Mabel

Taxi driving is a cruel game made even crueller by passengers like Mabel. The Mabels’ of the world know their rights and offhandedly employ them at every opportunity, regardless of the impact on their hapless victims.

Yet when it’s explained to them that such thoughtless practises are unfair to hard working cabbies, these Mabels, paid decent money for their undoubted intellect, plead ignorance..!?

Early this morning I waited 50 minutes on point car at a regular rank when finally a familiar face appeared. This was a $55 fare - a pleasant, chatty passenger. There is a God, I mused, watching him sign-out in the lobby. Then Mabel suddenly appeared and beat him through the door.

All the drivers complain about her, wishing she’d just grab the rear cab like other considerate, short-fare colleagues, but what can we do. She’s entitled to plonk herself down in whatever cab suits her and always takes the first cab.

So when she made a beeline for my back door, I dejectedly climbed into the driver’s seat knowing I’d just lost $50, or five hours wages on a dead Sunday night. I decided it was time for a quiet chat.

Pulling away I quipped, “Gees, that chap heading to Mona Vale was coming but you beat him by one second!” Silence. “You know," I continued, "there’s another girl who lives around the corner, like you, and she always takes the last taxi.” More silence. She knew exactly what I was saying.

Precisely three minutes and $5.65 later we stopped outside her apartment tower. Although she tipped a couple of extra bucks for the short fare, I resolved to explain myself further, stating, “I only pointed that out before because I’ve just waited 50 minutes for a fare.”

This brought an immediate curt response. “Listen, I know you people have a hard job but don’t expect me to walk home at this time of night.” She was deliberately avoiding the issue. “I’m not suggesting that,” I told her. “All I’m saying is that we’d prefer you took the last cab instead of the first cab. It’s a simple consideration, that’s all.”

Yet no way would she accept being chided for her laziness by some bum cab driver. Leaning forward she growled, “Hey, don’t take your problems out on the passengers, okay?”, then quickly exited the cab. It was a pretty lame response and I braced myself for the inevitable door slam.

Fortunately, however, I’m happy to report that there are very few passengers like Mabel. Thankfully.

Comments

[Chris]

I didn't realize that if you had a short trip that it was polite to get a cab from the back. I thought you should always just take the first one. Maybe you should do a blog post on cab passenger etiquette?

[Boy on a bike]

I agree with Chris. I always thought you'd get in the poo if you didn't take the first cab off the rank.

[kartar]

Interesting. I didn't know that one either. I second the idea of a little known cab etiquette guide... :)

[Dennis]

I think you have to take the good with the bad Adrian. Sometimes a cab rank may have 20 taxis lined up. How do you apply this rule then? - if you take the last cab (who may have been waiting 1 minute) the second last cab (who may have been waiting only 2 minutes) might think he is more entitled (albeit to the short fare) and blow up deluxe. Equally, if you walk straight to the back, the cabbies at the front who don't know that it is only a short fare will start yelling at you. Cop it sweet mate. For every story like this you report, you seem to get some good bloke who tips or a stroke of luck with a return fare. Swings and round abouts.

[dianne]

Yes, I would have to agree with the other comments. I would have no idea how long a cab had been waiting at a rank for a fare. I have always assumed that I should take the cab at the front of the queue.

[george]

Get the contact details of your bloke from Mona Vale, ring him. Tell him you enjoy the chats and the fare and inform him of your cell number and you will be there for him whenever.

As for the Mabels, go to a novelty store and buy one of those realistic plastic vomits you can throw on the back left seat. Should produce an instant recoil. Mutter something about "darned Warriors supporters, didn't notice that" as her stillettos click off towards the next flounder and dab.

[Rainer the cabbie]

I am having what George is having.
N.B. I can't stand ranks for the Mabel reason. Not her concern, by the way, your bad luck ! That is why I try not to work that way, unless a quick turnover is assured.

[blinky bill]

So on your logic, when I leave a football game and want to buy a hot dog just for me I should seek out the hotdog seller who arrived last but if I want to buy 5 hotdogs for me and my family then I should go to the one who arrived first.

Get Real

[Kim]

I also would have thought that a passenger would be doing the right thing by taking the first in line.

Then again, I live where one hardly ever takes a cab and never knew of any finer points of what is the done thing.

Glad I know now.

[adrian]

Regarding the suggestions for an rank 'etiquette guide' I was certain there is already a Cablog post addressing short fares and ranks.

However I can't locate it and so will knock something up for tomorrow in order to properly explain this situation which really irks cabbies.

[blinky bill]

Forget about what irks cabbies. These are the things that irk a fare paying passenger.
[1] At the end of a hard day being lectured by a cab driver about cab etiquette.
[2] After working all day interstate, 2 hour plane trip and then have to direct the driver how to find your address.
[3] Getting in a filthy cab driven by a smelly driver.
[4] Bombarded by the drivers choice of music
[5] Fraudulent altering of Cabcharge dockets
[6] When any of the above happens and you refuse to tip, you cop verbal abuse

All of these things (except No1) have happened to me over the last 3 years as a passenger traveling 5 nights a week and a $35 fare.

[Rainer the cabbie]

Let me tell you what irks this cabbie when it comes to ranks, and I don't mean to take the wind out of your sail Adrian.
They are stupid and most Cabbies love them. Sure, especially nowadays, one gets frustrated to run around the block like a mad chook, so a rank looks like a good prospect to find work. But they aren't ! Most ranks are in places where the local population shops and needs a LOCAL trip home. What makes ranks so attractive for a lot of cabbies is that the networks have linked radio work to them and there is a chance of pulling a good dollar if your are patient and LUCKY enough to score a job as such. You take your chances and often don't get what you are after anyway. In the mean time a lot of cabbies, and I condone but fully understand this, give the local fares a hard time which is not justified towards the customer. Many a times could I have thrashed a passenger in this situation, but didn't, all they wanted is trying to go home. Easy. So I have come to the conclusion that ranks suck and I try to avoid them as they make me do things against my nature. Pity all those Radio bookings miss out on my great company.

[manly cabbie]

what the hell where you doing siting on a rank for 50 min god after 15 min i move on as i have said before some networks don't have to rely to much on hails as you get plenty of radio work(with no rank preference)as someone else said you take the good with the bad.(but i must admit as a cabbie if i grab a taxi of the rank and it is only a short fare i also grad the back cab but gee you do get some dirty looks from the point car)

[ex-legionnaire]

All these short fare Mabel writers-"I didn't know you were waiting a long time-after all geez, $5 is $5, you should be grateful".Selfish. No thought for others.The type who vomit on barmen and say "If you don't like it, why do you work here?". Yes, these are the people who drop garbage in food courts "because there are cleaners here and they need something to do".

As for you Blinky Bill,you know where you can stick your processed meats.....

[manly cabbie]

he's a sort of short fare mabel story.driving a day shift last thursday i picked up a lady with a walking frame and took her to warringah mall shopping centre(those in sydney will know the suberbs named)as the taxi rank had no taxi's on its the best place to drop of disabled pass i pulled up there.after helping the lady out of the cab i was walking back round to the drivers seat when another vacant taxi pulled up behind me on the rank.after filling in the paper work on the taxi transport subsidy scheme voucher the lady gave me i thought i get out and say g'day to the driver behind.His first words were you arn't going to stay there are you i'm sick of taxi's dropping on the rank then staying point car(even though he only pulled up after i became vacant).So i though your kidding mate but if your attitude is that you can have point spot,so i drove of and let him have it and i pulled in no 2 car.After about 5 min a passenger walks up and gets in his cab a pass i have had over the years and only goes local and is a $5.20 fare lucky him i thought.After waiting approx 3 more minutes a eldery lady gets in my cab and i think ok i got a local job to but to my surprise she says north avalon please driver happy days a $55 fare,karma i think to myself.But it gets better nearing north avalon i score a whale beach to church point $32 job which led me to a bayview heights to sydney airport job $105 so $192 in approx 2 hours wonder what the grumpy cabbie from the mall rank got,a afternoon of mabels i hope.

[Paul (ex-brissie cabbie)]

The only thing worse than Mabel is waiting at the international airport to get a trip to the domestic airport..... WTF

1 hour for $7-50......

The airport should have a special spot for international to domestic for drop cab to take.....

it really shits me that nobody cares about the driver.....

This is why I left the industry..... only to return in my nightmares.....

[Sarah]

I'm with just about everyone else who commented- had absolutely no idea that there was ever a time when it was polite to take the cab at the rear of the queue. There've been a number of times when I've desperately wanted *not* to take the front cab because I've just seen the driver smoking and I know he'll stink, or whatever, and I've taken it anyway because I thought it was the polite thing to do. Maybe you should publish a guide to cab etiquette!

[Ben]

What exactly constitutes a short fare ?

I had a driver pick me up a couple of Fridays ago after work at 6 for a trip from the Cnr Erskine/Sussex to Surry Hills.
He well and truly let me know that I wasn't the whale of a fare he wanted out to Penrith. I asked him if he would like me to leave the cab and wait another 10 mins for the next available.
He said yes, and I got the shits and asked him to do his job and take me home.I can tell you after experiencing this that its a pretty shitty feeling to be declined service when you are expected at home because your fare is not far enough. I suggested that while I was a short fare I am always polite, don't spew in his taxi and always have enough money to pay. With this recession looming I think you would be wise not to diss the small person, because the fatcat $ 100 fares are going to start to dry up.
I think this Mabel had every right to take the front cab and not be hassled over a short fare them is the breaks. Perhaps a simple suggestion that it is alright to take the last cab when traveling a small distance is appreciated.

I also have never heard of taking the last cab.
And many times would prefer that silver service number in the middle but will always take the first cab off the rank.

It works both ways

Cheers for letting me get my thoughts out..that cabbie the other day really ruined my afternoon.

[adrian]

Hi Ben. Sorry to hear of your recent rejection of a Surry Hills fare which is clearly unwarranted. To explain further the dark art of cab fares I intend posting a blog tomorrow as it's a subject worth revisiting.