Taxi Driver Online

My first experience of driving a taxi was in Daytona Beach Florida between 1992-5. In Fl. There is no distinction between private hire and hackney, but I relied on a radio circuit and was required to work set hours. I enjoyed the job, despite managing to get myself shot. My time in Fl. was a great adventure but 3 years was enough so I came back to England and settled back into my old career in insurance.

By the end of 2001 I had become very disillusioned with my job as a claims examiner for Lloyds of London and the accompanying office politics, so I jumped at the chance of voluntary redundancy when it was offered. The redundancy payment was enough to pay for a couple of months off work and an 18 month old Ford Galaxy.

I then worked private hire up until the time I got my yellow badge from the PCO. ( Feb 2005 ) Private hire was a great job, I was getting paid ok money for driving around chatting to people all day however I was required to work set hours. I craved the freedom a hackney licence would give me so I did the knowledge.

I love this job, nobody tells me what to do. I get out of bed when I choose to, come home when I choose to. I can even to a certain extent choose the type of work. I can work as many hours as I need, or as few as I want.

My passion in life is football, in particular travelling to watch England matches, now I know that I never have to miss another trip.

The money is good too. I suppose we all have our references on what is, or what isn’t good money. In my case it might not make me rich, but it is fair to say I am earning more than I ever did before.

I have noticed that by and large the newer drivers are positive about the job, but the ones that have been around the block a few times are shall we say less so.

I know that there is no substitute for experience, so will I see things differently 10 years from now?

I don't want to rain on your parade but "Ignorance is bliss" stay that way. I was far happier when I knew far less about my colleagues and the trade, now I have come to despise them both. Their capacity for ignorance and their inability to think for themselves knows no bounds.


If you stick your head above the parapet for whatever injustice you feel has been perpetrated against you, expect no back up. Your colleagues will hate you because you make them feel weak, and quite simply because they have no backbone to stand up for themselves. The system will come after you to beat you down just to prove to everyone that they were right and you were wrong, and don’t think that there is such a thing as fair play, the law and justice is totally divorced from one another. The system is rigged from top to bottom, and the minute you start thinking for yourself you stop being that little unit of production required to serve others without question. This system operates by holding over you more than you are prepared to lose and what the system gives it will readily take away, if you rock the boat, and believe me your colleagues will be pleased to see you go.The minute you start asking questions and expecting answers you are in trouble you are challenging the Borg to think and they won’t thank you for it, their fear is their ignorance and they can’t see past it.




Heed what I say.

Wow,

Well I did ask the question.

Yes you do become more cynical as time goes on. As regards Skull, he's the epitome of what makes you more cynical.
In over 30 years in this trade, I have seen his like come and go a thousand times. They come into the trade and decide it's all wrong, they are going to change it for the better, but the reality is not that we are all scared and ignorant, we are just happy as pigs in [edited by admin] and enjoy our freedom, our earnings and our laughs.
He obviously does not - so enjoy it for as long as you can and then enjoy it more but in a different way.

I drive a PH and have exactly the same options open to me as you have in your yellow black cab.

Even to the extent that neither of us can pick up at Heathrow (radio work aside), but that's for another day.

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IDFIMH

I think the trade has a great future, if that's where we look to, not the past.

I expect in 10 years time you will be far more cynical, and about 5 stone heavier.

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IDFIMH

So true, I never had a weight problem until I drove a cab in Florida.

Thank's for all the answers. For now I shall enjoy the ride.

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There's no excuse for animal abuse. If you ain't vegan you are an animal abuser.

I think you should concentrate on the first part of your question, which is "getting old". You will have plenty of time to consider the latter once you have achieved the first.

Regards

JD

OK so I aint that young, 40 to be precise. Trouble is, every day, I get a day older

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There's no excuse for animal abuse. If you ain't vegan you are an animal abuser.

You reading this Ollie?

Oh dear.

You might have been lucky enough to miss a few if you had remained a member of the minicab trade.

Hmmm? which sector did you say you worked in?

GBC might float out and help you with your unmet demand!

Unless you want to stand inside the arrivals hall chanting 'tax.....' . . . you know the rest.

I didn't but it's Barking and Dagenham, Newham, Havering and Redbridge

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There's no excuse for animal abuse. If you ain't vegan you are an animal abuser.

Ah good, a night shift driver!

Do ok tonight?

Up town was buzzing with Italians for some strange reason?

Oh, and a selection of touts! Taxeeeeee!