about your lives, people that tip well, people who really appreciate what you do for them. When you have a shift of these kind of people you forget about the shit money you are making and just enjoy it. You get to meet people - a great number of taxi drivers I know have met their girlfriends or just plain old fuck buddies from driving a cab.
The freedom is fantastic too. You get to choose where you want to go, you get to choose when you want your break. And above all, the longer you spend on the streets, the wiser you get and the more money you make. Even though, as an old timer said to me "Taxi driving is 10% class, 90% ass".
I'll start with the cons of taxi driving and end with the pros.
The cons of taxi driving
Some drivers expect when they first start that they are going to make $20-$25 an hour and then they get a shock when it is closer to $14 an hour unless you work a Friday or Saturday night. Obviously the first con is the remuneration and conditions. You only make half of what the taxi makes during a shift - on a Saturday day shift that can be as little as $6 an hour. And there is no such thing as sick pay and holiday pay, let alone an allowance for superannuation. If you do a day that is half cash, then that is good because you can take your commission from that. But if all your payment are EFTPOS then you have to collect your commission from your taxi owner at a later date. Some operators are good and pay you weekly while some pay every three weeks if it all. You see drivers at the airport waiting for owners to turn up so they can collect their part of the commission, and then the owners see them, U-turn and piss off out of the airport.
Passengers/customers can be a real con too. Some do runners or worse, throw up in your cab. A great number whinge about the fare or if you are not from Australia, direct racial abuse at you. A run of bad customers can really destroy your shift.
The pros of taxi driving
A run of good passengers can really make your shift. Interesting people who tell you about your lives, people that tip well, people who really appreciate what you do for them. When you have a shift of these kind of people you forget about the shit money you are making and just enjoy it. You get to meet people - a great number of taxi drivers I know have met their girlfriends or just plain old fuck buddies from driving a cab.
The freedom is fantastic too. You get to choose where you want to go, you get to choose when you want your break. And above all, the longer you spend on the streets, the wiser you get and the more money you make. Even though, as an old timer said to me "Taxi driving is 10% class, 90% ass".
Saturday 22 June 2013
Tipping, the numbers game and the end of my taxi career (for now)
Tipping
Tipping is a funny thing in Australia, it is not customary as it is in the USA but if it is done it is usually a sign of good service. I usually tip 10-15% at restaurants, particularly Asian and Indian restaurants where the price of the meal is less than $50 dollars for two people and both of you have excellent mains, dessert and entrée. If the price of the meal comes to $48, I usually give them $55 as a gesture of thanks for excellent food and service. Tipping in taxis is a bit of a funny business, some people tip well, others don't. I really hate the people who tip you small amounts - anything less than $1. It really is an insult. What can you get for less than a dollar these days? Nothing, absolutely nothing. If they round up a fare to the nearest dollar so they don't have to receive excess shrapnel, then that is fine. But if the fare come to $20.00 and the customer says make it $20.60 then that really annoys me because it is an insult to me as a service provider and I lose change that I may need later.
The numbers game
Every taxi in Canberra has a number plate that starts with TX. Most of them have a three digit number after the TX, say TX476 that I use to regularly drive. The Indians and the Pakistanis are very superstitious about the number of each taxi in the ACT. They say you add up the numbers of the taxi number plate on each taxi to give you a single digit number. For example, for TX476 you would add up the 4 and 7 and the 6 to give you 17 and then you would add 1 plus 7 from the 17 to give you a single digit of 8. Some of the Indians and the Pakistanis are so superstitious that if they are offered to drive a taxi and it is an unlucky number for them, they will refuse to drive the taxi. Some of the taxi operators have quite a difficult job trying to match drivers to the correct numbered car. Most operators are prepared to do this because they know the Indians and the Pakistanis will work long hours for them but operators really like Aussie and Asian drivers who do the long hours because they don't give two hoots about the taxi number.
The end of my taxi career (for now)
I will lose my licence very soon which means I can't drive for six months. I can't get a worker's licence to just drive taxis. It is just too bad so sad. I was very unlucky to lose points. It is a little ironic as one driver called me grandpa because of the way I drive. Fortunately, I have another job to go to and I can ride there so I will still be able to pay for rent, food and cigarettes. I will miss cruising about, chatting to customers to find out what is going on in Canberra. I've enjoyed writing the blog as well and over 500 people have actually viewed it! Meter off boys and girls. That will be $350, thanks. I wish.
Tipping is a funny thing in Australia, it is not customary as it is in the USA but if it is done it is usually a sign of good service. I usually tip 10-15% at restaurants, particularly Asian and Indian restaurants where the price of the meal is less than $50 dollars for two people and both of you have excellent mains, dessert and entrée. If the price of the meal comes to $48, I usually give them $55 as a gesture of thanks for excellent food and service. Tipping in taxis is a bit of a funny business, some people tip well, others don't. I really hate the people who tip you small amounts - anything less than $1. It really is an insult. What can you get for less than a dollar these days? Nothing, absolutely nothing. If they round up a fare to the nearest dollar so they don't have to receive excess shrapnel, then that is fine. But if the fare come to $20.00 and the customer says make it $20.60 then that really annoys me because it is an insult to me as a service provider and I lose change that I may need later.
The numbers game
Every taxi in Canberra has a number plate that starts with TX. Most of them have a three digit number after the TX, say TX476 that I use to regularly drive. The Indians and the Pakistanis are very superstitious about the number of each taxi in the ACT. They say you add up the numbers of the taxi number plate on each taxi to give you a single digit number. For example, for TX476 you would add up the 4 and 7 and the 6 to give you 17 and then you would add 1 plus 7 from the 17 to give you a single digit of 8. Some of the Indians and the Pakistanis are so superstitious that if they are offered to drive a taxi and it is an unlucky number for them, they will refuse to drive the taxi. Some of the taxi operators have quite a difficult job trying to match drivers to the correct numbered car. Most operators are prepared to do this because they know the Indians and the Pakistanis will work long hours for them but operators really like Aussie and Asian drivers who do the long hours because they don't give two hoots about the taxi number.
The end of my taxi career (for now)
I will lose my licence very soon which means I can't drive for six months. I can't get a worker's licence to just drive taxis. It is just too bad so sad. I was very unlucky to lose points. It is a little ironic as one driver called me grandpa because of the way I drive. Fortunately, I have another job to go to and I can ride there so I will still be able to pay for rent, food and cigarettes. I will miss cruising about, chatting to customers to find out what is going on in Canberra. I've enjoyed writing the blog as well and over 500 people have actually viewed it! Meter off boys and girls. That will be $350, thanks. I wish.
Friday 3 May 2013
The hate industry
After 18 months working in the taxi industry you start to learn a few things. The key players in the industry: drivers, operators (taxi owners) and Aerial (the taxi company) all hate each other.
Drivers hate operators because they give them shit cars to drive and always take a long time to pay drivers the money that is owing to them. Drivers hate the Aerial because they issue them with penalties for being out of uniform and rejecting shit jobs.
Operators hate drivers because they don't make enough money for them and treat their cars like rally cars. Operators hate Aerial because they take their cars off the road when they are not up to Aerial's high standards and charge ridiculous base fees.
Aerial hates drivers because they continually provide poor customer service and get Aerial in trouble with the ACT Government. The poor Aerial complaints officer has a pile of complaints every Monday morning after poor service by drivers on Friday and Saturday nights. Aerial hates operators because they fail to maintain their cars and are always whinging that there are too many taxis on the road. (Aerial doesn't care how many taxis are on the road, the more the better because it equates to more base fees and less complaints from the public about the number of taxis at peak times.)
Despite the hate, the players are bound together with one desire; it aint customer service and it aint the joys that taxi driving can bring the driver: it's money.
Drivers hate operators because they give them shit cars to drive and always take a long time to pay drivers the money that is owing to them. Drivers hate the Aerial because they issue them with penalties for being out of uniform and rejecting shit jobs.
Operators hate drivers because they don't make enough money for them and treat their cars like rally cars. Operators hate Aerial because they take their cars off the road when they are not up to Aerial's high standards and charge ridiculous base fees.
Aerial hates drivers because they continually provide poor customer service and get Aerial in trouble with the ACT Government. The poor Aerial complaints officer has a pile of complaints every Monday morning after poor service by drivers on Friday and Saturday nights. Aerial hates operators because they fail to maintain their cars and are always whinging that there are too many taxis on the road. (Aerial doesn't care how many taxis are on the road, the more the better because it equates to more base fees and less complaints from the public about the number of taxis at peak times.)
Despite the hate, the players are bound together with one desire; it aint customer service and it aint the joys that taxi driving can bring the driver: it's money.
Friday 5 April 2013
"$50 if you let me smoke in your taxi!?"
Meet Steve. He's 5 foot 9, thin build, blonde curly hair and regularly drives TX13. He refuses to eat junk food, preferring water, fruit and sushi rolls to my diet of hamburgers and chocolate milkshakes. Unlike me, he exercises regularly and has given away his old habits of smoking marijuana and tobacco. He's from Adelaide and moved to Canberra because he thought, either correctly or incorrectly, that there would be more taxi work in Canberra. We are pretty good mates, I don't have his mobile yet, but we are always chatting on the city and airport ranks. He loves his GPS, I often joke that he even uses it when he gets a job from Parliament House to the Airport. He has a "take no prisoners" attitude to taxi driving. Swear at him and you're out the door. Give him a hard time about being a taxi driver and you're out the door. One time he picked up some 70-odd year olds from Ainslie Football Club who wanted to go to the Quality Hotel in Dickson. Being new to Canberra, Steve used his GPS and the passengers gave him a hard time about using it. They also joked that once his taxi shift was over he was heading to his pizza delivery job. And you know what, he pulled over on Majura Avenue and told them to get out. They told him he was being a bit sensitive but he still left them there to face a walk back to the Quality Hotel on a chilly Canberra night.
Steve has relayed a couple of stories at the ranks that have had me in stitches.
The first was from his time back as a taxi driver in Adelaide. Steve picked up a stunning blonde in black leather pants from town who wanted to go out to the suburbs. She was drunk, almost beyond drunk, halfway to paralytic. She whinged about being rejected by a guy then wand down the window and vomited, getting most of it on the outside of the taxi. Steve pulled over into a nearby servo and told her that if she cleaned it up she wouldn't have to pay the soiling fee. Steve gave her little chance of being able clean it up so went inside to grab some paper towels. When he returned he found her kneeling on the outside of the taxi, trying to get the vomit off the taxi with two fingers. Steve said it looked as if she was trying to fingerpaint with her own vomit! Needless to say he cleaned it up and drove her home.
The other story is from his time in Canberra. Steve picked up a male and a female from the city who asked to be driven to Belconnen and Gunghalin, respectively. Steve was happy because it was going to be a $70 fare. As they drove along, the conversation between to male and female started to get interesting.
Male: So, where did I meet you tonight?
Female: Nowhere.
Male: No, you were at the Moose and North Bar.
Female: Maybe I was but I didn't see you.
Male: Would you like to come back to my place? I've got stuff to make cocktails.
Female: Not interested, I want to go to bed.
Male: You think I'm cute, right?
Female: Not really, but you look better than my arse.
Steve was thinking here that the male would give up, but he was unrelenting.
Male: Would you like to have coffee tomorrow?
Female: No, sorry, I've got stuff to do.
Male: Maybe I could help you with that stuff?
Female: No thanks. Look mate, I have bipolar and you're testing me. I could go off at anytime.
Male: Oh, that's alright. I am pretty understanding. Maybe you would like to see a movie sometime?
Female: I've got plenty of friends to see movies with, I'm a lesbian anyway.
And I know what you're thinking, surely this guy would give up! But he doesn't.
Male: So, you're a lesbian. I bet you would like to know what it is like with a guy?
Female: If I wanted cock, I would make sure it was better than yours. Sorry, I'm not interested.
Finally the guy gave up. So they dropped the girl off and commenced driving towards Belconnen. The male then asked Steve if he could smoke in the taxi. Steve declined. The male asked again. Steve declined. They kept driving for two minutes before the male announced. "Mate, I'll pay you $50 if you let me smoke in your taxi." Steve thought for a moment and then put his hand out. The male put $50 in it and Steve let him have a smoke as he drove to Belconnen.
Steve has relayed a couple of stories at the ranks that have had me in stitches.
The first was from his time back as a taxi driver in Adelaide. Steve picked up a stunning blonde in black leather pants from town who wanted to go out to the suburbs. She was drunk, almost beyond drunk, halfway to paralytic. She whinged about being rejected by a guy then wand down the window and vomited, getting most of it on the outside of the taxi. Steve pulled over into a nearby servo and told her that if she cleaned it up she wouldn't have to pay the soiling fee. Steve gave her little chance of being able clean it up so went inside to grab some paper towels. When he returned he found her kneeling on the outside of the taxi, trying to get the vomit off the taxi with two fingers. Steve said it looked as if she was trying to fingerpaint with her own vomit! Needless to say he cleaned it up and drove her home.
The other story is from his time in Canberra. Steve picked up a male and a female from the city who asked to be driven to Belconnen and Gunghalin, respectively. Steve was happy because it was going to be a $70 fare. As they drove along, the conversation between to male and female started to get interesting.
Male: So, where did I meet you tonight?
Female: Nowhere.
Male: No, you were at the Moose and North Bar.
Female: Maybe I was but I didn't see you.
Male: Would you like to come back to my place? I've got stuff to make cocktails.
Female: Not interested, I want to go to bed.
Male: You think I'm cute, right?
Female: Not really, but you look better than my arse.
Steve was thinking here that the male would give up, but he was unrelenting.
Male: Would you like to have coffee tomorrow?
Female: No, sorry, I've got stuff to do.
Male: Maybe I could help you with that stuff?
Female: No thanks. Look mate, I have bipolar and you're testing me. I could go off at anytime.
Male: Oh, that's alright. I am pretty understanding. Maybe you would like to see a movie sometime?
Female: I've got plenty of friends to see movies with, I'm a lesbian anyway.
And I know what you're thinking, surely this guy would give up! But he doesn't.
Male: So, you're a lesbian. I bet you would like to know what it is like with a guy?
Female: If I wanted cock, I would make sure it was better than yours. Sorry, I'm not interested.
Finally the guy gave up. So they dropped the girl off and commenced driving towards Belconnen. The male then asked Steve if he could smoke in the taxi. Steve declined. The male asked again. Steve declined. They kept driving for two minutes before the male announced. "Mate, I'll pay you $50 if you let me smoke in your taxi." Steve thought for a moment and then put his hand out. The male put $50 in it and Steve let him have a smoke as he drove to Belconnen.
Saturday 23 March 2013
Taxi yarns
It has been a while since I blogged. I could say that I've been busy but you can just put it down to laziness. I was sort of rebooted into blogging again after taking home one of my brother's mates who told me he was reading my blog and enjoyed it. He said it was funny. I think it may be interesting but I don't think it is funny. I'm just not a funny man. If you read my RSVP profile you would think I was as funny as Eddie Murphy but I think I'm actually as funny as John Howard - as funny as a fart in an elevator. Oh dear, internet dating sites. Profiles always promise a Porshe 911 but deliver a Hyundai Excel.
If you haven't heard already there is a taxi driver in a spot of bother after deliberately running down a man in Evatt. You can read the story here: http://au.news.yahoo.com/local/act/a/-/local/16430069/taxi-driver-accused-of-hitting-passenger/ I have little doubt they will find him because they can use GPS reports from the taxi company. He is no doubt up for GBH and possibly even attempted murder.
As we wait for fares at the airport (and, yes, I waited three hours in January) we shoot the breeze to pass the time and tell stories. Here's two of the most interesting stories I've heard.
The first involves a couple of Japanese business men who took a taxi from the airport to the Crowne Plaza in the city. After dropping them off the taxi driver received a message over the data system saying there was a passenger who lost a wallet in a taxi. He had a passenger at the time who happened to be Laurie Oakes and he asked Laurie if there was a wallet in the back seat. There was. The taxi driver checked the wallet - it had Japanese ID and $2000 in it. So the taxi driver dropped Laurie off and drove to the Crowne Plaza, contacted reception and was quickly escorted to a room with the Japanese business men. An interpreter explained the situation. The wallet's owner bowed to the taxi driver and took $200 out of the wallet and gave it to the taxi driver. Cold hard cash says thankyou in anyone's language. Wish that had of been me!
The next story some may find interesting, others may find racist. A taxi driver picked up three males passengers on a Saturday night from Manuka and they asked to go to Civic with a stop off outside the pond near Old Parliament House. The taxi driver was a little confused about the stop off but parked near the fountain. One of the passengers pulled out $50 and asked him to wait there. The three passengers got out, stripped naked, walked over to the pond and started wading in it. Then they directed abuse towards those camping near the Aboriginal embassy, calling them dole bludgers and telling them to get a job. They then put on their clothes, got back in the taxi, and the taxi driver drove them to Civic. The fare came to $25 and the taxi driver went to give them change from the $50 he had already received and they told him not to worry about it. Not only that, they gave him another $100 for his trouble explaining to him that at least he had a job unlike the residents near the Tent embassy.
If you haven't heard already there is a taxi driver in a spot of bother after deliberately running down a man in Evatt. You can read the story here: http://au.news.yahoo.com/local/act/a/-/local/16430069/taxi-driver-accused-of-hitting-passenger/ I have little doubt they will find him because they can use GPS reports from the taxi company. He is no doubt up for GBH and possibly even attempted murder.
As we wait for fares at the airport (and, yes, I waited three hours in January) we shoot the breeze to pass the time and tell stories. Here's two of the most interesting stories I've heard.
The first involves a couple of Japanese business men who took a taxi from the airport to the Crowne Plaza in the city. After dropping them off the taxi driver received a message over the data system saying there was a passenger who lost a wallet in a taxi. He had a passenger at the time who happened to be Laurie Oakes and he asked Laurie if there was a wallet in the back seat. There was. The taxi driver checked the wallet - it had Japanese ID and $2000 in it. So the taxi driver dropped Laurie off and drove to the Crowne Plaza, contacted reception and was quickly escorted to a room with the Japanese business men. An interpreter explained the situation. The wallet's owner bowed to the taxi driver and took $200 out of the wallet and gave it to the taxi driver. Cold hard cash says thankyou in anyone's language. Wish that had of been me!
The next story some may find interesting, others may find racist. A taxi driver picked up three males passengers on a Saturday night from Manuka and they asked to go to Civic with a stop off outside the pond near Old Parliament House. The taxi driver was a little confused about the stop off but parked near the fountain. One of the passengers pulled out $50 and asked him to wait there. The three passengers got out, stripped naked, walked over to the pond and started wading in it. Then they directed abuse towards those camping near the Aboriginal embassy, calling them dole bludgers and telling them to get a job. They then put on their clothes, got back in the taxi, and the taxi driver drove them to Civic. The fare came to $25 and the taxi driver went to give them change from the $50 he had already received and they told him not to worry about it. Not only that, they gave him another $100 for his trouble explaining to him that at least he had a job unlike the residents near the Tent embassy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)