Scariest moment? Every December when the examiner at the PCO emerges from beneath the taxi and sighs. £££££££ come to mind.
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| Author: | captain cab [ Sun Jan 16, 2005 1:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | scariest cab experiences |
They'd rather walk: Herald readers reveal their scariest cab experiences By Dave Wedge Sunday, January 16, 2005 Cabbies yakking on their cellphones is not only annoying but can be costly - and sometimes dangerous - to passengers, based on reports to the Herald from fuming fares. Mark Marcellino said he and his brother were taken on a hell ride from Boston to Somerville on I-93 one recent late night by a cellphone-gabbing driver. ``The cabbie was naturally on his cellphone. As we looked into the front seat at the digital speedometer, we saw that he was doing 110 mph,'' a horrified Marcellino recalled in one cabbie horror story sent to the Boston Sunday Herald. A special investigation published in last Sunday's Herald found scores of scofflaw cabbies puffing cigarettes behind the wheel and talking on their cellphones - both of which are illegal in Boston. Hub cops say they routinely warn cabbies of the laws but there have been few suspensions for breaking the rules. North End real estate agent Phyllis Paterna, who relies on cabs since ditching her car because of her neighborhood's parking woes, said ``rude'' cabbies talking on the phone are commonplace. While returning from a downtown shopping jaunt one recent afternoon, Paterna said her driver ignored her while yakking on the mobile phone, and took her on a joy ride. ``I was getting irritated. I said to him, `You shouldn't be on the phone, you should be paying attention,' '' she recalled. The driver's response, however, was less than pleasant. ``He said, `I drive with my hands, not with my ear,' '' Paterna said. ``He was irritated that I said something to him. I got out of the cab and I didn't tip him, which I don't like to do. It happens often, though, with the cellphones. It's just not professional.'' William Sweet of Quincy said he and a co-worker wound up in the hospital after a ``cab ride from hell'' Jan. 3 during which their driver slammed into another cab. According to Sweet, the speeding driver wasn't paying attention and ``T-boned'' another cab. Sweet's pal suffered arm, leg and facial cuts while Sweet suffered head, rib and back injuries. The driver, it turned out, wasn't wearing shoes, which caused his foot to slip off the brake when he tried to stop, Sweet said. Despite the horror stories, longtime cabbie William Ford said good drivers far outnumber the bad. Besides the fact that most rides are friendly and uneventful, many cabbies frequently give free rides to the elderly, handicapped and homeless, he said. ``Sure there are a lot out there, talking on the cellphone the whole time, but I've seen a lot of cab drivers help a lot of people,'' Ford said. ``There's good and bad in every job.'' Larry Meister, vice president of Independent Taxi, cited a handful of glowing letters sent to the company praising do-gooder cab drivers who returned wallets, phones or other personal items. One cabbie during the Democratic National Convention returned a cash-stuffed envelope to a frantic conventioneer, Meister said. In October, a South End woman wrote to Independent to thank driver Elhadi Sudan for returning her purse. ``Not only did he drive all the way back to my home to return the purse but he responded to my calling my cellphone (which was in the purse),'' the woman wrote. ``He was also extremely pleasant and friendly throughout the exchange.'' |
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| Author: | GBC [ Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:47 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Scariest moment |
Scariest moment? Every December when the examiner at the PCO emerges from beneath the taxi and sighs. £££££££ come to mind.
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