All Sorts of Taxi Drivers

As part of my job, a significant portion of my duties include meeting companies and attending committee meetings. Thus, since I took on this job, I have been a frequent taxi traveler, easily chocking up $70 - $200 worth of taxi transport claims each month.

‘All Knowing’ Taxi Driver

Apart from the incident of astronomical and astrological taxi driver that I had shared in my earlier blog entry, in the past 5 months in my job, I have come across quite a few other types of taxi drivers. At times, I find it a privilege or rare opportunity to hear and see how ‘interesting’ some taxi drivers can be.

‘Casanova’ Taxi Driver

I have come across a taxi driver (guy) who shared that many of his female taxi customers are attracted to him! He shared that there was one young lady who liked to follow him when he around his block (where he lived) and would wait to see him driving back home at the end of each day!

He went on to share that there was one lady who called his hand-phone to arrange a fixed transport appointment to go to work everyday and would talk to him during the ride. In fact, he even asked and paid him $60 to be her ‘dinner and dance’ partner for 3 hours! Worse still, this lady’s daughter came to know of this taxi driver and fell in love with him! And he had to stop both this lady and his daughter, coz he is already married! Wow… what a Casanova! He’s married and already in his 40s, but still so many ladies like him! Sounds like he’s going to become another George Clooney! 50s and still one of the sexist man alive… well, at least that’s what I read from my brother’s 8 Days magazine.

‘Bon Jovi’ Taxi Driver

Then there is a taxi driver who has a whole collection of limited edition classics and oldies CDs and cassette tapes in his taxi! He listens to them as he drives and even has his taxi customers request for a particular song, so that he can play it for them to listen! Believe me, he really has a huge collection of limited edition CDs and cassette tapes in his taxi! Furthermore, his taxi is almost fully decorated with CD covers and even small figurines! It was such a fully decorated driver and passenger seat in front, that it looked like a display corner! It was filled with decorations, CDs, pictures, slogans and figurines!

‘Full of Comments and Complains’ Taxi Driver

There is another type of taxi driver who just itches to have a say in anything and everything that happens. For such taxi drivers, comments and complains galore! Never-ending. It just goes on. Topic after topic. Comment after comment. Complain after complain. They just must have something to say about something, be it for good or bad. At times, they may even go on and on talking, whether or not I am really listening.

‘Fumbling Greenhorn’ Taxi Driver

Then there is the typical lady taxi driver whom I would get into her taxi and then get out within 1 minute, coz she has no idea where I wish to go, and fumbles with the street directory in her hands! I don’t have time for her to figure out how to drive there and risk getting lost, coz I have urgent meetings to attend!

‘Special Intelligence’ Taxi Driver

Thinking about taxi drivers, quite a long time ago, I also took this taxi… and the taxi driver used to be from the Army, working in Military Intelligence! Brief as his sharing was about how things work in military intelligence, the classified building, how threats are uncovered, and how deadly ex-military intelligence officers can be, etc. I remembered listening to him for almost 1 hour!

‘Great Grandfather’ Taxi Driver

Then there are also taxi drivers that look so old, I really wondered if they are in their 60s! There was once that I took a taxi driven by this really old man… and he looked so frail, that I started to get worried if he could even drive his taxi! Or whether he knows where he is going! Not to mention his indeed really law abiding driving speed of exactly 60 km/h, no more, no less… Argh! I don’t want to be late for my meeting!

‘Punch Bag Victim’ Taxi Driver

I have also sat in a taxi, where the taxi driver shared about how troublesome it is to pick up drunken passengers, be it local or expatriate… some scold him and some even punch him!

‘Scared of Rain’ Taxi Driver

Then there is another kind of taxi driver who would refuse to pick up passengers when it’s raining. I mean, isn’t because it is raining, that’s why people decide to take a taxi? Why do these taxi drivers not want to pick up these passengers? I asked one such taxi driver before and he told me that it’s because it’s dangerous to drive in a heavy rain. If a road accident happens, then the cost of the insurance is more than what he has earned, so it’s not worth it.

When I heard that, my mind silently exploded – “Then why else would people want to take a taxi? Isn’t it because it is raining? And if it is such a heavy rain and taxi drivers like you don’t want to pick up passengers, then what are we passengers to do? Wait till the rain stops?”

‘Doze on Highway’ Taxi Driver

And another kind of taxi driver… one of the worse of all… are the kind who drive on the expressway at 110 km/h… and when I looked up at the mirror, his eyes are closed and he has fallen asleep with his feet on the pedal! Once every few seconds, his eyes would open slightly… before closing again, a few seconds later. Then open for awhile again… then close once more. Wah, I tell you… I was thankful to have survived that ride!

Yup, so these are some of the types of taxi drivers that I have met so far. Really interesting sometimes, when I come across such people. Hmm… =)