Taxi Drivers Are All Crazy
Phil and Babs, whoever they are, had been down for the BBQ. Apparently they brought their own crate of Carling, and Phil refused to take any money for it, which was remarkably nice and hospitable and much to the delight of our taxi driver.
"Most people just come and take take take", he said, "but Phil is a decent bloke". Without leaving us room to reply, or even to think, he continued with his irrelevant drivel for the entire journey. All we could do was grit our teeth and hope that we survived.
There is the other extreme, the type of silent, cold, emotionless taxi driver that scares the hell out of you. The type that makes you speculate that he is a serial killer in his day job. We got a taxi home from a wedding recently and the driver was one of these. The whole journey was an awkward silence. He was clearly not in the mood for talking, so we kept quiet. Every couple of minutes he would make a rhetorical comment, always in a cold emotionless voice. "Lovely day", he would say, before disappearing back into the void.
I experienced another taxi driver that was completely silent for the journey, with the exception of a few seconds during a song played on the radio. It was that terrible song Beautiful Girl by Sean Kingston with the refrain "suicidal, suicidal". This chap hadn't uttered a word, and then when the chorus played he sang along "suicidal, suicidal", before shutting up for the rest of the journey.
And then there was the door slamming incident. After getting into a taxi's passenger seat and shutting the door, the driver got out the car in a huff. He stormed round, opened my door and then slammed it shut. When I got out at my destination I made sure to slam the door shut. I certainly didn't want a repeat of the earlier incident.
"Oi!", he exclaimed, cursing violently, "Don't slam my door."
Crazy I tell you, they're all crazy.
Published by Stoneskin
I am an eccentric, irritable computer programmer from Sussex. Real ale enthusiast, avid reader. View profile
- Cebu 101: Five Rip-Off Schemes that Taxi Drivers Can Pull on YouBoarding taxis may be convenient, but it is not without its pitfalls. Check out the following rip-off schemes that taxi drivers can pull on you.
Korean Travel: Beware of Scam Artists, Taxi DriversAn experienced traveler shares good advice on how to avoid getting ripped off at the airport and beyond.
Favorite Film Review: Taxi Driver Starring Robert De NiroWhen American filmgoers are asked to name their favorite actor, there are several names that tend to come up over and over. One of those names is Robert De Niro.
- Comparing London to New York Taxi Drivers
- Three Traits to Look for in a Taxi Driver
- Taxi Hunting and the Issue of Customer Profiling
- How to Safely Ride a Motorcycle Taxi in Thailand
- How to Get a Taxi at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand: Don't Get Caught by...
- Tipping the Taxi Driver
- Taxi Driver and Robert DeNiro Make Great Cinematic History
9 Comments
Post a CommentLol. I think I'm glad I don't have to take a taxi anywhere. I've taken them before after a cocktail too many.....but I was having so much fun by then, I don't think I really noticed my driver. :P
I've never had the displeasure of riding in a taxi. And that suits me just fine! ;-)
I steer clear of taxis.
I have taken a fair number of taxis in my day and I agree, the drivers are all crazy. My least favorite driver is the one who has a ballgame playing loudly on the radio and shouts about the game the entire ride. It's unnerving. :)
Don't let Harvey hear you complain about taxi drivers. He told me he took it up as a night-job gig to bring in some extra cash for some upgraded cotton fuzz and a new empty tissue box for his "crib". He also hired someone to come clean out all his poopies twice a day, saying something about how you didn't pull your weight around there. I don't want to get in the middle of it, really, I just thought you should know.
They're kind of strange here, too: I have had cabdrivers pull over as I was walking along to ask directions, but the worst time was when I got the guy on his very last day of work. I was in a hurry, but he was just not gonna hurry, and he was certainly not going to take any of my shite. Bastard! :-)
Ha, I forget that you Americans have about twelve cars each, and therefore don't really do taxis.
I've never been in a taxi. I'll drive you around Kansas City for free if you ever come for a visit--but don't slam my car door or leave your trash in my car, okay?
You probably want to avoid the Boston area where many/most people drive as though they were taxi drivers! At least that's the opinion of this one former Bostonian!