Cablog

NYE Cabs

Today sees horror predictions for would be taxi users tomorrow night, New Years Eve. Melbourne City Taxi-Free Zone blares The Age. Bullshit, some CBD road restrictions apply, as they do in Sydney every year. Hobart Taxi Drivers to Boycott NYE warns the ABC. Well, maybe some will stop at 10pm after enduring a pretty rough Christmas Eve. Fair enough too.

With around one million revellers converging on Sydney Harbour it's a true endurance test. And if you haven't seen Sydney's spectacular fireworks before, then go. Otherwise wait for another night for a more relaxed time to check out the Harbour. The Bridge Diamond and feature lights will still be in operation, with plenty of cabs to get home.

If need be, bribe a relative, friend or neighbour to pick you up after midnight NYE. Real thrill seekers can use this guide for public transport. Or if taxis are your only option, here's some advice from NSW Taxi Association spokesman Michael Jools,

Have patience, be reasonable, have a sense of humour and be prepared to share.

Happy New Year to all, especially to this guy in Port Macquarie yesterday morning.

UPDATE : Sydney Morning Herald readers, passengers and drivers, go off.

On Hold

Currently I'm out of town gearing up for a heavy January work schedule, commencing this coming weekend. Sadly though the weather is unseasonably cold and my planned beach visits haven't eventuated. Bloody global coolering, I blame Bush.

A message to the Paper Boy - your delightful son, shown here at Christmas celebrations, managed to compromise my 'robust' immune system with a particularly explosive bug. Fortunately it was only an overnighter. Still, I now feel justified in mentioning the cricket - there'll always be an England..? No matter, I'll gladily cab you home from the Sydney Test next week. Just call me.

Goodwill

Christmas Eve is a night when most people either stay home or keep it local in preparation for today. And many young people who would normally be out late preceding a public holiday make do with a quiet night at their local hotel. Except the Irish tourists who are always up for a big night out.

Early in the evening I worked the eastern suburbs doing a bunch of local radio jobs for those out socialising at friends houses. Passengers were relaxed and friendly with each journey ending in exchanges of goodwill and the infectious vibe was certainly invigorating after recent weeks of Christmas madness.

At midnight two young Irish fellas in their twenties breathlessly requested I get them to St Mary’s Cathedral post-haste. They’d been at the pub dancing and raging with friends and left their run late for the midnight Christmas service and carols.

Upon dropping them three young Irish women climbed in and requested Scruffy Murphys, a notorious late night Irish pub at Haymarket. ‘What about church ?’, I asked. ‘It’s too crowded’, they replied. ‘We couldn’t even get in the door’. Over a hundred worshippers congregated outside the Cathedral during the hour long service.

After it finished I carried two fares home to the inner City, passengers I wouldn’t normally associate with church attendance. One young woman related how the majority of worshippers were under forty years of age. ‘It was surprising the amount of young people there’, she said. ‘I thought interest in the Church was dying’. Not at Christmas.

Her fare was $10.30. ‘Just make it ten bucks’, I said, not wanting to muck around with coins for change. Handing me a twenty dollar note she said, ‘No, no, make it fifteen’. ‘Aw mate, you’re an angel’, I told her. ‘I ought to be’, she laughed, ‘after just spending an hour in church’. I departed planning how to target more church services in future.

The other fare from the church also tipped generously with the fella coming to the driver’s window and patting my shoulder. ‘Driver, you have a lovely Christmas’, he said. It was that sort of night at a special time of year. Happy Christmas folks.

Ho Bloody Ho

Ho bloody ho from one tired cabbie. I trust all are now finished for the year and slotting into full festive mode, hic ! Warning - there's a lot of idiots out there in traffic.

After a short break next week I'll be in the saddle full time through January, such is the lot of a relief driver. So feel free to check in here whenever for a story every other day.

In the meantime I wish readers, their families and loved ones a wonderful Christmas holiday. And please, don't drink and drive, or even walk, use a cab. Enjoy.

Uncle A.

Cab Belts

Today sees the introduction of double demerit points in New South Wales over the next eleven days. And the fines are not much fun especially where loss of licence is possible.

For some reason many passengers don't wear seat belts in taxis. Maybe they feel lucky. Whilst taxi drivers are obliged to request passengers buckle up, if adults decline then they're on their own if caught and liable to a fine of $213. However drivers must insist children under the age of 16 wear a belt and those under 1yo have a child restraint.

Here's the range of driver penalities, for those not wearing seat belts.

It’s a little known fact that NSW taxi drivers are exempt from wearing seat belts. This is due to safety concerns in the event of an attack where a driver can either be strangled or disabled by an attacker from behind, or is hindered from making a quick exit.

As a matter of habit I always wear a seat belt and consider my own chances of a road accident outweigh that of a passenger attack. Fortunately, in ten years of driving a cab I’ve yet to be assaulted. However I’ve been in one serious collision resulting in the taxi being written off. Strangely though in this collision, a head-on at 45 kph, I’m almost certain my belt failed to lock and I was only saved from injury by the air-bag.

It’s my view the seat belt exemption for cabbies should be regarded as a privilege and applied wisely. For example, there is generally more time driving Vacant than carrying passengers, a period when common sense dictates wearing a seat belt.

The chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, Harold Scruby argues the seat belt exemption for taxi drivers is farcical,

"This is extremely dangerous, because in the event of a crash, an unbuckled driver (or passenger) can become a lethal weapon and kill or seriously injure other occupants of the vehicle. No passenger should be forced to face this potential risk, particularly as Australians have an "egalitarian" propensity to ride in the front seat of taxis, where such risks would be greatly enhanced.

Harold’s got a point regarding unrestrained taxi drivers in collisions. Notwithstanding that I’m an advocate for the cabbies seat belt exemption. Due to the high number of cabbies assaulted the last thing they need is a seat belt restraint during an attack.

Whatever

Coffee cream motifs have become an art with some experienced baristas. On my last vacation I scored this design at left in a Grafton cafe. Given the rural locality it was kind of appropiate. (click image)

However recently in an inner-city coffee shop, a gay barista produced this design above on my take-away coffee. Not sure if I should be flattered or concerned by his handicraft.

Can't Win

Late last night at the Opera House roundabout I came across the Ministry of Transport in action. Two officers out of uniform but dressed in all-black were booking a hapless cabbie who’d been part of an unofficial rank. Needless to say he didn’t look happy, gesticulating wildly and yelling in protest whilst it appeared one officer was using her mobile phone to record his displeasure.

Last week the MOT announced they would be conducting undercover operations against offending cabbies. After hours, all over town, impromptu ranks form at venues with a steady supply of passengers. Some ‘ranks’ are certainly a hindrance to traffic whilst others are downright dangerous in their illegal positioning and deserve to be policed. However the Opera House roundabout is one of the safest ‘ranks’ with no interference to traffic. So to be booked there is a tough rap.

Sydney City Council could follow this example for an understanding of our problem.

I mentioned this to a passenger shortly after, explaining how the MOT was responding to illegal touting and fare hiking. ‘Well, if some are willing to pay, why shouldn’t cabbies earn extra during high demand ?’, he argued. ‘It’s simply free market forces at play. Either you’re public transport like bus drivers on award wages or you’re self-employed charging what people will pay’. On one hand this sounded fair enough but also unfair to those unable to pay unregulated fares. Feel free to offer your own views on the issue.

Meanwhile, Perth taxi passengers have just had a horror weekend.

Shamed

Last night was a disaster at the busiest time of the year. Upon commencing work I was unable to log-on to the radio network, a goldmine of work early on Saturday evenings.

I phoned the radio room supervisor who confirmed the network was operational and my radio status was clear. All he could suggest was I visit the radio repair facility at Alexandria, the network headquarters. This is the last thing cabbies need during a peak work period, especially out in the western suburbs. In short I was furious. Finally after two patchy hours of street hails I turned off my Vacant light and headed to Alexandria...

Continue reading "Shamed" »

After recent reports of taxi passengers being scammed by dodgy cabbies, the Ministry of Transport is on the case,

ROGUE cabbies out to cash in on Christmas demand with inflated fares and other unscrupulous behaviour are to be targeted in a crackdown.

The State Government will today announce a blitz that will include undercover officers from the Ministry of Transport patrolling late-night trouble spots during the busy Christmas season.

A hotline will also be established for the public to report illegal touting by cabbies.

Inflated fares is an obvious area needing policing. Exactly how though I'm not certain. I suspect that, aside from an initial hotline report, complainants will need substantiating evidence in writing that a driver sought to negotiate, or charged an off-meter fare. Such evidence would need either corroborating witness statements or recorded conversations for fair process to occur, in order to prove a charge of touting...

Here's the New South Wales State Library feature lit for Christmas

New South Wales Conservatorium of Music

Sydney Town Hall 

Some heritage buildings on Macquare Street - the Mint and Hyde Park Barracks

Lighting by Macquarie Lights - all images enlarge

Crackdown

After recent reports of taxi passengers being scammed by dodgy cabbies, the Ministry of Transport is on the case,

ROGUE cabbies out to cash in on Christmas demand with inflated fares and other unscrupulous behaviour are to be targeted in a crackdown.

The State Government will today announce a blitz that will include undercover officers from the Ministry of Transport patrolling late-night trouble spots during the busy Christmas season.

A hotline will also be established for the public to report illegal touting by cabbies.

Inflated fares is an obvious area needing policing. Exactly how though I'm not certain. I suspect that, aside from an initial hotline report, complainants will need substantiating evidence in writing that a driver sought to negotiate, or charged an off-meter fare. Such evidence would need either corroborating witness statements or recorded conversations for fair process to occur, in order to prove a charge of touting...

Night Lights

Here's the New South Wales State Library feature lit for Christmas

New South Wales Conservatorium of Music

Sydney Town Hall 

Some heritage buildings on Macquare Street - the Mint and Hyde Park Barracks

Lighting by Macquarie Lights - all images enlarge