Taxi numbers on the increase

Alannah MacTiernan the minister responsible for all things cab related has announced she will be releasing 20 taxis a month each month for the next year in an effort to reduce waiting times at peak demand times.

Does this mean they will be peak period plates ?? That would be preferable from my point of view. If they are going to be full time then I worry about our incomes as weeknights are far quieter than weekend.

She claims the ratio of 1 cab to 1111 persons in Perth is the highest of all the Australian states. Whats that got to do with the price of tea in China? No one I know outside of my job catches cabs. Plenty of people I meet in my job only get 1 or 2 cabs a year. Others are catching cabs several times a day. Maybe our ratio needs to be different based on the way people catch cabs in Perth. A comment on my blog over on blogspot mentions 14,000 cabs for 2 million people where the commenter lives we have 1,500 for 1.5 million maybe the cab prices are more affordable there hence higher instance of taxi travel. He doesn’t mention if the drivers are making enough to live on which I think is the major concern of all cabbies.

The story from TheWest is here

Adelaide... More sex attacks

2 More women have complained of sexual attacks/assaults that have occurred in recent times in Adelaide cabs. The article states there have been 5 attacks now since the start of 2007 following on from 21 attacks in the last 7 months of last year.

I really do feel for the legit honest cabbies that are trying to make a dollar in Adelaide at the moment. This time of year would be one of the busiest for them with the V8 Supercars kicking off their season at the Clipsal 500 event in Adelaide this weekend.

I was driving in Perth when the Claremont murders happened and almost over night our income dropped 50% on what it had been. Women sat in the rear of cabs shoved up against the rear doors trying to remove themselves as much as possible from the cabbie whilst still remaining in the car.

Mothers came outside to take my photograph standing in front of my taxi license plate while holding my Dept of Transport photo ID card. I’d jokingly ask them to email me a copy but I never got one.

Cabbies got DNA swabbed by police to ‘rule them out’ of the investigation.

Of course I realise murder and sex attacks are completely different crimes for one thing the police have a live person to talk to and a description of the person they are looking for which is a big help. But anyway you look at it 26 attacks in 9 months is shocking.

I just hope they catch the drivers responsible.

Here’s something else to think about. It will be the good cabbies, the ones that know where they are going, speak english and are an asset to the industry, it will be those cabbies that will leave because they simply can’t make a living any more if this drags on for too long and they are the very drivers Adelaide needs if they are going to rebuild and regain the trust of the public.

New twist on Drink driving

A gold coast man caught for DUI upon leaving the police station, hailed a cab to go to a bottle shop and then returned to his vehicle and drove away.

Police were waiting for him however and to add to everything else he now blew a higher blood alcohol reading.

The news article is here

Announcing WordPress Blog Mirror

Well it took a while but I have finally copied all the posts from this blog over to the mirror I created on WordPress. The annoying thing is I have more readers on that blog after only 2 weeks than I have here on Blogger and I haven't done anything to promote it. That's the power of WordPress I guess.

Anyway should you want to check it out the uri is Bytes from the Back Seat

A daughter lost.

My thoughts go out today to FreddyBeach Cabbie.

Today is the 8th anniversary of the death of his daughter in an alcohol related traffic accident. Head on over to his blog site and take a look at the video he put together (I'm on dial-up it's not that big) She was very young and very beautiful

They say it gets easier with time but I hazard a guess there will be 1 less cabby on the roads tonight. All the best mate.

-: I drove like an idiot after dropping my last fare off this morning at the airport, trying to make up time between there and changeover with a fuel stop on the way,even thou at the time I knew it was stupid. Then when I got online and read the post by FreddyBeach Cabbie and watched the movie, I felt twice as stupid.

What have you done this past week in your car that was stupid, dangerous or foolish?? Maybe this is a good time to reflect on those things and make an effort to do less stupid, dangerous or foolish things behind the wheel.

For Christ`s sake, it`s Christmas Eve!

That was the response of a German taxi driver when an armed assailant pointed a gun at his head. While not the response you would expect it was certainly effective scaring the robber away. He was arrested with his girlfriend a short time later.

Read more here It's Christmas

Frank Feldman

I get several Google Alerts each day emailed to me and since posting A Perfect Man I have been seeing the story of 'Frank Feldman' popping up on blogs more and more. So much in fact it prompted me to run a Google Blog Search on 'Frank Feldman". It turns out the story has been posted 64 times with 1 poster even taking the time to write their own Frank Feldman story called 2 Amazing Franks.

Who would have thought it? I'm sorry but I'm going to have to say it.

It could only happen to Frank!

(QLD) Driver robbed at knife point

Read the story here Queensland driver robbed at knife point

I think it is every taxi drivers nightmare. Being locked in the boot by a knife wielding maniac. I know it's mine. I guess it has something to do with not being able to see whats going on and being powerless to control or alter the outcome. This driver was lucky he had his mobile in his pocket and could call his supervisor from inside the boot. The driver escaped unharmed, for which I have no doubt he is extremely grateful. I know I am.

Update: Here is a news report from the Courier Mail that shows several in car shots of the wanted man Cabbie locked in boot

Fare Increase

It was announced tonight that as of next Saturday we will recieve a fare increase of just over 4%.

Working it out on the 4.7% they got on the east coast (Either Qld or Vic I can't remember) our new flagfall will be $3.40/$4.80 days/nights with the kilometer rate increased to $1.35 currently they are $3.20/$4.60 and $1.29 respectively. There will also be a $2 surcharge payable on any fare between 11pm and 5am on Friday and Saturday nights to encourage drivers to work the peak demand times.

Update: It turns out we are getting 4.45% starting on the 2nd Dec

Update: The call out fee has also increased from $1 to $1.50

Link: Article about fare increase on TheWest.com.au

Link: New Taxi Fare Structure on the DPI website.

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

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. :-)

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

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.