Good things can happen

Tonight actually ended up being quite good thanks to a job I couldn't do.

Now I know that comment doesn't make any sense so I will explain. I was given a job to pick up at UWA (University of Western Australia) for all those non-locals. It said the pick up point was the main entrance but then under that it said 'University Club'. Well the 2 aren't even close on the map and the operator didn't have a phone number for them so I gave it away. They still would have gotten a cab as when they rang back to find out what the delay was, the telephonist would have asked for more information on exactly where they were waiting.

Anyway because I got that job and then gave it back I found myself vacant in Crawley and almost the exact moment I plotted in on the computer I was giving a job. This time picking up at the Royal Perth Yacht Club (RPYC). When I get there 3 people climb in 2 girls in the back and a guy in the front. "Where we off to ?" I ask. "Ballajura" was the reply. Great I think finally a decent fare maybe my night is going to turn around after all. On the way there I find out that only 1 of the girls is getting out in Ballajura and the other couple are carrying on to Joondalup. Bonus!! It turns into a $61 fare and easily my best fare for the week. 200 meters after dropping them off I score a hail which ended up being $15:00 Then after having a break for a meat pie and a coffee I was sent to Carramar which is past Wanneroo and that gentleman asked to go to the Novotel Hotel in the city a $51 fare. I couldn't believe my luck, other than Friday nights if you get taken up that way to Joondalup etc you can normally expect to run empty back into the city for your next fare. So being paid both ways was a bonus.

Just after I dropped him off I was sorting out my money and writing the fare in my book when a guy asks me if I can take him to Lesmurdie a $36 fare by the time I dropped him off I had taken $163 in 4 jobs and doubled what I had taken for the night.

In hindsight I have never been so happy I couldn't find a customer!!

Mondays shocker

Monday night was a shocker

It started with an elderly lady who I have taken before and she is a real pain in the butt. She goes from Balcatta to Dianella and she will tell you she doesn't have a lot of money and please don't rip her off by going the long way. The trouble is her sense of direction is shocking especially considering it is a trip she does in both directions at least twice a week. She constantly tells you you should be going the other way ie behind you. If it was anyone else you would turn around and go where they believed you should be going until such time as they realised there mistake and agreed to shut up and let you do the driving but she is on a pension and doesn't have a subsidy book so you try to be patient with her and get her home as quickly as possible.

Now this time she kept on and kept on that I was going the wrong way right until she saw the local supermarket and now realising where she was she took a new tack. "Ooooh you are charging me too much I don't think I have that much" Referring to the amount on the meter. Now she has too know what the trip is worth because as I say she does it twice a week so I patiently explain that I only charge what is on the meter and I can't do anything about that etc etc. But it gets better. She pulls a $10 note out and announces that is all she has. What am I supposed to do ?? If she was a younger person I would turn around and take her part way back and make her walk but shes got to be at least 80 so that is out of the question. The total fare is $18 so I'm short $8 I tell her she knows what its worth and shouldn't have called the cab if she couldn't afford it but she uses her age to her advantage very well and insists I stop the cab which conveniently has just turned into her street. I haven't even stopped when her door is open and she is reach for her handbag and stepping out. What can I do?? So I resign myself to losing the $8 although if I see her again I will be making sure I get the $8 and the fare before we go anywhere.

Update: I picked her up again this week (24/10/2006) and after more fruitless driving around we did find her daughters house and I was paid the fare owing for that nights trip with an agreement to return the following night for the $8. The next night when I returned I got talking to her daughter who told me they are aware of the problem with their mother and are trying to deal with it. It seems she makes the same trip every day.

I felt sorry for the daughter as I explained to her last nights taxi fare should have been $6.00 all told but not having an address and having to play tour guide hoping a familiar sight would jog the old lady's memory it ended up being $22.

I hope they find a solution soon in the mean time if I see her again at least I have an address.

Good fortune

Well tonight was an absolute burster!!. I've had good Sunday nights before but it seemed I had hit a slump as the last 2 have been barely average income wise but tonight I passed last Sundays total by the halfway point of the shift and just kept on going!!

Not even a broken electric window motor could stop me tonight although I will admit it did get a bit cold as it got down to 10 degrees so I finally stopped and manually lifted the window up so it was 85% closed, then it started raining and I had to get it closed all the way as I was still getting wet.

No drama thou as my owner has told me it will be fixed today as will the squeak in the left front suspension which has gotten quite bad since I last drove on Wednesday. Not surprising I guess when you consider the cars had just shy of 2 thousand kays put on it in 4 days.

It really amazes me just how reliable the cars are not only did it run flawlessly on my shift of just over 400kms but now the owner is in it and its off again still going and not missing a beat.

Longest fare

Found this news article today seems London cabbies really do have the knowledge, This cabbie managed to find his way from London to Morocco!!

To read the incredible story go here

Thanks to another cabbie there is a link to the video footage of the trip. Only if you have broadband thou. :-)

Helping out

Tonight was a good example of cabbies keeping an eye out for each other. Not because we are mates, to be honest I've never met either of the drivers before and seeing as I didn't get there cab numbers I most likely wont remember them if we ever meet in the future. But that didn't matter because for a few minutes out of our night we were all focused on the same thing. Helping another driver.

I was heading into the city from northbridge with another cab in front of me and as we rounded the corner from James st into William st he slows. My first reaction is to change lanes and keep going. But then something catches my eye and I slow too. A cab is pulled over to the curb and the driver is out of the car having a heated discussion with a woman passenger.

The cab in front of me stops and I stop next to him effectively blocking the road not that I gave it much thought. Now I never did find out what caused the whole scenario to get out of hand but the driver had obviously had enough and decided to terminate the hiring read chuck the couple out. The woman's boyfriend was still inside the cab.

The police drove down Roe st at the same time and seeing the situation they pulled over to keep an eye on proceedings although they never did get out of their car and they never got involved. They were

The 1st driver to stop tells the couple to get out of the taxi they wont be going any further and surprisingly with very little resistance other than a lot of shouting they do get out. Then the cabbie still incensed by whats happened wants to continue the argument and I have to tell him several times to just get in his cab and drive away before he actually does.

By this time we have been there maybe 3 minutes total, the couple walk off still shouting as their cab drives off and the 2 of us go back to our cabs and leave.

Just 3 minutes out of a 12 hour shift spent making sure things didn't get out of control. I've lost count of the times I have slowed either on a back street or on the freeway to check on another driver 99% of the time he is checking his road map or making a phone call. Just occasionally he might be having some trouble like tonight and having another driver there can make all the difference and things get sorted out with a minimum of fuss.

Just another night on the road.

The Taxi Show

If your in Melbourne there is a radio show you can check out each and every Monday on 96.5 Inner FM, presented by your taxi driver host, David Gawthorn for those of you not in Melbourne there is a web site you can visit that has links to the shows in mp3 format for you to download and listen to.

Quote from "The Taxi Show" website:

"The Taxi Show is a mixture of humour and yarns from cab drivers' seats - and some are even true - and come from David and his many world-wide cab driving friends. There's a selection of taxi-related news and a good sprinkling of music of all genres from Australia and around the world and there's much, much more."

Check out The Taxi Show

Wait Awhile

There is a real problem in Perth. It stems from the fact that 1 taxi company has the lions share of the cabs and the other has to put it bluntly bugger all. Now I don't have the numbers regarding exactly how many cabs are with each dispatch so I can't quote exact figures and believe me I wish I could but as a rough guide and from what other people have told me its something like a 1200/250 split.

It doesn't take a genius to work out there is a serious imbalance there. The problem comes from the fact that the smaller company lets call them ABC Taxis runs radio and tv ad campaigns to promote their business and uses a nationally recognised phone number and in other states of Australia actually runs a viable taxi service.

So what happens is people especially infrequent taxi users and out of towners here on business ring for a cab not realising the vast difference in size compared to the larger taxi company lets call them Goliath Taxis and they are then kept waiting often ringing back 2 or 3 times for up to an hour. Bear in mind we aren't talking about the known trouble spots of Armadale and Roleystone where it is more often than not going to be a while before you get your cab. The people I am picking up who are telling me these stories are ringing from areas such as Morley only 10kms east of the Perth CBD.

Take tonight for example. A lady who is over here from Melbourne on business rings ABC Taxis to pick her up from the Morley Galleria at approx 17:15 (5:15pm) After waiting an hour and calling back 3 times she tells the ABC Taxi operator to 'Jam your taxi, I don't want it anymore' and hangs up.

She then finds the number for Goliath Taxis and orders a cab thru them. As the telephonist is about to hang up she asks if it is at all possible to get an ETA as she has waited over an hour with ABC Taxis and really just wants to get back to her hotel. Not a problem is the reply the job has been dispatched and a car is on its way already. I was there 5 minutes after she placed the call.

The situation is so bad that ABC Taxis actually tells customers over the phone that they wont be able to get a taxi to them and gives them the phone number of Goliath Taxis!.

I drive for Goliath Taxis and make no bones about telling anyone who asks that ABC Taxis are a complete and total waste of time and there is only 1 company worth calling, then I give them one of our cards of which I carry a large supply.

The point is thou when someone calls for a cab regardless of the company they call and they are kept waiting for over an hour it reflects badly on the industry as a whole. How long are ABC Taxis going to be allowed to continue dragging down the image of taxis in Perth ?? and what is going to be done about it??

Can you take me to ..... It's just 'round the corner

I stopped in Leederville tonight as is my habit on a wednesday for a mid shift kebab. To reduce the number of times someone would ask "Can you take me to.....?" I always park in the rear car park. Unfortunately so do a large number of club goers. So I get my kebab and am eating it at the cab when I get asked the inevitable question but this time with a twist. The conversation went something like this.

girl: Hey could you take me to xxx street in wembley and can I get half your kebab?
me: No and No.
girl: Yeah okay forget the kebab bit but can you still take me?
me: No I'm eating.
guy: Yeah he's too busy stuffing his face to take us.
me: For your information I've been driving since 6 o'clock and this is my 1st break.
guy: So you should keep going, make money, people want to get places.
me: Too bad if they do I'm on a break.

Not only would it have been a $7 fare if I had taken them but she wants half my kebab thrown in with the deal. I have to say that was a new 1 for me I've never been asked that before.

The problem with these people is they think that because they only want to go a few kay's we wont mind taking them. When in reality they are exactly the fares we are trying to avoid while we have a break and something to eat. On the rare occasion I have agreed to take someone while I've had a kebab the fare has been worth the interruption. 2 such examples being Leederville to Quinns Rocks approx $50 and Leederville to Rockingham approx $75 but I agreed to do it for $60.

1 friday night I stopped and foolishly parked in front of the kebab shop I was asked 15 times in 5 minutes "Can you take me ......?" Even when I explained it was my first break in 9 hours and 300+km of driving they still didn't get the hint trotting out the "It's only 'round the corner"

So if you see a cabbie standing outside his cab, kebab in hand say "G'day!" but don't ask him to take you somewhere.

Leederville rank

I just want to say I was really impressed tonight when I noticed the changes that have been made to the Leederville hotel rank.

It used to be a 3 to 4 car rank with the usual problems of private cars parking behind and on it and generally making it difficult and at times impossible to get onto.

Well now it has been redesigned and I have to say to both the "Town of Vincent" and the "Taxi Council" a big "Thumbs Up!".

Exiting the rank is now MUCH easier and safer and it will go along way to reducing tension between taxi drivers and clubbers leaving the hotel.

Quiet night

I don't really have much to say about tonight. I started late then finished early and the time in between was less profitable than I would have liked. Everyone paid, no-one spewed and I met a driver who seems like a nice bloke, speaks english as a first language and laughs at my jokes, hopefully I will run into him again.

In the mean time check out Blanktop Taxis this guy is a telephonist at a cab company. He doesn't seem to post often but going thru the archives has me in stiches. Well worth a read.

Life as a cabbie

Ever wondered what it's like working the night shift in a city cab ?? Read this great account by a brisbane cabbie of his typical Friday night shift.

Life of a brisbane cabbie.

You find it!

What is it with cab drivers that they think the passenger should tell them how to get to their destination even when they are new to the city and can't tell 1 end of town from the other??

What I am refering to is the increasing instance of passengers relating to me how a cabbie they were unfortunate enough to come across upon being told the destination has replied with "I don't know where that is" and then handed the passenger the map book!!

I'm sorry but that really gets to me. Isn't it the cabbies job to know where to go when asked and if he doesn't to find out?? You may think its the more unusual addresses they don't know or places we rarely get asked to go to but it's not. More than 1 driver I've heard of has asked his pax (passenger) for directions to the airport!!!

I'd say as a rough average I get taken to the airport 15 times a week and that doesn't include the times I might drive there empty looking for a job.

The other thing that amazes me is that people actually put up with this from their cab driver. I know at a private house it is a bit harder to send the driver away and call another cab as there will be a delay involved but at the airport or on a city rank where there is another cab waiting I tell people to get out and try the next one.

Imagine this, you've just arrived in Perth on business never having been here before, you get your bags and struggle out to the cab rank. Finally with your bags in the boot you settle back into the seat give the driver the address and expecting a trouble free ride to your hotel you start to relax. The driver has other plans, you suddenly you find a road map in your lap and the drivers telling you in no uncertain terms "If you want to go there you find it!" Welcome to WA!

This actually happened and when I heard the story later that same night I was gobsmacked. She had to find the address, then find the airport and then give directions to the driver. She then paid the fare and got out. As she was on business she paid with a company Cabcharge and I suggested she call Cabcharge in the morning and cancel it as he didn't deserve payment. Unfortunatley I'll never know if she actually did.

Please if you ever get a driver who thinks it is your responsibility not his to look up an address, take down his cab number then get another cab and make sure you report him to his dispatch when you get a chance. I take pride in the fact I know where I am going and if I don't I stop and check the map, I even pause the meter.