The things kids say!

I did a parcel job tonight nothing special and fairly short only $15, It was when I got there that the job became memorable.

A lady came out to collect the parcel and her 5 yr old son came out with her. Anyway the lady wanted to take the parcel inside and make sure whatever it was meant to be it was and she asked me to wait. It was then that the kid spoke up, it went something like this.

kid: Do you kill baddies??
me: Thats the police I'm just a taxi driver
kid: But you don't like baddies?
me: Well no one likes baddies
kid: So do you kill baddies??
me: No I just drive away really fast!!

It was then his mother came back and I relayed the story to her, she saw the funny side of it but I couldn't help wondering what this kid had been watching that had him thinking taxi drivers kill baddies. Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver perhaps??

Massa wins in Brazil

Congratulation must go to Felipe Massa of Ferrari for his outstanding win in the Brazilian Formula 1 Grand Prix. He drove a stunning race dominating from start to finish and was rightly ecstatic once he climbed from his race car.

Its been 13 yrs since the last Brazilian the great Ayrton Senna won the event. Felipe is in the early stages of his formula 1 career and as he is staying with the Ferrari team next year his future looks promising.

I look forward to watching him in 2007

Taxi driver assaulted at Eltham

Also known as "Number 1 thing you should never do driving a cab on nightshift"

A 29yr old Victorian Taxi Driver has been assaulted after getting out of his taxi to let a passenger out of the rear of the vehicle around 01.20am the 8th of October.

It amazes me that we should even have to say this to people but what ever you do, DO NOT!!! get out of your taxi if you in anyway feel threatened, concerned for your safety or unsure of the motives of your passengers. A driver was assaulted here in Perth by a group of young men because he foolishly got out to close a sliding side van door. If you are in the drivers seat you are SAFE!

Sure we need to get out to help load bags for those runs to the airport or to help a couple with their shopping that's a given but if a pax has the door open and you don't want to be their drive off and let the door close itself. If they wont get out call for backup. I know my dispatch would rather I did that than try and be a hero.

Golden Rule of Taxi Driving

• Never get out of the cab if your not sure its safe.

Read the brief police report here

Update: Attacked cabbie fighting for life

Cabbie going fare distance to raise cash

Now here is a story born from a desire to help others and a realisation that if you can raise money for charity by doing something your good at then all the better!

Mr Agnew 47, a Taxi driver from Livingston Edinburgh plans to travel around the world in 3 days to raise money for the British Heart Foundation and for the coronary care unit at St John's Hospital.

It's his method of travel that caught my attention, he will be catching passenger airflights, hence my opening line being a cabbie he is very good at sitting for long periods and now he's planning on doing just that to raise money for charity.

Read the story here. Cabbie going fare distance to raise cash

Fare evaders spoil good night

Last night I had 2 fare evaders or 'runners' as we call them. They come up with all their excuses, some try the sympathy vote, the 2nd fare last night just plain bolted when we stopped outside his unit block.

The thing is what can you as the driver do?? I went to the police after a runner a couple of weeks ago. It took them 2.5hrs to download the photo's from the camera and write the report. Neither of the officers who were trying to download the camera had ever seen the software before and actually had to refer to the help file while doing it. It took 5 officers before someone could even enter the password to load the software itself as no-one knew what it was.

The whole procedure could have been handled in a half hour or so if police were trained in how to operate the software instead of fumbling along learning as they go and taking up the cabbies work time.

Then there is the pax. They ring from public phones even thou they have mobiles as they are untraceable. There is also the benefit of no traceable address as they aren't at home they are on some non-descript street corner somewhere.

With my 2nd runner last night the 1st couple got out next to a lane way to "save money" instead of driving around the block into their actual street. Again ensuring there is no traceable address. Then the last guy goes to his street and gets me to stop past his apartment block, in front of a house. After fumbling with his wallet for a bit he bolts out the door heading behind me and is gone. I did actually get my hand to his arm before he left which is something I usually never do but I was just so mad.

Lucky for me he got away as you will see here Fare evader stabs taxi driver It's just not worth the grief.