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Are we London Cab
drivers as obnoxious as some make out - especially the press?
Well having recently taken an extended vacation, which included
a cruise from Baltimore to New England, a few days in Washington
DC and a week in Las Vegas, I realise that after 45 years of
being a London Cab driver and yes, having an occasional moan
about the attitude and the mode of dress of drivers, I realise
that even if I didn’t already know, the London Taxi Industry is
simply the best in the world. Yet visitors from abroad seem to
appreciate our service more so than those that live and work in
London. As an example, when we arrived at Washington Dulles Airport on the start of our trip, a prepaid limo was to meet us and take us to Baltimore for an overnight stay prior to the cruise. Tired and exhausted after a long trip and expecting the driver to meet us in the airport terminal, surprise, surprise, no driver! So what do we do now? Airport staff had not heard of the limo company. A member of airport information phoned the limo company but with no response. We decided to search for the driver outside the terminal building. After about an hour, we eventually found the driver. The vehicle had no company markings or passenger nameboard; in fact it was pure luck we found him. Unbeknown to us, onboard there were another two passengers who were to be dropped off en-route. They were also frustrated having to wait so long. After a bit of verbal with the driver, he said the boss would like to speak with me on his cell phone. It turned out that unless we paid a paid further $100, we would be going nowhere. Insisting that I had already prepaid $140 for the ride, I was told it wasn’t enough. This left me with no choice but to cough up, what a crook! I am pleased to say the travel agent and the cruise line are investigating. But not a great start… The next adventure was on our return to Baltimore after the cruise. Prior to leaving the ship, I asked the Purser if we could have a vehicle to take us to Washington, unfortunately I was told this was not possible, but was told there were plenty of cabs outside the terminal building. Washington DC is a matter of |
ARE WE OBNOXIOUS? Mike Son takes a look! |
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approximately 40 miles. The
luggage guy took us to a line of waiting taxis. The first cab
was really skanky and the driver wasn’t much better. I asked the
Taxi Marshall if we could wait for another in better condition,
but they all seemed to be the same, so we got in the cab. He was
one miserable S-o-B - you can tell I’ve just returned from the
USA! He asked me for directions and of course I hadn’t a clue;
he then tried to use his SatNav, which wasn’t much help.
Nevertheless, he said he would get us to Washington. The cab was filthy, the seats were torn and to top it all, at about 60/70 miles per hour he kept on fiddling with the SatNav. I told him not to worry about that and that I was sure if we asked for directions, between us we would get there. The driver seemed to be talking to himself en-route, there was no radio in the cab and we were getting more than concerned. Driving at 60 along the freeway, he suddenly swerved onto the hard shoulder. I asked what he was doing and he said he was going to try the SatNav again! It was getting to be quite scary, I can prove that by the bruises I suffered where my wife was holding my arm. We eventually arrived at our destination more than a little shaken but not stirred. Will I still moan about the mode of dress about London Cabdrivers? Most probably, but we are still undoubtedly the best taxi service in the world.
Another little adventure… |
Lads & Girls Brigade when I
was young. That is a bit like the Boys Brigade, which was
founded1883 and the JLB - as it was then known- was founded in
1895. Both these organisations are still thriving. Anyway, driving along in Las Vegas, I noticed a shop named The Gun Store. The advert outside said ‘try one’, well no way could I resist that. I entered the store, the sales people both men and women were armed to the teeth. I then got a bit jittery, nevertheless I was there and asked what the procedure was to have go with one of the guns? All that was required was ID and a credit card. How easy was that! I was asked what I would like to shoot with? The choices were unbelievable. I chose one M16 machine gun, an M249 SAW 223 machine gun and two handguns, one of which was a Beretta. After donning ear and eye protectors and having some tuition, it made me laugh when I was asked what target would I like? I thought there would be just one - a bulls eye. Oh no, I was offered Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, plus others. I chose Osama bin Laden, this apparently is the most popular! Only in America could it happen! Those who have served or have family in the military most probably would think this was a game and I was not taking account of those youngsters who do the real job of protecting us. The targets were made of paper and didn’t shoot back. What would I do if a gun were pointed at me? Most assuredly something nasty in my trousers!. However, the experience was enjoyable - in fact it was awesome! Mike Son |
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