Respect For a Veteran

WESTMINSTER TAXICARD: SUBSIDY UPDATE

Dial-a-Cab have now been officially informed that the Westminster Taxicard maximum subsidy has been increased to £10.30p while the minimum amount payable by the card holder remains at £1.

Originally, for a £9 meter fare the cardholder paid £1 and the Borough paid a maximum of £8. Now for an £11.30 meter fare, the cardholder pays £1 the borough pays a maximum of £10.30p.
   Card users still pay for any additional passengers.
Should any driver have any questions contact driver operations or speak with the
Dial-a-Cab marshals who have been fully informed.

Keith Cain

I'm delighted that this true story is going to be read in London by Dial-a-Cab drivers. It is dedicated to my favourite drunk who passed away in the November of 1998...
   The first time my radio circuit sent to the local motel - one I had dubbed the Flophouse Inn - for a pickup at room number five, I assumed I was after just another old drunk with poopy pants and $3.00 to go for a $6.00 ride.
   I pulled in the gravel parking lot and made a U-turn, coming to rest in front of room 5. Gravel crunched as I came to an abrupt halt just inches from the sidewalk that lined the motel. I gave a couple of toots on the horn and the motel door slowly opened. I saw the figure of a tall thin man in the shadow of a half-opened door that he seemed unable to negotiate the remainder of.
   I threw the cab into park and went to the door to assist him. He was slightly inebriated, smelling of alcohol, cigarette smoke and possibly a dirty sock or two. I offered him my arm, thinking to myself that I would just as soon not have to touch this man, but my conscience took over and between the two of us we managed to get to the cab. Our destination was a dirty little tavern on the East side of town and that was how I first met ex-cab driver Mr. Robert Dupree. He became my all-time favourite drunk!
   We used to share stories of his cab driving experiences in Massachusetts. He spoke of the family he lost, his past jobs, his 

alcohol related health problems and of his now deceased friends.  He always had an interesting story to tell.
   Over the course of several years, I always enjoyed being dispatched for Mr. Dupree, even though many other drivers refused to haul him. He used to tell me that I was his hero, that I had touched his life forever with my kindness in treating him with respect.
   Over the years, I watched him go from a cane stick, to a walker and later, to the confines of a wheelchair, which really made him an outcast among the cab drivers.
   But he always had a tip for me. Often it was not cash, only a compliment saying how pretty my smile was, what a good driver I made or how nice my taxi was kept up.
   As the terrible grips of alcoholism continued to ravage Mr. Dupree's body and he was no longer able to utilize a taxi, we lost contact. Then I read in the paper of Mr. Dupree's passing. He was 67 and died of complications of alcoholism. What I never knew until his passing though, was that Mr. Dupree had been a career soldier in the army and was a PoW in the Korean War. He never spoke of it.
   I will miss Mr. Dupree.
I guess the point I am trying to make is that as we rush through our crazy lives as taxi drivers, wishing for the big grief free rides, that all passengers should have some respect. You never know when you will touch the life of a hero. I know that one touched mine. Thank you Mr. Dupree.

Joni Hansen
DesMoines, Iowa