Cablog

Battling

Downtown Port Macquarie, home to kingmaking Independent, Rob Oakeshott. Mate, things are so tough in the bush we can't even afford a lousy $50m Opera House.

As for current broadband speeds, this post was uploaded over a home wireless network connected to ADSL2+, not much slower than I enjoyed in Sydney using a dedicated cable. Yet, even better, is news that the NBN roll out will not only cost considerably less to the taxpayer but will first start in the bush. Eureka!

Greasy

One of the hazards of driving taxis is those idiots who decide to target cabs with rocks, bottles, laser spotters, food, etc.

Late on Saturday night the cab was hit with chocolate cake and vanilla custard, greasy crap requiring much cleaning with soapy water, inside and out. The big surprise was the food attack occurred outside a school with one culprit wearing the school uniform!?

The school has now been contacted, as done with a previous incident also involving an Eastern Suburbs private school. Grrrr...

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Revenge

A recent passenger told of being booked by a council ranger over a marginal parking violation. “I only stopped to drop off a video and returned just as the fucker was printing out the bluey. So I fronted him and told him to shove the ticket.”

The matter went to court where my passenger, a genuine hard man with a previous criminal record, threatened the ranger outside court. That he did so in the presence of a police officer resulted in a second fine, increasing hard boy’s overall cost by ten-fold.

“Doesn’t matter,” he growled. “I got the c...’s home address from the evidence statement when I went back to court. And one day when he least expects it I’ll come calling. In the end he will pay.”

In the taxi game revenge is certainly entertained when drivers are robbed, scammed or dumped upon. Take the recent case of a cabbie who carted a messy drunk across town to have his family greet the hapless passenger with a beating. The driver was charged with kidnapping and assault.

Back in winter I had cause to lodge a report with Marrickville police over a fare evader. A Kings Cross scumbag had jumped in late one night when I was stuck in traffic. He was in shock, he claimed, after earlier spotting his sixteen year old sister and her boyfriend scoring on the streets of the Cross.

From the start I knew he was dodgy so I elected to entertain him in order to establish a rapport and avoid a possible assault. We talked tough and crude and I mentioned my background growing up in the area playing junior footy. He spoke of doing jail time for GBH.

At Dulwich Hill he had me enter a rear lane to a unit block where he said, “Boss, just wait here for a minute, I’ve left me key card inside.” Then he scurried off leaving a set of house keys on the seat. Attached to the key ring was a medallion with the name and phone number of a local gardening service.

I quickly jotted down the number before he returned for the keys and that was the last I saw of him. After waiting for ten minutes I headed to the cops thinking the gardening service details would enable them to take action, somehow.

This was total delusion as the cop treated me like an idiot, especially after hearing that the amount in question ‘was only $35..!?’. “What do you want us to do?” he scoffed. “We’re busy right now with other matters.” In the background three officers in police overalls stood around joking together. It was 3:30am.

He scribbled out a COPS event number and handed me a card without requesting my name or contact details. In short it was a humiliating waste of time and I left there wanting to pay the scumbag a visit one day.

Well, if I was a hard man with a tendency for violence I just might. Instead, sanity prevailed with the event being written off as a cost of driving taxis.

Uplifting

Accumulated fatigue from the election campaign caught up with me last week when I returned to regular shifts. This, plus normal takings resulted in a lack of eagerness for meaningful passenger contact.

So it was a pleasant surprise on the weekend I was hailed in Newtown by a young woman holding an antique horn. I immediately requested she give it a blast and the startling noise woke me from my lethargy.

“It’s a gift for my sister,” she laughed. “It will be perfect for her school history project.”

She purchased the horn after a big win on the poker machines, also enabling her to indulge on a taxi rather than catching public transport to an afternoon party.

“What shall I do,” she mused, “put the money into rent or go shopping? I think I’ll buy some clothes.” This could easily have sounded superficial but there seemed to be a deeper quality at play...

Insult

Saturday night on Oxford Street builds slowly towards midnight when the strip starts jumping with the endless arrival of drunk and excited clubbers. They are invariably aged in their twenties which is why I first noticed an older woman amongst the pedestrian traffic.

What also caught my eye was she was struggling against the flow towards the cab as I waited at lights. Unusually for this place late at night were her two kids, one on the hip and a toddler being dragged by the hand...

Cabpoll extra

Something extra for those avid fans of Cabpoll...

Here's a follow-up chat with Greens supporter Chris from the inner city seat of Sydney. We discuss likely scenarios pertaining to the Greens holding the Senate balance of power from next July. Other passengers I’ve spoken to reflect the strong result for the Greens in Saturday’s poll when many Labor supporters switched across in protest...

Cabpoll 10

The final Cabpoll now up at ninemsn, with bonus video!

In a straw poll for the final Cabpoll of the campaign, I canvassed other taxi drivers with the question: 'What are your passengers saying about the election, Labor or Liberal?'

UPDATE: Here's an interview yesterday on 2CC.

Cabpoll 9

New Cabpoll now up at ninemsn... Motorists approaching the Anzac Bridge yesterday were greeted by a monster billboard imploring voters to reject Tony Abbott. "He's just too big a risk", it blared, suggesting he's an economic flake.

Cabpoll 8

Today's Cabpoll... As the broadband issue finally came to life this week most passengers were supportive of the Government's NBN proposal as compared to the Opposition's alternative solution. It seems to be a question of do we invest less only to spend more later, or spend up now for the...

Cabpoll 7

Today's Cabpoll online now... It has been difficult to find passengers supporting the Government’s re-election without them automatically resorting to anti-Abbott diatribes to justify their position.