|
He’s driven his taxi around the world, but Tony Arnold told Call Sign: The two mile trips are the worst! |
||
|
Call Sign
has followed Dial-a-Cab driver Tony Arnold (F03)
around the world as he carries on his life’s passion of teaching
the world how real taxi drivers drive! Although Tony has been
with the Society for over 25 years, our first realisation of
what Tony loves to do was in 2002 when after having his TX1
flown to the Chinese capital of Beijing, he drove it all the way
back to Trafalgar Square with two Chinese students as
passengers! Over the following years, he has driven his taxi throughout Europe, Africa and even went to Australia in an attempt to demonstrate what real taxi drivers are about. But it was barely a few weeks ago when Tony picked up Pakistan High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan at the Royal Garden Hotel and was told to drive to the "office" in |
 
Lowndes Square. Normally it would be just another trip, but this
trip came right in the middle of allegations concerning the
Pakistan cricketers being involved in spot betting and match
fixing."The press were like vultures," Tony told Call Sign, "they thought nothing of banging my TX4 on its roof just to get me to stop while they took photos of this poor High Commissioner who had probably never held a bat in his life! And just to rub it in, Sky News caught the incident on video |
and every 30 minutes you could
see my taxi surrounded by cameramen who didn’t seem to care if
they caused damage - so long as they got their photo! At least the Commissioner had the decency to apologise, because the cameramen certainly didn’t." They then followed him to Lowndes Square where he went through the same routine again. On his way back from China, Tony and his cab were held at the China-Russian border crossing of Manzhouli, where guards refused to let him through unless he coughed up a huge ransom! Then a restaurant with a sign saying Pizza Hut, offered to cook him and his passengers a freshly caught dog! "At least they didn’t act like lunatics," Tony said with a smile as he went to look for his next job... |
|
Former Dial-a-Cab driver, Bob Woodford, writes a regular column for Call Sign from his home in Languedoc, France… CALL SIGN EN LA BELLE FRANCE |
||
|
The Bean Machine... anyone for coffee? It’s a great passion of mine – you can buy some really good stuff at the little bars and cafés in the south of France – the perfect start to the day! But every time I have a mooch around the City of London these days, I am staggered by the explosion of seemingly endless new chains of coffee bars opening up all over the place. It seems that you cannot turn another corner without glimpsing yet another Starbucks, Costa or Caffe Nero. Let’s face it, all these places provide overpriced weak coffee, yet they are in your face every which way you move. Of course they are convenient for the addict, and that probably includes many taxi drivers who get snared in the ever-growing habit of patronising these places. I got used to drinking really good coffee along the |
 Mediterranean and if you really want a decent cuppa in London while pushing the droshky around, then in my experience you won’t do better than to grab a takeaway from The Expresso Room in Great Ormond St or the Monmouth Coffee House in Stoney Street. But the next time you are gagging in the City, take my advice and hang your Cab up on either the Sweetings rank or Temple of Mithras rank, both inn Queen Victoria Street and walk over to The Bean Machine. When I first glanced over at the mobile coffee unit sponsored by |
Illy parked up outside St Mary Aldermary Church, I didn’t
really give it much of a thought at first, but as usual I gave
it a try. Stuart is the name of the guy that has ‘taken a punt’
– having spent a small fortune on the kit and then asked the
vicar to rent him a pitch. He now provides what in my opinion is
one of the best cups of coffee in the square mile. If I wanted a
double shot latte from Costa in Bow Lane it would set me back
£2.65, the same drink with Stuart not only tastes hugely better,
but only costs £1.90. Don’t just take my word – give him a try. He’s there from 7am till 6pm, making the short trek each day from his home in De Beauvoir Town. Mine’s a large latte – no sugar, thanks! Vive la café… Bob
Woodford (Ex-P49) |
 |
Powered by NetXPosure |
| Copyright 1997-2010 Dial-A-Cab Ltd, All rights reserved. |