9 months of driving a cab

[Deserted]

As I mentioned elsewhere, I've been driving a cab for about 9 months now. I live in the Phoenix, Arizona (USA) area, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. (According to Wikipedia, we're #14 (or perhaps #12 or even #6) in terms of population, and while I can't find a comparison list by area, at more than 16,000 square miles, it's pretty damn big.) A typical day will see me drive around 250 miles in a 24-hour period. (I drive for up to 14 hours at a stretch, which is the company's safety limit, and maybe the legal limit as well.)

During my time driving a cab, I've enjoyed it quite a bit. Much to my surprise, I've had very few truly sucky customers. Rather than post individually about them, I'll just lump them together into one big post. (Don't expect any later posts of mine to be anywhere near this long; SC's are few and far between... thank god.)


Anger-making

One night (several months ago) I got called to a bar, a very common thing. My passengers were a couple of drunk guys. (The "drunk" part makes me happy; drunks tend to tip well.)

Pretty much the instant I get the cab moving, they start arguing. Loudly. I can take a lot, but a lovers' quarrel at full volume 2 or 3 feet behind my head... not so much. It got to the point where I finally pulled over.

Me: your rapidly-getting-angry taxi driver
AD: Angry Drunk

Me: That's enough, get out.
AD: But this isn't where we told you!
Me: I don't care, get out!
AD: Well, we're not paying for this!
Me: I DON'T WANT YOUR GODDAMNED MONEY, GET OUT OF MY CAB!!!

At this point, the other drunk realized that they had pushed things too far. He managed to drag his boyfriend out and dropped a twenty on the seat. (Considering the meter only read maybe $15 at the time, not so bad.)


I don't need a tip that badly

Sometimes people don't have enough money for a tip. Personally, I don't mind not getting a tip, especially since rides more than a few miles really run the meter up... but one time........

Pax: low-cash passenger
Me: um...

Pax: Oh, geez, I don't have enough money for a tip.
Me: That's fine.
Pax: I could give you a handjob if you want.
Me: Um, thank you sir, but no.

(Seriously, I'm straight... and there isn't any kind of sex that'll pay the bills.)


Get the tinfoil!

I've had numerous examples of the tinfoil-hat-type, to the point that I just agree with them out of hand. UFOs over the White Tank Mountains on a regular basis? Sure. Government is spraying poisons into the air to reduce the population? Why not. The Illuminati are real and run the world? Yep, heard that before. (Yes, those are from real passengers.)

Seriously, though, wtf? I'm a driver. Tell those stories to your bartender.


More annoying than sucky

UP: Unprepared passenger
Me: sigh

UP: I need to go to [1 mile away] and I only have $5, can we do that?
Me: Sure, it'll probably be right about $5 anyway.
~we leave, drive about a block, then...~
UP: Wait, did I say [1 mile away]? I meant [3 miles away]. Can we still do that for $5?
Me:


Where's my gameboy?

When a cab gets any sort of mechanical problem, our instructions are pretty clear: park somewhere safe, call in, wait for the tow truck. This applies for anything where we can't safely drive back to the yard, even fairly simple things like a flat tire or a dead headlight. (We're not allowed to put the spare tire on because the company got sued by a driver who did exactly that and hurt himself; the headlight is often just a loose connection.)

So, a few months back, I head out to my cab, first thing in the morning, and find a flat tire. Sigh. After a bit, I found a nail in the tire. I call in, and they tell me they'll call the tow truck. (My company is contracted with a very small tow biz. How small? From what I've heard, 3 drivers, 2 trucks, total.) So, I wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Finally, after two hours (an unusually long time, even for this company), the tow driver calls me. He verifies my location (my home) and says he'll be with me in a few minutes. So, I wait.

And wait.

And wait. (Notice a pattern yet?)

Finally, after another full hour has gone by, the guy arrives. He pulls the flat, puts the donut (little tiny spare tire) on, and I'm on my not-so-merry way to the yard.

The good news? I'm paid $10/hour when the cab goes down and it's not my fault. (Nail in the tire = not my fault.) The bad news? On any given weekday, at that time of the morning, I should be making in the general neighborhood of $25/hour, or more.


Go on, ASK ME AGAIN!

Bit of a clue: never never NEVER ask a taxi driver how much money he made that day. Do so and you instantly get branded "potential robbery" in my mind. Some real questions and answers...

Pax: How's business?
Me: Pretty good.

Pax: Busy day today?
Me: Yep! Great day!

Pax: How much money have you made today?
Me: None of your goddamned business.


If I have to pay, YOU have to pay

Since I don't own a car of my own (a financial decision), I ride the bus to the yard. Most buses in the Phoenix area have two doors, the one by the driver and another about halfway back, which serves double duty as an exit and the handicapped ramp. (Note that it is not an entrance, unless you are using the handicapped ramp.)

Last week, as I was getting off the bus via the rear door, a kid (well... I say "kid" but he was taller than me... 16? 17? older?) was making a beeline to get onto the bus via that door. I just stopped moving and put my arm across the entire door. I could see that he was thinking about pushing past me, and I said LOUDLY (loud enough for the driver to hear; the bus was pretty quiet), "Kid, if I have to pay to ride the bus, YOU gotta pay." Seriously, it's 85 cents for 18-and-under. If you don't have that much on you, well, your feet work.


I have one more story to post... and it's long, almost as long as this entire post. It'll go in its own thread, tomorrow or next week.

[Sheldonrs]

I wonder if I've ever been in your cab. :-)

And no, I did NOT offer any cab drivers a hand job! lol

[Javarod]

Wonder ifn i ever ran into you, i did the same gig a few years ago sporadically for Allstate, then Sunrise, then a few years later, Sunrise followed by VIP.

[Deserted]

I wonder if I've ever been in your cab. :-)

Well, if you ride with Green Cab Co., you never know... I've literally been to all corners of the valley, sometimes in a single day! (Had one day that took me from Goodyear to Fountain Hills, and it's very common for me to do mornings in Glendale, work my way out to Sun City West, and then end up in Scottsdale or Mesa for the afternoon.)

And no, I did NOT offer any cab drivers a hand job! lol

Glad to hear it!

My brother was under the impression that I'd be getting offers of sex on a regular basis. Luckily (?) I don't; I've had a total of 3 offers, and the other two were both drunk women, which rubs my sense of morality wrong... and as I said, sex doesn't pay the bills. (Well... maybe if I was in a different line of work... )

Wonder ifn i ever ran into you, i did the same gig a few years ago sporadically for Allstate, then Sunrise, then a few years later, Sunrise followed by VIP.

Not unless you've been driving since this past April; my very first shift was April 14th. And I don't talk to other drivers much; I don't stay put long enough to chat, most of the time.



I'll be back on the road tomorrow night; doing a 48-hour shift thru Tuesday afternoon. Everyone be warned: stay off the sidewalk!

[aulocksmith]

Go on, ASK ME AGAIN!

Bit of a clue: never never NEVER ask a taxi driver how much money he made that day. Do so and you instantly get branded "potential robbery" in my mind. Some real questions and answers...

Pax: How's business?
Me: Pretty good.

Pax: Busy day today?
Me: Yep! Great day!

Pax: How much money have you made today?
Me: None of your goddamned business.

I hate those questions with a passion. Seriously people, it's none of your bloody business how much I made this week, or how busy I am. Maybe the fact it took me 2 days to get to your piddly little job should tell you something.

[sms001]

Nicely written Deserted. As I said to another newer CSer in your line of work, mad props to you guys; I can barely tolerate SCs when I can run away from them. Being cooped up in a car w/ them would test my patience to the limit.

[Deserted]

Go on, ASK ME AGAIN!

Bit of a clue: never never NEVER ask a taxi driver how much money he made that day. Do so and you instantly get branded "potential robbery" in my mind. Some real questions and answers...

Pax: How's business?
Me: Pretty good.

Pax: Busy day today?
Me: Yep! Great day!

Pax: How much money have you made today?
Me: None of your goddamned business.

I hate those questions with a passion. Seriously people, it's none of your bloody business how much I made this week, or how busy I am. Maybe the fact it took me 2 days to get to your piddly little job should tell you something.

Agreed, at least as far as the money goes. I don't mind telling people I'm having a good day, or a busy day, but a lot of my income is voucher rides, and in those cases, I don't get cash, it's just a bookkeeping entry applied to my account back at the yard. (And cash? There are many places to hide cash in a car. I keep about $20 cash (my change) in the center console, in case someone really wants to rob me, but anything more than that, well, good luck finding it. Hell, even my wallet's empty.)

Nicely written Deserted.

Thank you.

As I said to another newer CSer in your line of work, mad props to you guys; I can barely tolerate SCs when I can run away from them. Being cooped up in a car w/ them would test my patience to the limit.

As I said, surprisingly few real SCs so far... and I deal with snowbirds (retirees who migrate to Arizona in the winter, then back north for the summer, who tend strongly toward the EW end of the spectrum).

Fortunately, as I showed in the "Anger-making" story, I do have the option of throwing them out of my cab if they push me too far.

[Eevie]

Seriously, though, wtf? I'm a driver. Tell those stories to your bartender.

Sicking them on Jester's kind now?


I've gotten a couple of those in the school office that I help out in. On woman wandered in (probably on something, more than likely), stared at us, and then said, point blank, that we'd be victim to government lasers. Then she just left. That kinda confirmed what I had thought about how this town is full of crazies...

[Argus]

On woman wandered in (probably on something, more than likely), stared at us, and then said, point blank, that we'd be victim to government lasers.

She was probably warning you about the Orbital Mind Control Lasers.

Which don't exist. Really.

[Metody]

85 cents for a ride?! I pay $2.25 for one direction, no transfer!

Man. I would have killed to be able to pay for my bus ride with pocket change when I was in highschool.

[Javarod]

Not unless you've been driving since this past April; my very first shift was April 14th. And I don't talk to other drivers much; I don't stay put long enough to chat, most of the time.

Nope, been a fairly long time since i did it. Only time i hung out was if i was at a taxi stand, and i usually avoided that. Oh, and if there is a limit on how many hours you can drive, i've never heard it. My record was back when i worked for Allstate, i had a really good day and wound up running 32 hours straight. Surprised you're not leasing for 24 hours, i liked the flexibility when i did that, and obviously you don't need a cab ifn you can take the cab home at night.


Hmmm, almost time for spring training, no? Hohokam field was always my favorite stadium for that.

[downforit2008]

I like the cab drivers in my area. I live in a city considerably smaller than Phoenix, but we still have cab service, which is kind of expensive, but if the bus service is going to screw me over by not running that day, I don't have a choice.
The buses weren't running last Black Friday because they considered it a "holiday." I called the cab service asking for a cab to come to my store around 4, and the cab was there at 3:45! At 3:55, I walk up to the cab driver and tell him i'm his fare and I'll be out in 5 minutes. The driver was friendly and said no problem.
He gives me a lift all the way to my house, where I discover that he doesn't have a card reader like the last cab had before, and I only have $11 cash in my wallet to pay the $20 fare. I tell the driver, "There's a store two blocks away, so let's go there and I'll go get some money in the ATM."
He smiled and says sure, and doesn't charge me any additional fare for this little side trip either! I tell him jokingly that I'll leave my stuff in the back seat as "collateral" while I'm in the store so he won't think I'm going to run on him as a way of skipping out on the fare. The cabbie says, "No, you're a good guy and I completely trust you." I was amazed!!! So I left my stuff in the cab anyway, withdrew $20, and I paid him the fare when he got back to my house, and then handed over my $11 in cash and says, "There's your tip for being so patient."

The cab driver's reaction was one of pure excitement!!! He gets something like a 55 percent tip on a $20 fare, which is not something that happens often, is it? He shakes my hand and wishes me a good holiday, and I felt pretty good, hoping that I get this guy to drive for me again. I wish I got his name, so I could call the cab company and request him personally.

[Deserted]

Seriously, though, wtf? I'm a driver. Tell those stories to your bartender.

Sicking them on Jester's kind now?

Nope, Jester personally. (Isn't that what bartenders are for anyway?)

I've gotten a couple of those in the school office that I help out in. On woman wandered in (probably on something, more than likely), stared at us, and then said, point blank, that we'd be victim to government lasers. Then she just left. That kinda confirmed what I had thought about how this town is full of crazies...

I think every town is full of crazies. They flock together, like insane pigeons, and then shit all over everything.

85 cents for a ride?! I pay $2.25 for one direction, no transfer!

Man. I would have killed to be able to pay for my bus ride with pocket change when I was in highschool.

I graduated in '94. Bus fare for me then was 60¢.

Nowadays, it's 85¢ for kids, seniors, and disabled, $1.75 for everyone else. All-day passes are available, $3.50 for adults, I don't know about the rest. (But rates are going up March 1st. $2.00 for adults, everyone else.

Nope, been a fairly long time since i did it. Only time i hung out was if i was at a taxi stand, and i usually avoided that. Oh, and if there is a limit on how many hours you can drive, i've never heard it. My record was back when i worked for Allstate, i had a really good day and wound up running 32 hours straight. Surprised you're not leasing for 24 hours, i liked the flexibility when i did that, and obviously you don't need a cab ifn you can take the cab home at night.

24s are what I do. I actually hold onto the cab for 48 hours at a time, usually. (Not today, though. Last night was "meh" and today was crap. Decided I was done for the day.) Green Cab Co's safety policy is 14 hours on, 6 off. If you go much over 14 hours, they can shut you down for the night (or day).

And I avoid cab stands. When people are using them, traffic is a bitch. When traffic is okay, no one uses the cab stands.

Hmmm, almost time for spring training, no? Hohokam field was always my favorite stadium for that.

I don't know anything about that; I'm not a sports fan. We had the Fiesta Bowl on the 3rd; that was crazy busy... and just plain crazy. I got off the road mid-afternoon because it seemed like people were driving way crazier than usual. "Omigod the bowl game starts in five hours, better hurry or I'll be late!"

I like the cab drivers in my area. I live in a city considerably smaller than Phoenix, but we still have cab service, which is kind of expensive, but if the bus service is going to screw me over by not running that day, I don't have a choice.
The buses weren't running last Black Friday because they considered it a "holiday." I called the cab service asking for a cab to come to my store around 4, and the cab was there at 3:45! At 3:55, I walk up to the cab driver and tell him i'm his fare and I'll be out in 5 minutes. The driver was friendly and said no problem.
He gives me a lift all the way to my house, where I discover that he doesn't have a card reader like the last cab had before, and I only have $11 cash in my wallet to pay the $20 fare. I tell the driver, "There's a store two blocks away, so let's go there and I'll go get some money in the ATM."

Pretty common, really.

He smiled and says sure, and doesn't charge me any additional fare for this little side trip either! I tell him jokingly that I'll leave my stuff in the back seat as "collateral" while I'm in the store so he won't think I'm going to run on him as a way of skipping out on the fare. The cabbie says, "No, you're a good guy and I completely trust you." I was amazed!!! So I left my stuff in the cab anyway, withdrew $20, and I paid him the fare when he got back to my house, and then handed over my $11 in cash and says, "There's your tip for being so patient."

Yep, he loves you.

The cab driver's reaction was one of pure excitement!!! He gets something like a 55 percent tip on a $20 fare, which is not something that happens often, is it? He shakes my hand and wishes me a good holiday, and I felt pretty good, hoping that I get this guy to drive for me again. I wish I got his name, so I could call the cab company and request him personally.

Next time, ask the cabbie for his personal number (or his card, if he has one) and then call him direct.

[Mikkel]

24s are what I do. I actually hold onto the cab for 48 hours at a time, usually. (Not today, though. Last night was "meh" and today was crap. Decided I was done for the day.) Green Cab Co's safety policy is 14 hours on, 6 off. If you go much over 14 hours, they can shut you down for the night (or day)..

Here the cabs are usually driven by two drivers employed by the owner.
There has to be 11 hours between watches and you are only supposed to drive 48 hours a week.
I may have broken the law sometimes when the night driver was ill .

[Deserted]

Here the cabs are usually driven by two drivers employed by the owner.
There has to be 11 hours between watches and you are only supposed to drive 48 hours a week.
I may have broken the law sometimes when the night driver was ill .

Wait, 48 hours/week? Who sets that limit, the company or the law? (I'm not clear on the law here so I go by the company's policy, which of course can't be any more permissive than the law allows.)

By the rules, I can drive up to 116 hours per week. (Not that I would; that would drive me insane... Days & nights would get weirded out, not really enough sleep EVER, etc.) According to the safety manager, the 14 hours is a pretty hard limit, based on the company's past experience, and if I feel tired before 14 hours, I need to get off the road. (I've done that several times; my shortest time on the road for a 24-hour shift was maybe 10 hours total.)

A typical week for me (up until this month; I'm trying nights for a while) was along the lines of: get a cab Sunday afternoon (usually about 5pm), drive until about 10pm or so, drive 8am-10pm Monday & Tuesday (paying the lease Tuesday afternoon), and then either drive Wednesday until time to pay the lease, or roll it to Thursday if I felt like working a 4th day. Counting on my fingers & toes, that's 42 hours for 3 days or 56 hours for 4 days; either way is more than a full week's work most places.