A Bit of a Rant

The one thing that consistently gets me riled up on a daily basis are the taxis in this city. I said to Russell last night, "I think I'm going to blog about taxis tomorrow. Probably I'll need 3 entries to fully get it off my chest." Poor Russell gets the brunt of my frustrations when I get home each evening.

Right now, we are operating with only one car. So, I'm taking a taxi to and from work each day. In the morning, the system is working very well. I call the booking system from my mobile phone. The automated system recognizes my phone number and by punching a few numbers on the keypad I have a taxi reserved for the following morning at 6am. Typically, the drivers are very prompt and show up at least 10 minutes before the scheduled time.

In the evening, however, it's a different story. Something is definitely wrong with the taxi system in this city. Even if I call to book a taxi, one doesn't show up at the scheduled time. So, I stand on the street to flag a taxi - they go by all the time, but never stop. In one night, I can have 10 empty taxis (with their in-service lights lit on the top of the car) speed past me. Usually, they try to avoid my eyes. But sometimes, the traffic forces them to stop near me. Then they give me this little wave off with their hands - I have no idea what this means. Believe me, I've tried asking many a taxi driver why they drive by and don't pick up passengers when their in-service light is on. They give me this smile and some gobbled answer. My guess is that the in-car computer would register if they took themselves out of service and they have a minimum number of hours to complete each day and they are near the end of their shift and just want to go home. Really, I don't know. At night it usually takes at least 20-30 min to flag a cab (I've stood on corners with people who have been standing there for over an hour). Personally, at that point I would walk to a nearby hotel and stand in their taxi queue (which these queues are usually 30 minutes long in the evening).

BUT - the one thing that really gets my goat is taxi drivers who don't know where they are going (or perhaps they do know, but think I don't). Once in a taxi, I cannot let my guard down for one minute. If I'm not careful, they will head down a road that either: a) is knarled with traffic - adding 30 minutes to my ride; b) is heading toward some circuitous route home that yes, will eventually get us there, but will add $5 to my ride; c) is on the toll system - adding $1 to my ride; or d) all of the above. All along the way home there are several points where the taxi driver could head off on an unknown route. Sometimes, the wrong turns are shocking - I think that we're home free, I start to relax in the back of the cab, and then woosh, we're in the wrong lane heading to the wrong area of town. Since I take the same taxis going to the same place day after day, I know exactly how much my ride should cost. It just gets me so riled when I know that I could have arrived home for $2 or $5 less. Argggh.

I'm always sending Russell SMS messages filled with my anger and frustration on the way home. What was a perfectly fine day can get ruined at the end by this frustrating set of events. I keep telling myself just to relax and let go - it is a control issue for me (I know). But I can't let go - even by chanting my yoga mantra (Om - shanti, shanti, shanti) I CANNOT LET GO!!!

Although it is actually much more economical for me to take taxis (about $125/week) rather than have a second car, the aggrevation is too much. Especially waiting 30 minutes to get a taxi for another 30 min ride home - I'm rarely home before 7. For this reason alone, I am insisting that we get another car.

amygirl said...
you could get a bike or something.

Ohh - that would truly be taking my life into my own hands! The driving is very aggressive and eratic here. Plus, I'm only aware of being able to take busy highways home. There are some who refuse to be on the roads in a small car for fear of being killed - let alone a bike. For sure, I'd be the unique one on the road if I did!