How to Catch a Chicago Cab

Just walk to the curb and stick your arm up, right? Yes, that's right, end of lesson.J

But what do you do when it's raining cats and dogs and you are downtown and there is not a cab to be had anywhere? That's when it is helpful to know more than just the fundamentals.

This article will discuss this vexing little problem, in addition to other cab-related tips and etiquette. The writer is a guy who has spent about 20 years driving a cab on the streets of Chicago so he knows a little bit about the subject.

And although my experience was particular to Chicago, I'm sure you could translate the ideas to apply to other cities.

One small editorial note about the spelling of the driver of a cab: my spell checker wants to spell it this way: cabby. But it just doesn't look right to me, so I am going to stick with cabbie. What do you think?

Ok, so let's answer the question posed in the beginning. How do you find a cab downtown in the pouring rain when there are none to be had?

The answer that applies in this situation is to think creatively. Where are the empty cabs? Of course they could be anywhere, but odds are that the great majority are coming from the train stations, where they have dropped off a commuter.

What this means is that instead of walking in the direction that you want to go, walk toward the train stations. Downtown this would mean walking West on Jackson, Monroe, or Randolph. Why not Adams, Madison or Washington?

Because all the East/West streets downtown are one way and the first three mentioned are one way Eastbound. These are the streets that are going to be carrying the cabs that are coming from the train stations, especially Jackson and Monroe.

And while we're on the subject of rain and cabs, let me make one more suggestion based upon years of experience: Before you exit the cab, check the seat for your stuff. I can't tell you how many umbrellas I collected over the years!

Of course a good cabbie who is on the ball will also check the seat when his passenger is leaving, or immediately afterwards so he can still call the passenger if he finds something. But it is better to find your stuff yourself before you leave!

I got in the habit of checking the seat myself, since lost stuff was so common, but it is easy to get distracted in the fast action of the city and not do it. If you are getting hailed by another passenger down the street, that is where your attention will be, not on the back seat.

Some cabbies will put stuff in the lost and found, but how many people will go to the trouble of checking at the cab office? Gloves and umbrellas and the like are best looked after by the owner.

The biggest headaches I used to have were people who had too much to drink and people who wanted to smoke in the cab. I am dating myself with this statement of course, since smoking has been outlawed in cabs for some years now.

Chauffeuring people who have been drinking is one of the reasons for the existence of taxicabs; I suppose that will never change.

The great majority of people under the influence were ok as passengers. Of course alcohol is not the only intoxicant or consciousness changer being ingested, so results were never predictable.

Sometimes folks would be jovial and garrulous, other times angry and mean. You might get overly generous folks or stiffs. The nightmare was the folks who would need to barf while they were riding in your back seat. Sometimes you would get pulled over in time so they could make their deposit on the curb, and sometimes you would end up with a clean up job.

Such a thing could not be put off either. No one would want to ride in a cab with that smell. So this would require immediate attention, no matter where you were. Ah, the joys of being a cabbie.

The obvious bit of etiquette advice here goes without saying. Of course the problem is that most people who drink have no intention of leaving the remains of their dinner on the floor of a cab; it just happens.

Anyone in a service business where the gratuity is part of the tradition depends on those tips for his livelihood. Fifteen percent is the standard for decent service. So don't forget to tip your cabbie. And if he was courteous and did a good job of driving you to your destination and the cab was clean, be generous. Remember, what goes around comes around!