Jaded

A young woman hailed me on Cleveland Street, Chippendale last night. It’s a gritty, inner-city neighbourhood deserving extreme prejudice, but she was alone so I stopped.  The hot spring night accounted for her low-cut top, short flared skirt and thongs, all of which I judged as slacker house wear. Plus I quickly noted she wasn’t carrying a bag or purse; did she have any money ?

Climbing in the back seat she ordered neighbouring Waterloo, another dodgy area for cabbies, then started muttering about giving away money...”a dollar here, a dollar there, far out man.” In this area it’s code for ‘no money’.  “What ?” I asked. “Aw, I’m sick of giving money to street people. I mean, I’m not racist but gees....” at which point I switched off. She’s going to rip me so why give her the time of day, or night. 

“That’s why  I keep my money in my knickers,” she continued. “It’s the only way I can say 'no' to the blacks around here.” This got my attention. “You keep your money in your knickers ?” Little wonder I’ve seen the occasional cabbie wearing gloves. “Yeah, and it’s weird ‘cause I’m always telling my daughter not to put money in her mouth – you never know where it’s been, eh ?” Eh, indeed.

Not only had she confirmed her poverty but also succeeded in grossing me out just thinking about handling her money. That is, if she had any.

Sure enough, we stopped outside the notorious Northcote Housing Commission block. Opening the door she announced, “Just wait here a sec and I’ll get the bucks off me uncle.” Without waiting for a response she quick-marched up the path and hit the door buzzer.

While she waited for entry I recalled visiting the joint 35 years ago on a town planning assignment. Funnily enough I still know the statistics – 17 floors; 314 units; 2.8 residents per unit; kids draw cars from the plan view; suicide central. A grim environment long overdue for demolition. 

Two minutes later she’s still waiting at the front door hopping from foot to foot, a bundle of energy whilst constantly glancing towards the cab. If she’s wondering whether I already know she’s scammed me, the answer comes as I turn and drive away.   

Comments

[danny]

I've got very similer experience with you to the same address, maybe all other cabbies do.

[LaLa]

I live in Darlington, which we all know is just a posh name for in between Redfern and Chippendale. At least Chippendale to Waterloo is not a large fair and you got out of the area safely.

[Goldstein]

I might have picked her up, but I would definitely have wanted to see some cash up front.. If she couldn't show any cash, or reckoned she was going to get the cash at the other end, I'd probably look at her, point to my forehead, and say "What, have I got 'F***WIT' written across here?"

Then you get the whining, the sob story, the offer of contra -she'll give you a "handie" to "pay" for the trip, etc, etc..

I've had just too much to do with skanky biatches and their problems.. just not interested..

The worst? I got hailed by a Koori woman at 3am, I pulled up, she leapt in the back seat, I quickly realised she was 1. psychotic 2. had shit herself 3. had no money 4. didn't know where she wanted to go.. I drove her about 200 metres, stopped, got out, hauled her out -she starts screaming that I'm the "Mafia" and am killing her, I check the seat and thank God that her kack hasn't stuck to the seat cover, and I screech off, she throwing hand-fulls of pebbles at the rapidly departing taxi..

If you don't have blood pressure problems when you start driving cabs... give it a minute..

[Nam]

I once had a job booking from nearby George Street Waterloo to Haberfield. It was a decent fare and had decided to accept it and hoped for the best.

I took my time and the operator calls me to ask me where I am because the passenger had been waiting for a while. I thought "sweet, must be a legitimate fare".

I get there and it is a Aboriginal fellow with a mohawk similar to De Niro in "Taxi Driver" (out of all movies!) and thought "shit". But I decided to take him in fear of being in trouble for discrimination.

Through out the ride I couldn't wait to get rid of him because he was off his face, talking gibberish, offensive and had me made feel endangered.

We eventually arrived at the destination and he hands me over a card for an EFTPOS transaction that I had never seen before. And to my surprise (sarcasm) he had no money/credit, not even 10 cents.

Right then and there I decided to not ever give these guys the benefit of the doubt. I have kicked them out and drove away from these people many times without any regrets or remorse. There's no point in risking your safety for 10 bucks.

Sadly for them, and in society in general, there are reasons why stereotypes of Aboriginal people exist. And that's the cold hard truth.

[zhasper]

I used to live just across the road, in a red brick apartment block. Cabbies always gave me dubious looks when I told them were I was going, and a few even flat out refused to move until I got out of the cab.

I tried to always tip at least a few dollars to thank them for taking me there.

[Aurelius]

Nam's obviously confused about the difference between poverty and race.

[brisman33]

Yeah been there done that as well. These parasites
are quite happy to rip of hardworking taxi drivers who pay taxes to keep them on the dole. It's not as if a cabbies hourly earnings are enough to easily absorb these losses.

Filth, pure and simple. My time driving a cab was a lesson in the kind of rubbish that exists in this world. Van parks, housing commission estates, low income areas. I didn't know people like this were around.

Thank God I managed to get a real job and get out of it.

[alice]

Sadly for them, and in society in general, there are reasons why stereotypes of Aboriginal people exist. And that's the cold hard truth.

no, it's a way for racists to justify their behaviours. every day there is a case of a white anglo saxon male committing some sort of violence. middle class, upper class, lower class.

i respect that you would want to stay away from a dodgy area, but i've been in detox with a bunch of ice addicts who lived in northcott and around - all of them just taking a break from ice and planning to go right back to it after 7 days of buprenorphine and a free feed, all of them violent, all of them white anglo saxon males.

i'm sorry, but you are talking out your arse. everyone is racist to some degree in that they notice different coloured skins. it's how they choose to react to that awareness.

[pat]

Sounds like you are a racist alice assuming all white people are anglo-saxon. I suppose you're one of those racist people who say all asians are the same. Why do racists like you always have to bring race into everything you racist.

I suppose if I keep repeating the word racist my argument just gets stronger and stronger and I feel more and more morally superior.

[Aussiesmurf]

Disclaimer : I'm not and never have been a cab driver.

Nam, I accept that as a cab driver it is often necessary to make 'judgement calls' regarding your personal safety and collection of fares. I'n not sure what you mean when you say talk about giving 'these guys' the benefit of the doubt. If you mean that when you see someone of Aboriginal appearance that you are automatically less likely to take the fare, then of course that is racism. You're discriminating against someone (ie. not taking their business) based on their race.

If you're saying that you were reluctant to take a fare because the personal was drunk / crazy / out-of-control / on drugs and so forth, then say that rather than talking about stereotypes of Aboriginal people.

[Anthony]

"Nam's obviously confused about the difference between poverty and race."

No, Nam's just avoiding being bashed and robbed. Or just robbed. If he misses out on some fares, well, that's his problem.

[Nam]

Tho those who are opposed and agreed to what I had said, your points are valid.

Yes I would say that my behaviour would constitute racism based on the definition of racism (to discriminate based on one's ethnic appearance). However, I would feel equally uncomfortable or racist had I seen or were to pick up a dodgy looking Asian (I am Vietnamese), white anglo, Middle Eastern, or Islander appearance. In that respect, I am equally racist across all races :)

To Alice, I can understand how angry or upset you feel. But you must understand that from a taxi drivers perspective that we must look out for ourselves particularly as we are mobile cash machines. Hence we are easy targets for assaults and roberries. And I guess you didn't read my post exactly because my instincts had served me correct. He was dodgy lookng and had exhibited dodgy behaviour. And what do you know, he had no money either. Luckily I missed out on a fare only and had not been bashed. You must realise the world is not so black and white (excuse the pun) but these are the harsh realities that some Aboriginal people are like this.

[Nam]

At the end of the day, despite how upsetting it can be for some people, taxi driving is about making money and making it out on the end of the day.

If I lose out on money and fares based on some of my decisions with how I judged people on the exterior (be it race, clothing, hairstyle) then that's my own problem.

[Goldstein]

Alice, last night I watched a show on SBS-TV, made by Kooris, that I think quoted "45% of young offenders in custody in NSW are Indigenous" -so basically 1 in 2 of juveniles locked up come from this cultural group that is only about 1 or 2% of the total population..

In Adelaide, where I am at the moment, there is a crime gang they call "The gang of 49" made up of aboriginal youths, who have been creating mayhem -armed robs, ram raids, car chases, car jacks, muggings, all over the metropolitan area for months -all with long records, all been in and out of "Youth Detention" since they hit puberty.. They are gradually getting locked up, as the cops catch them, but the social mess that created them is creating their replacements as we speak..

You admit to being in "detox" -so, by my "Taxi Health and Safety" standards, if I came across your white ass at 3.00am, off your gourd on Meth or whatever, I'd be driving off without you..

My bad experiences in a cab were mostly with drunks -white, black, whatever.. Violence? Mostly white men.. Rude/Arrogant? Pick a color..

[manly cabbie]

at least adrian you didn't have a bottle filled with piss thrown at you from one of the upper levels as has happened to me.i have worked as a firefighter for 24 years spending all those years at either headquarters in castlereagh st,redfern or alexandria all 3 stations take in waterloo in their responce districts and some of the stories i could tell you about all those housing commision high rises would turn your hair white.(driving a cab is my part time job)

[manly cabbie]

john northcote is in surry hills not waterloo sorry to be perdandic

[Paul Pluta]

BRISMAN33 - you are 100% CORRECT!

DITTO DITTO DITTO!!!!

I have never seen as much scum\sexual weirdos\addicts\losers as when I drove taxis between real jobs...... THANK GOD I AM OUT OF THE INDUSTRY.....

[Former Houso]

not wanting to be pedantic either, but its john northcott not northcote.

[Former Houso]

manly cabbie - you should try working for the commish!

[Apophenia]

I live on Regent Street, Chippendale. Right near the Go Gas that all the cabbies refuel at.

Your description of my neighbourhood seems apt, although Chippendale does have it's charms.