Old Timer

A fare this morning was telling me how he used to be a taxi driver in Barrow way back in the early seventies. He was a partner in a local firm, now long since gone called Blue Cars and he was telling me how much the job has changed in the last thirty five years. Back then not as many taxis were about, but then again nor was their as much work for them. Even back then the rivalry existed between firms and they were always trying to pinch each others fares. One of the tricks back then when company's only had a single phone line was to ring from an obscure phone box out in the sticks and then leave the phone of the hook, this left the firm unable to receive calls until the offending phone box was found. He agreed that the advent of the mobile phone has changed the business altogether, back then if it was raining by the time you found a pay-phone you were wet anyway and so you carried on walking. The other thing of course is the cash machine, back then if you were skint you walked home, nowadays fares simply ask to stop at the ATM to get cash. He went on to mention that he knew the boss of our firm and used to work nights with him, and that one night he disappeared without trace. He turned up next day and told a tale of picking a group of visiting sailors up, they were going back to a ship down the docks and they insisted that he join them for a drink. This turned into a marathon boozing session and he woke up on the ship next day with a massive hangover.