Home Free

People with no money employ various methods when seeking a free taxi ride. Some will ask, some will run, whilst others can simply demand. When requesting a favour from a taxi driver, or from anyone for that matter, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. Within the space of an hour last night I encountered both methods...

Around 11pm on Avoca Street Randwick I was hailed by a fella sitting in a darkened bus shelter. Generally I wouldn’t stop as he’d hailed me at the last second. Though possibly he’d not been attentive or had missed the last bus, so I made an emergency stop.

He was a big guy around forty years old, reasonably dressed and carrying a large rucksack. ‘Hi’, I greeted him as he climbed in the back seat. I reached for the meter expecting to hear his destination. Instead I heard a measured, unemotional voice, ‘Don’t start the meter’. This took me by surprise and I turned to him, ‘Excuse me..?’. He coldly returned my gaze and stated, ‘This trip’s already paid for’. ‘How do you mean, already paid for ?’. When he ignored me I threw the gear into Park, reefed on the handbrake and waited. He then growled, ‘Listen, I’m the boss here - you drive !’. Alarm bells rang.

The threatening tone of this demand was unequivocal. Plus there was something really unnerving in his empty eyes, beyond unfriendly. A cruel confidence like he knew something significant that I didn’t know. I noted his arm resting easily on the rucksack and envisioned a blade or weapon close at hand.

Whilst hitting the alarm button I quickly weighed my options. We were next to deserted high school grounds and opposite were darkened unit blocks. Other than an occasional passing car there was no visible life this late on a Sunday night, making it too risky to take a stand. Whilst the vehicle was equipped with a camera there was no plastic safety shield, leaving me with the acute feeling of a coiled snake at my back, deadly and unpredictable. ‘Where you going ?’, I asked. ‘The City’ he flatly replied.

Despite there being a manned Police station close-by in the opposite direction, I elected to head towards the City, and Waverley Police station. Surprisingly he didn’t object to my leaving the cabin light on (to monitor any movement from him) as I drove as fast as possible. Yes I busted a red light, overtook a cruising car and didn’t screw around in order to distract him from his plan, assuming he even had one.

A few minutes later I slammed on the brakes outside the Police station, within clear view of an officer at the front desk. Pointing to the door I told him, ‘Mate, you go in there and tell the cops why you’re not paying’. He seemed genuinely surprised at this development and gathering up his bag opened the door and got out. Before closing it he yelled, ‘Thanks for the fuckin’ assistance’, then calmly walked away.

At the same time my network made radio contact after monitoring the cab via vision and audio. After reassuring them I informed the police who radioed a patrol car to check out the clown. Whether they did so or not I was safe, and happy to leave it at that.

Three fares later I dropped a fella at Maroubra Junction and, as expected, found a group of aboriginal kids hanging around the corner. A young girl, maybe aged ten or eleven ran to the cab and my passenger left the front door open. Instead of boarding she leaned on the front seat and with a forced smile full of braces pleaded, ‘Sir, we’ve got no money, can you take us down to Duffy’s Corner ?’. This was two kilometres away in the opposite direction to where I was heading.

Previously, kids at this corner have all piled in the cab requesting the same location, adjacent to the aboriginal estate, only to run on arrival. Given that experience, her courteous request was easily considered.‘How many ?’, I asked. ‘Just me and me girlfriend’. ‘Okay, jump in’, I said, figuring it was only five minutes out of my life. The girlfriend was the same age and I inquired, ‘How come you guys out this late ?’, a pointless but obvious question. ‘Oh, we've just been hanging out’.

Whilst there was a chance of rocks being thrown at the cab on arrival it was a risk worth taking to get them home. After informing the kids they’d done the right thing by requesting a free ride rather than doing a ‘runner’, they readily agreed. ‘Nah, we’re not like that’. Though wild in the streets they weren’t stupid and knew how to avoid trouble in order to get a free ride home. Good luck to them.

Comments

[Paul Pluta]

Hello Adrian,
You are a true professional.

Personally when I was driving cabs I would always stop the car with the auto in REVERSE.

Then if they tried running I simply release my foot from the brake and the SCUM then have a flying door to deal with.

Sort of like russian roulette with the odds staked against them.

Earning $10- an hour and then people try and avoid paying...... that is a terrible industry.

[Carl]

I work in a prison with murderers and thugs, I feel safer in my work place than you sometimes do in yours. What a world!

[Craig]

Adrian, I like you too much to think you'd be in danger.
Please stay safe.
Craig

[Nathaniel]

Adrian that is the number one thing to remember I think when it comes to driving a cab ngihts. Weighing up your options. Where am I? Whats around me? and What is the likely outcome if I make a stand and based on those questions is it worth it ?

You did the right and the smart thing and as a result got the creep out of the cab without incident. Good for you.

[Lee]

That certainly doesn't sound like a pleasant experience with that fellow. I would have had the hairs up on my back, too (If I had any!)