Queensland taxi drivers reveal tricks for getting a cab, which passengers they avoid THE secret life of cabbies has been revealed, with new research showing they avoid single drunk females, screen passengers and snub taxi ranks.
If you want to boost your chances of getting a cab during peak times, avoid taxi ranks, be willing to share if you are travelling a short distance, or offer a deposit if you are going a long way.
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Intoxicated passengers are the biggest fear for drivers, who say women are more likely to vomit in their cabs than men, who will ask them to pull over rather than vomiting in the car. Drivers also admit avoiding taxi ranks so they are not forced to pick up the next passenger in line in case they are drunk.
And if you have ever hailed a taxi, only to have it stop up to 100m away from you, it's because the driver is trying to judge if you are intoxicated, according to the research by GoCatch, a cab booking app company.
Single, intoxicated women are considered the "most dangerous'' passengers, with cabbies claiming they can be subject to false accusations by those who don't want to pay the fare.
And drivers say they can spot fare runners partly based on the suburb they are travelling to.
Gordon Plain, a Brisbane Yellow Cab driver, agreed vomit was one of the biggest problems for cabbies because an incident can cut a shift short along with their takings.
"Women who have been drinking are less inclined than men to ask if you can pull over if they feel sick," he said.
"It is a real pain on the night shift if you have to take time out to clean the cab. It can also be costly for the passenger and can mean an extra $80 or more, depending on how bad it is.''
If you want to secure a spot in a cab during the party season the research suggests you try to look sober and avoid standing in CBD ranks, instead hailing a cab coming back from the suburbs.
Book in advance, and if cabs are sparse consider sharing with someone going a longer distance. Don't stand in a big mob. Passengers in twos and threes are more likely to have success.
Brisbane paralegal Rozelle Bothma said: "It would be an extreme minority of drunk women who would try to take advantage of a cabbie, and I believe that for safety reasons it is more important to pick someone up if they are drunk."
Findings showed that fare evaders or "runners'' are more common in "rough'' areas.
"A dead giveaway that a passenger may run away without paying the fare ... is when they look at my face before entering - they are trying to see whether I'm an easy target," one driver said.
source:
http://www.couriermail.com.au/travel/tr ... 6782024514
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