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.
Monday, 29 July 2013
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.
Sunday, 5 August 2012
No one's tighter than a public servant
After driving cabs for a while, you learn a few things about people. One thing I've learnt is that no one is tighter than a public servant. Take two examples.
The first example is a lady I picked up from Russell Defence Offices who wanted to go to Fyshwick on a personal errand. I took her there for about $20 and sensing she would need a cab back in a short period of time, I asked her how long she was going to be. She said she was going to be no more than five minutes so I offered to to wait around for her and drop her back. She said. "No, I've spent too much money already, I will catch the bus back." I was a little taken aback and replied "But you'll have to catch two buses and it will take at least an hour and a half." "That's just the way it is, I can't afford it." Now this lady is more than likely on $50,000+ and she is telling me she can't afford it. You see, she probably gets flex time, so she isn't worried about the extra one hour and a half she is off work.
The second example is a guy I picked up from Barton (and I still remember the exact address) wanting to go to the airport. He seemed like a nice guy, and we chatted as we crossed the Kings Avenue Bridge. He explained that he was off to a friend's wedding for the weekend in Brisbane and this friend who was getting married had previously lived in Canberra. I made the obervation to him that there were plenty of graduates who come to Canberra, get their experience up, and then move back to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. He said he would like to do the same but the recruitment freeze was making it more difficult. The fare was approximately $24 and I was expecting him to pay cash. But no, he pulls out his Defence Material Organisation Diners Card and pays with that. This was not a work trip - unfuckinbelievable!!! What a cheat! I really should have noted his details down and sent an email off to the head of Defence Material Organsiation telling them about this fraud. What a tightarse!
When public servants aren't paying the fare and the Government's paying via cabcharge, they couldn't give a shit which direction you take them. They don't even seem to care if they are late for a meeting. You could get a fare from Barton to Woden and take them down the Monaro Highay and they wouldn't care. It is just time out of the office for them.
I really shouldn't knock them too much, as public servants, when I am working day shift, comprise 80% of my fares. But, my God, generally speaking, they are tight!
The first example is a lady I picked up from Russell Defence Offices who wanted to go to Fyshwick on a personal errand. I took her there for about $20 and sensing she would need a cab back in a short period of time, I asked her how long she was going to be. She said she was going to be no more than five minutes so I offered to to wait around for her and drop her back. She said. "No, I've spent too much money already, I will catch the bus back." I was a little taken aback and replied "But you'll have to catch two buses and it will take at least an hour and a half." "That's just the way it is, I can't afford it." Now this lady is more than likely on $50,000+ and she is telling me she can't afford it. You see, she probably gets flex time, so she isn't worried about the extra one hour and a half she is off work.
The second example is a guy I picked up from Barton (and I still remember the exact address) wanting to go to the airport. He seemed like a nice guy, and we chatted as we crossed the Kings Avenue Bridge. He explained that he was off to a friend's wedding for the weekend in Brisbane and this friend who was getting married had previously lived in Canberra. I made the obervation to him that there were plenty of graduates who come to Canberra, get their experience up, and then move back to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. He said he would like to do the same but the recruitment freeze was making it more difficult. The fare was approximately $24 and I was expecting him to pay cash. But no, he pulls out his Defence Material Organisation Diners Card and pays with that. This was not a work trip - unfuckinbelievable!!! What a cheat! I really should have noted his details down and sent an email off to the head of Defence Material Organsiation telling them about this fraud. What a tightarse!
When public servants aren't paying the fare and the Government's paying via cabcharge, they couldn't give a shit which direction you take them. They don't even seem to care if they are late for a meeting. You could get a fare from Barton to Woden and take them down the Monaro Highay and they wouldn't care. It is just time out of the office for them.
I really shouldn't knock them too much, as public servants, when I am working day shift, comprise 80% of my fares. But, my God, generally speaking, they are tight!
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