Live Taxi Daily Journal 1

October 17, 2000 A Tuesday

The driver is in a discussion about Lindros. Get yourself a rag tag group of guys and the best coach and no superstars. Getting lots of passengers from tonight's Flyers game. Flyers got trounced, passengers tell him.

This is the night shift after a bad Monday night. Last night was too quiet. It was fall break for the Penn kids who just got back. They had a short break, one day, last Friday. They must have had hurt feelings. The driver says, referring to the fact that there wasn't much going-out action last night.

Today, The driver had to get up at 3:30pm to get the ad changed on top the cab... that interferes with the work time and sleep time. Should cabbies be compensated for the time it takes at the garage to get their car worked on? If you would like to respond to this question, go to our Community. Click here. The driver usually gets up at 5-6pm, starts his work from 7pm to 7am.

Fortunately, as he sipped his first cup of coffee, a call came in on his cell phone from a woman who spends $30 going to her job. Here's the profile: 18, professional dancer, pregnant, not want to rely on anyone. She ways she just wants to make money....The driver says to her, good, we are on the same page. This is the first job. Guaranteed job, good start for the night.

The next job is a bunch of guys who are ready to discuss their next move and how and where they're going to find some willing ladies.

The driver bids on a job for a guy who is coming from a restaurant of the same name. Maybe he's the owner? Service people and owners sometimes tip well, they do understand the service business, right?. I could of had this other job but then I seen a cab come up behind say it's his job...what took him so long? How am I going to get this job (it's at Front and Market) when there are zillions of empty cabs all around (you see, people don't always wait around for the cab they called for.. would you? If you would like to respond to this question, go to our Community. Click here.) The driver got out of the cab to make contact....Do I hear ----?, he says the name of the guy, hi, ----, I'm The driver...the guy responds and he sounds drunk...he gives out the address he wants to go to and proceeds to give out the directions (first sign of controlling?)..The driver reassures him that he can't screw up these directions....Short trip, $4.80..The driver sounds like he got a decent tip - he is pleasant to the passenger and tells him, have a good rest. The driver adds that when it's time he will too, thanks.

The driver needs some Tums. (It's just getting started, The driver, the good one's are coming.)

Next job comes from a strip joint. She tells The driver she had sex with a fellow female dancer and her boyfriend doesn't know... the cab ride is a 10 job... good deal.

Next fare gets out of another strip/bar...The driver asks the guy, where you want to go next? Home? Or another club? This guy decides, yeah, another club.. The guy is really drunk....The driver asks if he needs a cab to go back home after the next club action. Actually, the guy is so drunk, The driver decides he really doesn't want to give him his business card afterall. The driver reassures the guy that this club will have lots of cabs outside as soon as he's ready - everything is ok and there are no commitments...as soon as The driver drops him off at the next club, there's an Asian guy waiting to get in....Hey, the guy forgot to pay, damn..got to get out and get him, he's really drunk....

Asain guys ask if he got paid okay by the guy who just left....The driver say guy only has $6 and $3 left to his name..aint going to be able to buy any drinks or sex...

Thank you sir..enjoy your evening...the guy allowed me to get a 1.30 tip!--I guess for outstanding service you can get some action (sarcastic).

(The driver tells me later that that last drunk guy who walked off without paying was just a kid.)

I'm bypassing Dave and Busters. Dispatch calls Front and Oregon. The driver is in Port Richman, other way, darn.

The driver tells the dispatcher: I want you eat your spinach and then throw me up in the air...Kelly likes that, The driver is making reference to something said over the radio the other night. The driver got the dispatcher to laugh, nearly. The driver and I came up with a new one the other day, Kell on wheels, Kelly liked that too. Hey, if you don't get along with your diapatcher? How are you going to make a living? The driver wanted to lift Kelly's spirits tonight who seems like he is in a bad mood.

Ok, got a job from Kell, it's at Dave&Busters. The driver announces to me that these passengers are stiffs. He can tell just by their body language as he was pulling up to the job. They stayed in their place and waited for him to pull right up to them without inching his way at all, you see there was lots of traffic pulling up to D&B, the passengers could have saved a lot of time by helping out with the loading. The couple get in and whispered the location. The girl starts asking The driver some questions. Good sign, they want to talk a little, loosen up. Discussion is about how bad some cab drivers are. Crappy drivers help me out. They make me look good. The driver continues: In Philadelphia, we like to complain a lot.....it would help to figure out a way to help cab drivers make more money, I figured out a way, but I'm not in charge...(passengers don't ask him what his proposal would be. Conversation is cut short, they were at their destination.)10 for 6 - The driver say as soon as the girl started comparing him to other cab drivers, it sealed the tip fate..predict the 10 for 6...I knew then...

Ween is playing on the cd.. D&B closes at midnight and it's 1AM now. "Time to get the stragglers."

123... (The driver's radio number is 123).That's where I am, 3rd and Race - In lobby..for Nicole..

She's already out front...The driver says: looking for Nicole.. he gets an enthusiastic hi from the rider.. The driver introduces himself..she kind of cools down (didn't expect a real live person, huh,?)..silence....The driver eases the situation and talks about the route they are going to take. It works, she asks him about his job, so.now the discussion is about The driver...that's good...he gets to say whatever he wants now....he tells her about a job he took last night going to the same area she's going, it was just around the corner and proceeds to tell her he thought that was a strange street he went to because it was a dead end that he didn't expect there. She asks if that's Ween playing. She says she met them. She recommends a Ween cd for him to buy. (Good, she is treating him like a fellow human being - 'I am not an animal'.) 9 for 7.

Next job is quiet. The passengers watch the visualizer on the screen with The driver as the music plays. As he pulls up to their destination, there's a fare ready to go right there - You want a cab? Yeah, he's getting out.. there's ten, there's four, have a good night buddy...."Hi! How are you?",The driver asks. The driver is sounding upbeat now.

Martini's? How'd I know that!

Night shift is now in full swing.