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It’s the Christmas period and plenty of us are going to be spending some time in taxis over the holidays.
And why not? Always good to let others drive, especially when enjoying a drink to celebrate the season. But what are the secrets of the taxi trade? What are the questions you always wanted to ask but never quite had the nerve to?
Recently, Autocar’s sister title Pistonheads ran a Q&A with an anonymous taxi driver, working in Scotland, on its ever-popular forums. He's worked in the trade for 15 years covering all sides of it. Both questions and answers inform, educate and entertain. Most of the questions were answered (‘A’) by the original cabbie, but in some cases other current and former cabbies chimed in with supplementary answers (‘AS’):
Photos used are for illustrative purposes only and do not depict the persons involved in this story or their vehicles.
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CARS ETC.
Which car do you find best suited to taxi use?
A: Most cars are fine as long as they're maintained properly. Personally I prefer Ford Mondeos; I’m now on my third one, an estate. Our fleet is a bit of a mix of Fords, VWs, a couple of Toyota Avensis’ etc.
My current Mondeo is a model from the middle of 2016 – it now has 120,000 miles on the clock and the only grumble I have is that the boot’s a bit on the small side.
But for times I need something larger I have a Bi-Turbo Vauxhall Vivaro Combi, which has a few useful options over standard including sidesteps, LED lighting and Nappa leather. It’s a big comfy bus, and reasonably economical as long as you don't drive it too quickly, and it’ll accommodate eight people with their golf bags and hand luggage. It’s a great workhorse for airport work.
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CARS ETC.
What's the key thing for keeping vehicles going for a busy life?
A: Regular servicing is the key. My previous Ford Mondeo was mapped to 200bhp so 100bhp/litre (for a diesel) and is now nudging 400,000 miles in the hands of its new owners.
How come more taxis aren't automatic ? I'd have thought if you were spending your whole working day in stop/start traffic it would be essential?
A: I thought about a VW Passat with a Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), but then thought of the repair bills on said DSG. Not sure why really other than the thought of some big bills at high miles. It would be a boon in traffic that’s true, but for example tomorrow I'm out on country roads which are much more pleasurable with a manual ‘box.
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CARS ETC.
Tyres - which brands do you prefer, and how many sets do you use per year?
My personal preference is Uniroyal Rainsport 3. They have decent dry grip - more than enough than I'll ever need in a diesel Mondeo, and they’re excellent wet weather tyres. I’m curious to try the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 but they’re not yet available in 235/45/18 size yet so I'll stick with the Uniroyals for now – they’re £86 each and I can quite easily get 20,000 miles out of a front pair.
My Vivaros is new so still on its factory Dunlops - not a great deal of choice for that vehicle so I'll probably keep with the Dunlops.
Which brand of fuel do you think is the best?
A: I haven't used anything apart from BP for the last 10 years.
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THE CUSTOMERS
What percentage of passengers tip?
A: Probably about 60%.
What was the biggest tip you’ve received?
A: £100.
What conversation do you like with 'merry' passengers, or is it better if I just sit quietly?
A: It’s all good, really depends on what sort of passenger you've got.
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THE CUSTOMERS
What percent of fares do a runner?
A: Very low.
SA: In 30 years as a black cab driver in London, I had two that got away with it. In one case a young woman did it, and believe it or not, was chased by a policeman on horseback, along Kensington High Street in west London.
She ran into a shop, he dismounted, gave his reins to his partner, also on horseback, and detained her. She was taken to Earl's Court police station, and her father came down. He apologised to me, paid her fare, plus a chunk on top for my inconvenience and down time.
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THE CUSTOMERS
Have you ever been robbed? Are robberies of drivers common?
A: I’ve never been robbed personally but I know a couple of drivers who have been attacked. It’s not pleasant at all and one of the reasons I concentrate on prebooked/prepaid and contract work these days.
Have you ever been asked to follow someone i.e. in a dodgy scenario?
A: Not yet - I live in hope!
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THE CUSTOMERS
I was at a hotel where the receptionist was sorting a taxi. They were to come to the hotel, pick up some cash and go to the garage to buy some cigarettes, return to the hotel where they would be paid their fare. Apart from being the most expensive tobacco in the world, have you ever had similar odd requests?
SA: Back in the ‘80s my brother used to call the local taxi firm to pick up a takeaway and deliver it to him. He basically invented Hungry House but didn't know it!
SA: Back in my old Private Hire days we'd regularly get runs to the late night garage for cigarettes and bottles of juice etc. or for some evening runs to pick up alcohol from various places.
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THE CUSTOMERS
What type of stuff have you found left behind in your taxi?
A: Over the years pretty much everything. Once I found a few thousand pounds in cash left in a carrier bag. Loads of phones and plenty of sets of keys.
What’s the shortest distance you've taken someone?
A: 0.0 miles, Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow to Glasgow Central station. The station was closer than the car, and a minimum charge of £25 was applied.
SA: South Kensington Station taxi rank, in Harrington Road, London SW7, to the Natural History Museum - maybe 100-150 metres. It was a middle-aged woman who said that her feet hurt.
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THE CUSTOMERS
Do you want passengers in the seat next to you or in the back? I always sit in the back. Bit of personal space for us both but I've a mate who's right up front wanting to be the cabby’s best mate. Do you have a preference?
A: Either - I'm easy. I have regulars that do both and I’m comfortable with either. My Mondeo is fine with plenty of room in the front although I think it would be better in the back in something smaller.
My Vivaro is better in the front just down to the sheer size of it. I actually once had a client sit in the furthest rear row once and then chat away for two hours, which wasn’t the easiest. In fairness she was ill with a cold and didn't want to give it to me.
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THE TRADE
Are you Hackney carriage or private hire?
A: Private hire and executive, although I have passed the Hackney carriage test in Glasgow – but I just didn’t fancy dropping £30,000 grand into a dying trade.
Do you even give the swiftest of glances in your mirrors before making a u-turn?
A: I won’t argue about the roadcraft of some cabbies, it really does my nut in, especially lane hogging in the early hours.
SA: Mirror, signal, manoeuvre - if we didn’t employ that mantra, we’d be permanently off the road having our cars repaired.
SA: My rules when in the trade were: Keep your foot down and watch your front – and give ditherers a wide berth. Show buses respect, they never give way. Taxis have too much to lose so will, but only at the last moment - and you may well get shouted at.
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THE TRADE
Why do you never acknowledge when someone lets you out at a junction or whatever?
A: Some of us do. It’s a complete hate of mine when other so-called professional drivers don't.
Do you enjoy keeping people awake when you sit in a residential area with your diesel engine clattering away for 30 minutes at 3am?
A: It’s all stop-start tech these days - no clattery idling diesels here! I guess it’s to try and keep warm - a thick jumper would save these guys a fortune in fuel every year.
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THE TRADE
What was the largest fare you've ever charged and what was the journey?
A: The longest run for me was Glasgow to Inverness, then down to Bideford in Devon, then back to Glasgow - 1259 miles. That was a nice little earner; decent tip on it as well.
What do you think about Uber?
A: It’s a strange one - they seem to have no concept of self-preservation and are determined to expand at all costs, and to hell with the negative press and quality.
I have a couple of colleagues work with Uber part time and seem to really enjoy it, as have I on the rare occasion I've done a bit with them. I registered when they launched in Glasgow a few years ago and have managed an average of three jobs a week for them over that time.
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THE TRADE
What do you think about black cab drivers?
A: Black cab drivers up here are generally of a decent standard and long-timers in the trade - some of the new drivers coming in with the rise of the Apps are downright scary.
What are the pros of being a taxi driver? Are Friday/Saturday nights still the shifts you need to work to make decent money?
A: There’s fantastic earning potential with little or no entry requirements, and depending on where you work you can schedule work around family life. But a lot of drivers struggle to work the right hours to make good money – and yes, Friday and Saturday nights are key. Most cab companies will be non-stop at the weekends only.
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THE TRADE
I've noticed in heavy rain, fog, dusk or indeed any time really with poor visibility, taxis are always the only cars to not have lights on. Is this taxi drivers trying to save bulb life and only putting lights on at night time or something else?
A: No idea - personally the Mondeo and Vivaro have autolights so are left to do their thing but for me anything without automatic lights is on day and night regardless. And it’s always on upgraded bulbs as you spend that much time on the road you need every advantage going.
SA: Fog lights and dipped headlights went on as soon as I encountered reduced daylight visibility. But rear high density ONLY in fog, never rain, plus I’d use dipped headlights if I had the wipers on in the rain.
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THE TRADE
Have you ever fallen asleep whilst driving?
A: I’ve come close a few times; as soon as you start to feel it you get off the road sharpish. I've done some stupid long runs over the years, the Glasgow-Inverness-Bideford-Glasgow already mentioned being about the worst utter killer one.
What's your personal take on the future of taxis in view of the App-based services like Uber?
A: Our company has launched an App as have most companies. The big worry is when you start seeing venture capital companies buying up services and merging them; I think we'll see a lot of amalgamation in the trade over the next few years.
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THE TRADE
Would you drive faster if the customer asked you to?
A: I would drive faster if they didn't ask me to!
Are taxi drivers ever employees or are they all freelance?
A: It depends on the company and the way it’s structured; we've got two on the books and the rest are self-employed. Ours are genuinely self-employed as they work for other providers apart from ourselves.
When you're approaching the destination, why do passengers open the doors as you come to a stop with total disregard for any passing pedestrians/cyclists/cars?
A: Child locks are useful here. It saves you a door and potential legal issues if they ding a cyclist or another car, and also lets you add a nice little touch of opening the door for them. We have all our drivers doing this now and as a gesture it does make a good impression.
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THE TRADE
Why do passengers slam taxi doors with four times the force they would use on their own car doors?
A: Agreed it’s not good. I feel sorry for the guys with electric sliding doors; it seems to be a regular occurrence for them for passengers to keep pulling even if they are stickered up saying ‘Do not pull’.
Our thanks to everyone involved in this story.
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