Philosophy Lessons in the Cab

Some of our most favorite customers are the mariners.  They can spend weeks, or sometimes months, at sea, and are usually quite the well-read, thinking group.  Tonight's philosophy lessons come from Birthday Boy, Ed, "Don't look backwards in life, live in the moment."  That is some great advice for everyone, and one of the most difficult bits to actually apply.  We waste too much time focusing on the past regrets, and miss the many awesome experiences that come our way everyday.

Be at peace, and live in the present --

First Year Anniversary Driving the Pink Taxi

Wow, what a year this has been!  It is hard to believe this is the anniversary of a full year driving the Pink Taxi.  I've had many varied work experiences in life; from joining the U.S. Army at 18 years old to working  many years in corporate Human Resources, and I have found taxi driving is by far the most unique. It is also one of the most fun, and personally rewarding jobs I have held.  During, the first weeks of taxi driving I felt as if I had been dropped into an alternate universe.  I certainly expected tourist and visitors to Galveston, but I had not expected the local residents who use taxis as their primary transportation.  We have many customers who rely on the taxi services to go to school, to work, and to take care of routine errands.

John and I picked up the first Pink Taxi on a Friday afternoon.  We were given the key with little direction and no training.  Yellow Cab uses a Mobile Data Terminal with which we receive 99% of our communications from the dispatchers.  We had no idea what this machine did or how to use it.  Luckily Johnny Holmes, another Yellow Cab driver, came along, and I captured him to show us some of the major details.  Johnny was extremely helpful, and even gave us our first trip; Maria, one of his regular customers needed a ride, and he was on his way to another customer.  Johnny has become one of many good friends we have made in the taxi business.

John and I rode together for several hours on our first day, and basically trained each other.  As one figured out something new on the MDT, we explained it to the other.  Our first dispatched customer was an elderly lady who had done her grocery shopping at a convenience store.  We picked her up, and the short trip to her apartment was around a $7.00 fare.  She handed me the fare and an additional $60.00 for helping her take her groceries to her upstairs apartment, saying, "That's what other drivers charge me."  We were floored.  Sure, it is nice to receive an extra tip amount for assisting customers with their groceries, but $60.00 was quite excessive.  We did allow her to tip us, but not nearly that much.  Next up, we had a very nice young man going to work at a local restaurant, and two back-to-back trips with customers going to the laundry-mat.

As evening came, we began to get dispatches from the hotels for guests heading out to dinner.  We received a call to Pier 21 for a group of brothers who charter a sail boat annually.  This group filled the van, and I got booted out at Nonno Tony's planning to have a glass of tea while waiting for John to pick me up shortly.  Turned out this was not to be the case.  John got busy with one call after another, and didn't finish the night until after 2:00 a.m.  My cell phone had died, and we had no way to communicate so I ended up walking home after waiting 45 minutes; thankfully, it was a short walk.

There was a lot to learn in the early days; a whole lot of industry dos and don'ts that there is no rule book for.  I have met so many kind and amazing people who were willing to help along the way. I am grateful for the many customers who were more than willing to give me directions to their destination when I told them, "I'm new at this."   There are many fellow taxi drivers who we consider good friends, and partners who shared their own knowledge and helped ease the path, as well.

Onward to year two.  I wonder what it will hold for us and the Pink Taxis.

FAQ: What is your craziest Taxi story?

I am frequently asked, "What is your craziest Taxi story?"  Two passengers come to mind immediately, and both were dispatched trips during the first three weeks of my new taxi adventure.

The first "Crazy Taxi Story" call came in my first few days of taxi driving.  At 10 a.m., I received a dispatch to one of the seedier motels on the Island.  I arrived to find a very sweet motel employee assisting the man who would be my customer into the taxi.  She loaded him in the taxi, and handed him a fresh, unopened bottle of cheap tequila.  This guy was a skid row alcoholic, and was both hungover and drunk at the same time.  Imagine that!

Thankfully, his destination wasn't too far.  He said he didn't feel very well, and he rode in the front passenger seat, with the window down, and his head leaning out.  He was moaning and groaning such that I nearly pulled over to call an ambulance for him.  Poor guy was not in good shape at all.  On the way to his destination, he tells me, "I'll probably get shot when I get home.  I haven't been home in a week."  To this, I responded, "Just be sure you pay me first."  We arrived at his destination, and he paid without incident.  I sure hope he didn't get shot.

Baby Johnny's Teddy Bear riding in the Pink Taxi

The second customer that will forever reside in the "Crazy Taxi Story" category, is Baby Johnny.  Let me set the scene for you.  At the time I received the dispatch for Baby Johnny, I had been driving the taxi a mere three weeks.  There was a cruise ship in port, and I had already received several hotel dispatches for cruise passengers headed to the port, and the Oni-Con convention was in town.  Oni-Con is an annual three day convention of Anime enthusiast, and brings in 5,000+ people costumed as their favorite anime and comic book characters.

So, I receive a dispatch call to the La Quinta hotel.  On the way, I'm thinking my customers will probably be cruise passengers.  No, Baby Johnny was not a cruise passenger.  Out of the lobby comes a Caucasian 60 year old man with purple hair, carrying a baby bottle and a black baby doll, wearing a Burger King crown and fuzzy pajamas.  I thought, "He must be with the Oni-Con convention."  No, Baby Johnny was not participating in Oni-Con.  Baby Johnny is just a 60 year old local resident who likes to act like a baby.

Apparently, he goes to breakfast at a local diner, and wanders into the La Quinta to ask the desk to call a taxi for him.  I give kudos to the La Quinta staff for being exceptionally kind to Baby Johnny as this seems to be a regular routine.  Baby Johnny has become an occasionally regular customer since our first meeting, and, now that I have recovered from the initial shock of him, he is quite a pleasant customer.  While, he is definitely a different individual, he does have all of his wits about him and has never been a problem passenger.

When I tell people about Baby Johnny, they frequently ask, "Did he ask you to change his diaper?"  Definitely a "NO" on that.  Diaper changing is not, and never will be a part of the Pink Taxi service.

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What is Life in Twenty Minutes?

What is Life in Twenty Minutes? 

The typical taxi ride takes about twenty minutes, and it never ceases to amaze me how my customers touch my life and soul in such a brief encounter.  Often, the customer and I begin our trip as strangers, and by the time we reach their destination we have become friends.  Read more

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