Taxi Driving

zuutroy

I'm taking to the streets tomorrow in a City Cab. Cant say I'm looking forward to all these hours on the streets of Dublin, but it's only for 2 months until I start a new job abroad. I wonder if I'm the first taxi driver in the history of the state with a PhD? Anyway, got my SatNav ready to go, so that should help a fair bit. Would it look weird if you got into a cab and the driver was using a SatNav? Have to say I'll be a bit nervy for the first few passengers!

Volvoboy

Ah, nothing much to do it just have a copy of the daily sport on the dash, have newstalk 106 on,and smorgasboard of magic trees hanging from the rear view mirror.

nothing to be nervous about really, ya have the sat nav, i see them everyother day in taxi's.

Best of luc

-NAVB-

mikemac

Your fellow taxi drivers won't be the least bit impressed with your PhD.

Don't you know that they're experts on everything!

zuutroy

micmclo wrote:

Your fellow taxi drivers won't be the least bit impressed with your PhD.

Don't you know that they're experts on everything!

Was thinkin that meself!

alias no.9

Just tell them you've been in the joy for the last 4 years, you'll fit right in. The sat nav just shows your a professional, prepared to listen to the best available guidance, though reserving the right to ignore it.

mike65

Don't forget to say "did you see the match last night, Jasuz!"

Mike.

colm_mcm

My satnav would be great for taxiing, the elongated routes it takes you on would make for huge fares!

zuutroy

I'm convinced I got the best deal possible on my one. Goodmans GNAV10 with full NAVTEQ European street level mapping and a 1GB SD card for 110stg on ebay. Had never heard of it before I did some in depth research.

colm_mcm

mine was €320 with 1GB card and has an MP3 player built in too. handy sometimes

sharkman

Best of Luck in the new job . See you out there . As I'm a taxi driver myself , If I can help you with anything , just ask !

branners69

micmclo wrote:

Your fellow taxi drivers won't be the least bit impressed with your PhD.

Don't you know that they're experts on everything!

Didnt a Taxi driver win Mastermind one time??

He seemed to know pretty much everything:D

Best of luck tomorrow, let us know how your sat nav goes!! Am interested in getting one and that price sounds great!!

Wishbone Ash

Volvoboy wrote:

just have a copy of the daily sport on the dash, have newstalk 106 on,and smorgasboard of magic trees hanging from the rear view mirror.

Don't forget to have the car excessively hot and your seat as far back as possible and almost fully reclined. You wouldn't want to risk having a comfortable passenger.

Oh, and a Dublin GAA, Celtic or Man U jersey is de rigeur.

Good luck.

mikedragon32

Hey Volvoboy, I thought you drove a decent car?

Or maybe the taxi firm is lending you a clapped out Focus?

Regardless of the GPS, no doubt passengers will tell you the route they expect anyway.

Best of luck.

mike65

branners69 that was Fred Housego in 1980!

Mike.

Wishbone Ash

mike65 wrote:

branners69 that was Fred Housego in 1980!

Mike.

Fred Housego

The one Mastermind that everyone remembers! Fred Housego was not the first taxi driver to appear on Mastermind (that distinction belongs to Robert Smith), but he was undoubtedly the man who caused the programme to be instantly associated with that profession.

The 1980 champion came from St John's Wood in London and had left school at the age of 16 with one 'O' Level. He became a postman but switched to taxi driving, taking 'the knowledge' (a test of over 400 street routes in London) in the process. He took to his new career with enthusiasm but continued to take the opportunity to read wherever possible.

Fred took 'Henry II of England' in his heat and won, but then disaster struck - just before the heat was due to be transmitted, he collapsed with a suspected heart attack. In fact he had pericarditis, and he watched himself on TV from an intensive care unit. It seemed as though his dream of being the first cabbie to win Mastermind would be dashed.

However, Fred recovered and won his semi-final with 'The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster' (i.e. Westminster Abbey). For the final, he took 'The Tower of London', scoring 18 on this subject and 15 on general knowledge to set a target of 33. It was still not a foregone conclusion that he would win - in fact, Samuel Mortimer came close to snatching victory, but Sam finished on 31, leaving Fred the winner. As Magnus Magnusson said: 'There will be rejoicing in the ranks tonight!'

Media attention was predictably instant and enthusiastic. Fred appeared on This is Your Life, and after subsequent invitations to appear on TV and radio found that he had a new career as a broadcaster. Although this media work has for the most part dried up, Fred can still occasionally be heard London's local radio station LBC to this day, and he also still holds a taxi-driver's badge.

zuutroy

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Oh, and a Dublin GAA, Celtic or Man U jersey is de rigeur.

I dont own any unfortunately....Think I'll go with the Ireland jersey. I have a few of them.

dubtom

Best of luck. My first day on the job I picked up two very dodgy looking yobs from the Aston rank.The park, they said.****, I said to myself, their going to rob me.They didn't say anything for the whole journey.When we got there they directed me to St Mary's,right around the back.I was ****ting at this stage. Why are you bringing me around here, I asked. We work here, they said, we're nurses.I didn't use a rank for a while after that.

zuutroy

Holy Crap! So I picked up the car, drove it down towards dublin port, and then the accelerator stuck and the engine kept revving at full RPM and eventually cut out after a minute. The car now won't start and theres a little tube hanging out under the engine that a had puddlen(possibly fuel) under it. Frightened the life out of me! Anyone know anything about the VW/Skoda 1.9 TDI engine? Will I be back on the road soon?

dubtom

Throw it back at them and demand another car, they are supplying you with a service, car and radio.If they dont have one make sure you get credit for days lost. I would say claim for loss of earnings but they would probably tell you to f oof.

zuutroy

So you reckon I shouldnt have to pay for days until I get the car back, and liability is with them?

Volvoboy

mikedragon32 wrote:

Hey Volvoboy, I thought you drove a decent car?

Or maybe the taxi firm is lending you a clapped out Focus?

Eh?

I'm not a taxi driver, thought would'nt mind doing it one day after i'm out of my time.

Ahem, Nissan Almera.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054979558


-VB-

mikedragon32

Volvoboy wrote:

Eh?

I'm not a taxi driver, thought would'nt mind doing it one day after i'm out of my time.

Ahem, Nissan Almera.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054979558


-VB-

Sorry old chap! I obviously wasn't concentrating! I meant Zuutroy.

Doh!

zuutroy

mikedragon32 wrote:

Sorry old chap! I obviously wasn't concentrating! I meant Zuutroy.

Doh!

Well I drive a Toyota Sera. Definitely not taxi material. The taxi company gave me an Octavia.

dubtom

zuutroy wrote:

So you reckon I shouldnt have to pay for days until I get the car back, and liability is with them?

Ofcourse not, I assume you have a hire the car/radio plus maintance as most companys that hire give that service.Did they not have a replacment car for you. Absolutley refuse to pay for the car unless you have it working, if they try to make you pay tell them to f off and give them nothing.There are plenty of joe's out renting out their rigs.

zuutroy

This is getting ridiculous. They rang me this morning trying to convince me that I put petrol in, which I know for a fact I didn't. Even so, I cant imagine putting petrol in would cause it to run normally for a half hour and then go crazy all of a sudden out of nowhere. Pretty close to telling them where to go now.

zuutroy

OK, I know lots of people are curious about taxi driving on here, so I'll give you the low-down after a week of doing it:
Firstly, CIty Cabs are absolute cowboys. As seen earlier in the thread the car went mad on me (they tried to blame me for putting petrol in). I went back last Friday and was assured that all was well. Come next Monday afternoon the same **** happened on Dame St, smoked out the whole street! So the mechanic gets it back to the garage "AH I know whats wrong now, 20 minute fix, there you go bud". Last night on North Strand same thing happened AGAIN!
At this stage, I've already decided to pack it in, so I go in today to square up with them and they say they wont refund me any money (they also tried to suggest my driving style was to blame, I mean c'mon!!), but I can take a different car until the end of the week. (Another one with borderline tyres, knackered suspension and spongey brakes)

So all that aside, onto the driving: I started at around 9 because I'm REALLY not a morning person. The vast majority of work comes over the radio and it goes quite quiet from around 12-3, so you have to go street-crawling then. 4pm to 7pm is absolute bedlom, and you're going from one job to another, while trying to battle the traffic. After 7 it goes quiet on the radio again.
If you work (this means being in town) from 9am-7pm, you manage about 160 euro, of which 60 (assuming a 6day week) goes to City Cabs and 15 goes on Diesel. So basically you're left with around 90 euro for a 10 hour day....happy-****ing-days!
At the end of a day, your back will be ****ed, and you'll have massive roadrage.
I didn't want to nights, but now that I'm giving the car back Monday, I'm gonna go out over the weekend and make as much as possible before giving it back.
Bottom line is if you're renting it's hard to make decent money.
Hope that helps....Anyone else who drives, please feel free to tell me I'm talkin ****e.

Fey!

The only one of the Eddie Hobbes thingies I saw featured a taximan in Athlone, and they said pretty much the same thing as you're saying - not a lot of money when you rent.

Savman

sharkman wrote:

Best of Luck in the new job . See you out there . As I'm a taxi driver myself , If I can help you with anything , just ask !

We only had to look at your username to know you're a taxi driver :D:o:o