Live Taxi Daily Journal 2

10/19/00Thursday

First job of the night:
I'm not going to work for six bucks an hour. I'm very unusual. Most drivers make 4-600 a week...hey asshole (yelling at some other car driver or taxi driver in the street, no doubt, driving like an idiot) - you won't see me in the summer...what's your business? Accounting? You're just not used to my terminology....right, counting money..[I'm making in 6 months enough for a years' worth......], you got a lot of people living in your apartment over there..3 bedrooms..with the winding stairs..you got one of the nicest one...(turns out, kid lives next door to us). Thank you also, see yous later..b-bye......(and I got the tail end of a conversation about how we are going to re-launch livetaxi.com - the kid was enthusiastic).

(Radio dispatch - not too loud, the hunter must be seeing something.)

I saw you before you saw me ..How you all doing?..(chipper) Where'd you come out of?."La Terrasse"?..(nice restaurant and bar in college town. Near White Dog, famous and popular place frequented by people in and outside of the city - lots o cab action on this strip) - you can have some of the best experiences in there..(driver must be feeling good now, he's talking and sharing - driver like to say to his customers: no, thanks for sharing, when they apologize for talking the whole time.) That guy was empty he didn't have his eyes open..you got to keep your eyes open at all times in this business...I got to put him on his door and you were fifty feet later..everybody gets door to door..that's the way it should be...(they are going to a hotel downtown. Driver is happy to get downtown now and see what's going on. Whenever he gets paid for checking out another part of town, it makes him happy. We've been known to be in the cab riding to a restaurant to eat out ourselves and then pick up a fare along the way - we say in unison: pays for our dinner! But here's an important note you all may not know or think about: like any business, there are exspenses. Driver must first pay for rent and gas, then look for the break-even, then dig on the profits. You know what luck stands for? Labor Under Certain Knowledge and lots of hard work.) the driver is asking if they are going to be around tomorrow..(He's having a good time...ambassador for the city and restaurants..he's talking about our one and only five star restaurant in Philly: Le Bec Fin)..there's no other.. selling himself without seeming so..(I don't think he wants to be insincere.....when there's enough energy and one feels good about oneself..the rest will follow..what comes around goes around)......12th and Locust, Dimitris..there's a lot of really good Italian restaurants in this area..I see what your budget is, (they laugh) so I'm going to tell you about the best one's to fit your budget (they laugh). Saloon is good.. I'm all that, believe me (they laugh again) I even go through red lights....oh that's good--that's really really smart! (yells at a driver again). The ambassador: talking about Independence Park as he gets them to their destination in Old City Philadelphia - - thank you sir, have a good time ( must of got a decent tip - (2 or could it really be $3? I didn't catch what the total is.)

123, I'm at 4 and Market. Closer? (When the drivers work with dispatch, the dispatch gets the jobs from the phone calls and they put out the area and the hundred block for the drivers to bid on. When a driver bids, they bid their location to be the closest to the job. Dispatch, if busy, usually gives the job out without asking for a closer bid, but most times they ask for a closer bid.) (got it!) called out the Saloon.

Can't get a chalk job! (Job that is $15. Each driver allowed to get one in a certain period of time.) Fighting for the jobs..the city is f**king mobbed,...all right, I'm doing a count....43..it's been exactly an hour, exactly an hour..so there..($43/hr, good) South Street isn't busy...must be the hotel people going back to their hotel...come on jerk off! - two cabs here..they are both sitting here..the driver yells at them - did you make contact?..that's their f**king move, some drivers pretend they don't hear.

Driver talks to someone who just entered our chat - hey, Guest 339 where you from?. Did you come here through livetaxi? "Yes I did" ( I can't here them audio chat now)..the driver asks dispatch...dispatch says they called for three cabs..there aint no mother f**king job in here for me, the mother f**kers. They ripped me off...123..123...my boys took nine people..thanks a lot boys!...I guess it made them happy to see me not get mine...I'm going to get mine though..I'm going to get double what they would get anyway...(he keys in to let chatter hear all that too..) the driver says he is ..big brother on wheels.. Let the people vote for who we should let people ride or not..bigger tip or bigger shit..you know females like to look at others besides females, occasionally, haha..you'll probably get a couple of tit flashes a nite...take what you can out of it and please don't complain to me about anything......

123.Broad and Walnut, back from a ghost chase on the south side....no, I mean I was on a wild goose chase on the south side. I'm getting loaded now. You didn't call for a cab did you?...As long as you didn't call old city (he doesn't want to take a fellow company's job that isn't his.) "I didn't call" (female voice) .."It's crazy out here".. I know, I'm sorry about that...oh, if I don't have to ask what's the problem is anymore ..Now I know...(was her face all contorted?) short trip. You're welcome..(tip?)... Driver is talkin to me and chatter in private how long its taking her to squeeze out the money for the $3 ride. Stay patient driver) No tip. $3 exactly. (What up with that?)

! Go ahead and kill somebody, you f**king piece of shit!. (At least he's got lots of energy. He hates to waste energy on people who don't pay for the service or on car drivers who are senseless.)

Oh good, a strip club job, to pick up the guy waiting out front -......(the driver says he came all the way from 30th Street for this..(club on Delaware Ave. - river front). Too many drivers bidding on jobs right now. the driver says that someone is probably going to get his job. He's got to drive 30 blocks for it and it's coming out of a hot spot for cab rides...people are driving like it's Friday night our here!.....(I heard a car passing by)...there's a f**king cab pulling up there right now...(shit)...yo buddy...is your name -----? ...why would you lie to me like that, man..did someone else call the cab for you? What's his destination? I'll check with the dispatcher.You f**king piece of shit (shit another driver is not cooperating with the driver, a cab driver from another company is trying to zone in on this fare ..... the driver is inside the hotel, the host tells him:.."he was outside"...driver knows, yeah, I saw him getting loaded in a cab..they f**king treated me like...

It's confirmed, he's telling the dispatch, .I got made to look stupid again.."hey don't feel that way..(then says something about going to an area and getting lucky).......

Silence. I ask, where you going?.....Into egg throwing territory. Yeah, and if I get rocks thrown at me and break somthing, I get the night off, that's the beauty of renting...

Hi...you must be Eve, my name is -------. Lay it on me.."what?". (rephrasing: ) where are you going?...Graduate Hospital, ok. You must be going to work - the 11-7 shift? .."yeah"...(he's talking to her about the volume of people out tonight..going to relate to the hospital action)..I'm sure..you have parents don't you!..no, I'm talking to the person that just crossed the street...that was real good buddy! (I love that stuff he yells out to the drivers.) What's your favorite phrase to yell at drivers? Join our community.Click here.

(The driver and I agree that people who get in taxis expose their personalities and their feelings towards others. This is the biggest issue in the service business that I have observed. When you tip someone, you not only tell them they had good or bad service, you also tell them what they think of your job and your personality by all of their actions. What do you think about this issue? What do you factor into a tip? Yeah, let's hear the truth. Can u?To respond, Click here.

Sorry. I'll come back for you - he tells the next batch of people...thank you very much, thank you..(he takes this fare's $) Christ! She only gave me six for 5.40..(I guess his thank you's didn't help.)

I'm going back for those people...they were five punky people.they don't have money either but, between the five of them..maybe....

Oh Jesus Christ. Right in the f**king front of me. -( the cab in front of him swooped up the next fare. It's frustrating when they get in right in front of you, )...oh, there they are..."how are you doing brother?...where are you going before you get to 4th & South? There's too many of you.. $14 run. Good.

Traffic on South Street. now.dispatch got something in South Philly. Driver thinks -- not.

123......took a 10 job instead of the chalk (hey, he must a got though) (I don't understand)..how's it going brother?... the driver banters with the customer..a guy.......shit, I'll let someone look my dick for $20,000, unless they put that on 60 minutes, who's going to know....... (This is a long ride so far.......) thanks, Ike...

It might cost you more but I'll get you there quicker....the driver, then, talks about our show to Mina. Eventually I hope to set up pay-per-view. Plus, if you need a cab anyway, what's the big deal? Would you take a taxi and be on the Internet? Even though the first and foremost thing on your mind is getting to point B? Join the community to. Click here.

(We need riders who don't mind being on the internet)..She's talking back to him...everyone mentions HBO taxicab confessions. Philadelphia has its own specialness. They are all over the world (referring to Philadelphians) the driver tells her about the pay - per -view and how it works - advertising some day too. Mina is an actor..no wonder the driver instigated the conversation with her..the driver apologizes for talking the whole trip..she laughs....normally it's better for me to let you talk...gave her our card..she'll be checking it out.. "I think it's a cool idea"..the driver tells me she is taking classes and has friends who are actors...

123..27 & South....2014 for Matt, roger..........

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