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.
