Taxi Tales

Fuel Frustration

2012-01-16T20:52:00.000Z

Now being a taxi driver has recently been named as one ofthe ten most stressful jobs so it’s best to try and be calm and placid all thetime whilst working, or else they say that the stress will eventually kill you.

Now nothing usually gets to me, I tend to try and ignore thebad driving and rudeness of the minority who are the morons of the road.

But one thing really gets my teeth gnashing and my rarelyused stock of swearwords in full flow.

It was a busy day, I was low on fuel, and so during a lull Iheaded into my usual supermarket garage to top up the diesel.

But it looked as if every other driver in town had the sameidea at the same time and all the lanes were backed up.

After doing the usual dip zoo magazoo to pick which lane towait in I joined a line of cars.

Much later I was next in line and it was finally about to bemy turn at the pump.

The driver of the car in front of me had got into their carand I moved eagerly forward ready to take its place.

The driver happened to be a woman but I have had the samemaddening experience from both sexes.

She firstly checkedher hair and makeup in the mirror and then carefully stowed away her creditcards cash and sweeties etc, into her handbag.

I started to edgeforward as she put her bag on the floor and started to fasten her seat belt.

But after fiddlingabout finding the buckle and adjusting the belt to her liking, she then foundthat her keys were not in the ignition, so it was off with the belt and backout with the full contents of the bottomless bag.

By this time, all the other lanes had emptied but anothercar had come up close behind me and I was helplessly trapped not earning andsquirming with frustration.

A good few minutes later and the missing keys were found, theseatbelt was fastened, and my hopes were again rising.

Only to be cruelly dashed when a final mirror check revealedsome defect in her eye make-up.

Yep you guessed it the make-up was in the bottomless bag onthe floor and so it went on with her still blissfully unaware of the queue behindher.

That is until she noticed that my taxi was now only a coatof paint away from her car and that I was revving the engine and mouthingcurses about her and all her ancestors beforeher.

She drove of looking quite flustered, I filled up whilsttaking deep breaths, and considering a change of career perhaps a Buddhist monkor a soot juggler eh!

Arithmetic

2012-01-12T20:57:00.001Z

On a bright Sunday morning, the jobwas to pickup from one of the more upmarket Lake District country house hotels andtakes some folks the 100miles to Manchesterairport.

The luggage was loaded and my fare turned out to be a Germancouple and an English guy in his thirties who had been attending a posh weddingat the hotel.

They were all flying back to Tenerifewhere they were living and working.

They seemed to be a reasonably intelligent and sophisticatedgroup and the ride went quickly and smoothly enough, with the couple chatting and the guy playing with his i-phone.

That is until we reached the airport and its unloadingpoint. Now as the airport is very busy and security is very tight only a fewminutes are allowed to unload before you are firmly moved on.

The only thing which needed to be done before we unloadedthe luggage was to quickly pay me the £90 owed for the taxi fare.

They were it turnedout splitting the fare between the couple and the single guy and so they each hadsome notes in their hands.

I could not believe it when the single guy instead ofhanding over the cash appeared to be concentrating on sending a text on hisi-phone.

This went on for a full two minutes and I was getting moreand more stressed thinking about the parking fine that I would surely be getting.

But then looking a bit closer at his beloved phone I realisedwith amazement that he was actually using the calculator function to try andfigure out half of £90.

“Forty five” I blurted out a bit too loudly whilst rollingmy eyes and shaking my head in exasperation.

Believe it or not, he then actually finished checking thissimple sum on his phone for a further thirty seconds before handing over thecash.

Don’t think I have ever come as close to swearing before.

Walney Mosque

2011-12-28T20:52:00.000Z

I had picked up from a local supermarket; my fare was a middle aged womanwho started to whinge about everything and anything from the very moment she got intothe taxi.
She was going to Walney island and on the way started to whinge aboutproblems she had about the island, after a moan about the wind which is alwaysprevalent over there she started on the subject of new folks moving on to theisland. "The bloody p***i's are taking over the place" she moaned,"They are even taking over the bloody pubs," she cried.
She explained what she meant in a long racist rant which boiled down to thatsome Asians had taken on a local island pub the King Alfred and turned partof it into an Indian restaurant and renaming it the Mr Elephant, and then theyhad gone on to take over the George Hotel another island pub which has longbeen in decline.
Driving along Walneys promenade, she looked up towards what was a longabandoned church which has now been demolished apart from its bell tower andwas covered by scaffolding.
“What are they doing there?” she asked pointing at the tower.
Instantly my evil alter ego kicked in and keeping a straight face, I lied to her thatit was going to be the new mosque for all the muslins moving onto Walney.
Egged on by the look of sheer outrage on her face I went on to say that theyhad left the bell tower intact to convert to a minaret so that the call toprayer could be heard all over the island.

She was still muttering and plotting petitions and lettersto her MP when I dropped her off ten minutes later.

I keep laughing about itevery time I drive past the pretend mosque several times a day; hope she doesn’tremember me next time I pick her up eh!

Taxi Forums

2011-12-12T23:26:00.003Z

Its new and not much there but with your contributions could be beneficial to the cumbrian taxi trade. Although aimed towards the Cumbrian taxi driver in the UK the forums are open to anyone regardless of where they are from.

www.cumbriataxiforums.co.uk

Porche Taxi

2011-11-20T20:09:00.001Z

A Porche Taxi in Bangkok or so it seems this is a publicity stunt for Samsung.

Eyes bigger than the belly!

2011-10-14T19:28:00.000Z

I took these photos on Barrow's Rating Lane during the morning rush hour.This is a semi suburban area with lots of traffic and students passing to andfrom the three nearby schools and college.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I sawthe hawk take the wood pigeon down in mid flight especially when I sawthat it was about equal in size.
I stopped the taxi and did a hasty u-turn back to where the hawk had itsintended meal pinned down and then zoomed in from across the road.
I don’t know if the hawk was disturbed by me taking the photos or it hadbitten of more than it could chew with the size of its victim, but the softiesamongst you will be glad to know that shortly after the hawk posed for these photos thepigeon flew away unharmed apart from a few lost feathers.

CowHorse

2011-10-02T18:28:00.002Z

It constantly amazes me that when I point out this funny road sign to my fares most have never noticed it before. The sign is on one of the busiest roads out of Barrow and thousands and thousands of folk drive past many times a day without even noticing it. I love the way its done so skillfully a cross between a cattle warning and a horse and rider sign, very clever.

Code of Conduct

2011-08-03T09:41:00.000Z

Below is a copy of our local councils proposed code of conduct.

Personally I agree with all of it and it seems to me to be all common sense.

I know of some local drivers who are whinging about it but the local trade desperately needs to improve standards of both cars and drivers.

It doesn't take more than a quick look around our local ranks and driver hangouts to spot a minority of drivers who fail to keep themselves and the cars which earn them a living clean and tidy.

The biggest problem in the local trade is simply apathy, drivers will moan and whinge about the trade between themselves but wont bother to get up off there butts and do something about it.

A copy of this proposed code of conduct has been sent to all the drivers but most of them if they bother to read it at all will simply moan about the cheek of the local council expecting them to come to the WORKPLACE clean and tidy.

I just wonder if this code of conduct will be enforced, I sincerely hope so!

We are often the first point of contact when we pick up people from out of the town, what sort of first impression do we want to leave them with!

Overkill or Not?

2011-06-15T18:40:00.000Z

Just got this e-mailed to me! what do you think is this really necessary in this quiet Cumbria backwater or should we not be taking chances nowadays?
Are things getting that bad nowadays that taxi drivers should really be considering investing in one of these. Maybe not but then again think back to just over twelve months ago since Cumbria taxi driver Derek Bird went on a rampage with a shotgun killing twelve people including a fellow driver and shooting and attempting to kill two more cabbies.

The Language Barrier

2011-05-26T10:37:00.001Z

Well not so much the language but the dialect of 2 indian dopctors I had picked up that wanted to go to the local hospital.. I asked them which entrance and one of them said "ANY".. Fine. Maybe I should ask again so I did and got the same response "ANY". I said "Are you sure you want any entrance?" and he said YES.

I then said I would take them to the main entrance and he said "No... I want any entrance". This had me a little baffled until he said it a bit slower. "I want A and E Entrance".

I felt a right plonker.

Furness Tours

2011-05-10T19:05:00.000Z

If you get the chance check out my new venture, which seems to be generating quite a lot of interest. The website is www.furnesstours.co.uk

Candy Cabs

2011-03-30T13:05:00.000Z

Just been sent an E-Mail asking if I would like to buy a new taxi as pictured above. Apparently its one of the cars used in the new BBC series Candy Cabs. Mmmm tempted but maybe not eh! might not go down well when picking up some of our more macho fares.

Pre-booked cab

2011-02-23T02:08:00.001Z

Some people will always book their taxi well in advance and will ask for a taxi at 9am or 10.30pm or five to eleven etc etc but theres always one that has to be a bit eccentric I suppose..

I didnt think anything of it at first until I noticed on the PDA screen (image to the left) that the job was pre-booked for 9.02pm and even so I thought that the customer had rang it asking for it in 20 mins and the telephonist at our end had booked it in as 20 minutes from the current time for example but curiosity got the better of me and so I questioned the young man and asked "What time did you book your cab for" expecting him to say 9pm. He actually said 2 minutes past nine and went on to explain that he was meeting a girl in the pub and had told her that if she wasnt there by 9pm that he would be going without her and he had rang the taxi at 8pm ish anticipating that she wasnt going to turn up and allowed 2 minutes at 9pm and then got in the taxi and went on his way.

Things people say in an argumant

2011-02-20T14:09:00.002Z

It was around 11pm last night that I picked up a young man and woman who were constantly arguing with each other from the moment they got in the car. The argument stopped briefly to allow one of them to tell me where they wanted to go to and then it started again as quickly as it stopped.

I didnt want to get involved and just kept driving and saying nothing as on a lot of occasions they do try and involve the driver with questions such as "What do you think then? I am right or is she right?" I don't get involved in other peoples arguments as I just want to get my job done. Get them to their destination, get the fare from them, and move on to my next job.

However, I couldnt help but laugh when the girl says to Boy "You think you are gods gift to women, well sorry to burst your bubble but gods gift to women runs on batteries! :) " --- Made me laugh anyway

Window Cleaner

2011-02-12T20:38:00.000Z

I have gotten used to some of my fares taking their own sweet time coming out of their houses and getting into the Taxi that they have ordered. Usually it’s a case of not being quite ready because the cab arrived quicker than they thought. Sometimes they struggle to find keys, mobile phone, tickets etc, this is par for the course and doesn’t bother me unduly.

But today when I arrived outside the fares house bang on time was a first for me and left me slightly bewildered. My fare, a well dressed fairly normal looking woman looked out of her front door and raised one finger towards me which is the usual signal to say that she would be out in a minute or so. Imagine my surprise when she reappeared with a window cleaning squeegee and promptly started to clean her front bay window.

She rushed at it as a woman possessed and the squeegee was a blur as she washed and dried off her window in record time.

She then threw the window cleaning gear back into her house, came out, and got in the taxi.

She could see my perplexed expression and so had to give me some kind of explanation. She said “that mucky window has been driving me mad all morning and I just couldn’t leave the house with it like that, it would have driven me mad thinking about it.”

Some folk really are a bit strange eh!

Busy Docks

2011-02-09T14:41:00.000Z

The local Docks in Barrow in Furness seem to be booming at the moment. Everywhere you look on every spare inch of water a ship or boat is moored.

This comes about because of the boom in the offshore wind turbine industry.

We have several big projects going on at the moment in the Irish Sea off Walney. Unfortunately, most of the materials and labor are supplied by the Dutch and Danish, I would have liked to have seen more UK involvement but as most of the investment is by Danish companies, we will have to accept it as sort of second invasion of the Vikings. Still I have had quite a few of the workers and crew as passengers and they seem like a nice bunch of characters.

Wondering about amongst all these ships and boats looking for my fare I was amazed to spot an ex RAF jetfighter hidden away in a corner, How did that get there?

Pen and Paper

2011-02-06T21:02:00.000Z

On a wet and windy Saturday, afternoon and my fare who was a woman of a mature vintage shivered and dripped copious amounts of cold Barrow rainwater as she climbed into my cab. After the usual weather related chit chat, she declared that she had only ventured out into town in this heavy storm to buy some paper and refills for her fountain pen. Refills for a pen I exclaimed why not just buy another pen surely; they only cost a few pence. She looked horrified at the very idea and asked just when the last time that I had received a handwritten letter was. I thought about it for a minute or two and had to admit I couldn’t remember receiving one for many a year.
Come to think of it, the only items that seem to come by post nowadays are bills, computer written official letters or printed junk mail adverts. When I told her this she gave a knowing smile and asked what I do with this correspondence,” it goes straight into the shredder” I replied. Well she says, “I have been writing to as many as thirty different folk all over the world some as far away as Australia for the last fifty years and all of them tell me that they still have every one of my letters”. She must have seen the puzzled look on my face and as if for explanation dug into, her leather bag and pulled out a sheath of handwritten letters. Take a look at some of these she urged, and so when we pulled up outside her house I took the time to check out one or two.
The envelopes and paper used were all of the very best quality and the handwriting was absolutely superb, even though the heavy paper was unlined, every line was equally spaced and looked like a piece of artwork. Not a spelling mistake or grammar error could be seen. Wow, it was a pleasure to even look and read one of the multipage masterpieces, never mind to actually have one sent to you through the post.
I really was impressed and if a Parker fountain pen came along with a spellchecker, I may have even thought about investing in one. No, wonder her readers treasured her letters and I hope that she keeps the art of letter writing alive for many years to come.

Concept Taxis

2011-02-04T20:27:00.003Z

Take a look at this slide show of Concept New York Taxis
The Maxi addresses the very real threat of violence facing cab drivers. Says Johnson, “For the sake of exaggeration, the taxi looks impenetrable and fearsome, like a Brink’s truck.

New York Taxi?

2011-02-03T18:35:00.003Z

Is this the long awaited replacement for the iconic New York Taxi? This is one of the finalists.

Hello Sailor

2011-02-01T20:49:00.000Z

Spotted this one and could not resist reposting it! But really do think that there may be some truth in amongst it.
Details have been released regarding Britain's introduction of the next generation of fighting ships: The Royal Navy is proud of the cutting edge capability of the new fleet of Type 45 destroyers.
Having initially named the first two ships of this class HMS Daring and HMS Dauntless, the HM Ships naming committee have, after intensive counselling, renamed them HMS Cautious and HMS Prudence.
The final four ships are to be named HMS Empathy, HMS Nervous, HMS Timorous and HMS Apologist.
Costing £750 million, they have been designed to meet the needs of the 21st century; in addition to state of the art technology, weaponry, and guidance systems, the ships will comply with the very latest employment, equality, health & safety and human rights legislation.
They will be able to remain at sea for several months and positively bristle with facilities.
For instance, the new user-friendly crow's nest comes equipped with wheelchair access.
Live ammunition has been replaced with paintballs to reduce the risk of anyone getting hurt and to cut down on the number of compensation claims.
Stress counselors and lawyers will be on duty 24hrs a day, and each ship will have its own onboard industrial tribunal.
The crew will be 50/50 men and women, and balanced in accordance with the latest Home Office directives on race, gender, sexuality and disability.
Sailors will only have to work a maximum of 37hrs per week in line with Brussels Health & Safety rules even in wartime!
All bunks will be double occupancy, and the destroyers will all come equipped with a maternity ward and crèche, situated on the same deck as the Gay Disco.
Tobacco will be banned throughout the ship, but cannabis will be allowed in the wardroom and messes.
The Royal Navy is eager to shed its traditional reputation for "Rum, Sodomy and the lash"; out goes the occasional rum ration which is to be replaced by Perrier water, although sodomy remains: this has now been extended to include all ratings under 18.
The lash will still be available but only by request.
Condoms can be obtained from the Bosun in a variety of flavours, except Capstan Full Strength.
Saluting officers has been abolished because it is elitist, and is to be replaced by the more informal "Hello Sailor".
All notices on boards will be printed in 37 different languages and Braille.
Crew members will no longer be required to ask permission to grow beards or moustaches - this applies equally to the women.
The MOD is working on a new "Non specific" flag based on the controversial British Airways "Ethnic" tailfin design, because the white ensign is considered to be offensive to minorities.
The newly-renamed HMS Cautious is due to be re-commissioned soon in a ceremony conducted by Captain Hook from the Finsbury Park Mosque who will break a petrol bomb over the hull.
She will gently slide into the water to the tune of "In the Navy" by the Village People played by the Royal Marines.
Sea Trials are expected to take place, when she sets out on her maiden mission. She will be escorting boat loads of illegal immigrants across the channel to ports on the south coast.
The Prime Minister said that "While the ships reflected the very latest of modern thinking they were also capable of being up-graded to comply with any new legislation.
His final words were "Britain never, never waives the rules!"

Welcome Home?

2011-01-31T21:14:00.001Z

At this busy junction leading onto Walney Island it is a bit of a local tradition to hang homemade banners greeting Walney residents as they arrive onto the Island. Now the usual thing we see is "happy birthday" or congratulations on a couples engagement or wedding anniversary. But the huge banner that someone had taken quite a lot of time and trouble to erect over the weekend has me baffled. It reads "welcome home Bobby K RN 2 yrs GBH. What the heck is that all about? Are they welcoming home somebody called Bobby who has been in prison for two years for grievous bodily harm? Or has it some other more cryptic meaning, none of my passengers seemed to know anything of it but most seemed to go along with the Bobby K getting out of prison scenario. Who knows the truth behind it eh!

Taxis drivers remember the troubles

2010-12-09T12:03:00.000Z

Taxi drivers and ex drivers from Northern Ireland talk about their experiances during the Troubles. Desparate times, you can see the raw emotion from these guys even after a few years have now passed.

Halloween weekend chaos

2010-11-01T12:52:00.000Z

Tonight started out as a very busy night and continued that way well into the early hours. The difference being is that after 11pm you deal with a different class of human being. so tonight I witnessed the following:

Numerous fights all over the town usually by young sad pathetic knob rotting low life scum of the earth chavs who have half a pint of luke warm lager and think they can take on the world.

At least 4 cars driving with a combination of no lights, swearing all over the road, driving at 10mph in a 30 zone and one of them coming down a one way street the wrong way with no lights on at all.

A police car that pulled out in front of me giving no indication at all and then he proceeded to raise his hand whilst in his vehicle as to say STOP and this was after he pulled out on me and did a U turn.

Loads of drunk people that can't seem to grasp the context of road safety and just walk out in front of you regardless of what's coming towards them

I also saw the aftermath of 3 accidents, cars with windows smashed, no front wheel and no front end

Another Police vehicle that had driven down a pedestrianised area (Dalton Road) and failed to stop at the Jcn of Buccleuch street as I was driving past and if I hadn't had slammed the brakes on he would have gone straight into the side of me.

Thats quite a lot for one night but I get the impression that the Police should certainly abide by the rules of the road if the rest of us have to and there was no sirens or blue lights illuminated so it doesn't give them any more right than a normal driver.

I know the Police are overstretched as they couldn't be everywhere and with so much going on in the town I expect there would have been more incidents as the night progresses

Why cant people learn that its not big and its not clever to drink and drive or to start fighting and acting like idiots under the influence of drink. They should be able to go out and enjoy themselves, know their limit and go home safely.

No wonder a lot of people who are sensible don't like going into town at night and from a Taxi Drivers point of view we are the ones doing the job of the police by getting them off the streets and taking them home. That's if they remember where they live or have the means to pay the fare,.

"You know warra mean"

2010-10-29T21:16:00.000Z

Picked a fare up today. he tells me he is from Manchester and was staying up here with some friends and they had gone out somewhere to meet him in a pub but none of them knew the area. He then proceeded to tell me about his family and his lifestyle and the problems he is having getting dole money as he doesnt want to work.

The conversation went on for about 5 or 6 minutes and it could have quite easily have been condensed to 2 minutes if he didnt keep saying "you know what I mean" It got too boring and so to bring it to his attention I started saying iot to him after every sentence but he never twigged on. Didnt even notice. I think this guy needs some serious education skills.

Beer , Cigs and the fare

2010-10-26T21:01:00.005Z

This afternoon around 3pm I had the privilege of picking up one of the towns well known alcoholics and what fun that one was. She got in the car sounding as gruff as a grizzly bear and as soon as she got it then she climbed out the other side asking if we were there yet.

Within a couple of minutes this man came out the house and got in the car and got her in the car as well. Just as I set off she said she had no money to pay the fare and wanted to get out. The man she was with wasnt amused with her and he had no money either.

Then she says she wants me to take her to the shop so she can buy a bottle of cider and some cigarettes which got me thinking that if she didn't have any money then how can she afford those luxuries. (I mean necessities to her). I asked to saee her money and make sure she had enough to pay the fare. She handed me a £10 note and told me to take the fare out of that but could I wait at the shop. I set off and waited at the shop and she came back out saying she couldnt get served as I had her money and she wanted it back to by what she wanted. I figired that what she would buy would leave her with no money for the taxi and I questioned her on this. Her attitude was that I could wait for my money and she would drop it in the office for me next week. (I doubt she would even remember).

I stood my ground, refused to give the the money. The man in the car was on my side and kept trying to get her to see sense. I then proceeded to take them to their destination and I gave them change out of the £10 note.

he then complained that she didnt have enough for cigs and cider as this was more important than a stupid daft taxi fare.

Just cant understand some people

Man does a runner after £220 taxi ride

2010-10-19T22:49:00.002Z

Local to where we are based this story made the news today which actually got me thinking as numerous drivers have had people do a runner on them without payment and the police always seem to deal with it differently more often than not saying that its a civil offence and not criminal as I think they just dont want to get involved with it all. So why cant all cases be treat as an offence. Surely if someone makes off without paying then that at the very least is "Obtaining pecuniary advantage". Eother way its still theft, deceit or something similar.

The story in pour local paper is about a man who does a runner after £220 taxi ride from Wales to Haverigg (About 25 miles from Barrow In Furness)

-----------------------------------------

A MAN failed to pay for a taxi from Wales to Haverigg, a court heard.

Trefor Evans, 22, yesterday pleaded guilty to a charge of deceit for not paying for the taxi.

Evans told Furness Magistrates’ Court that he made the taxi journey from Caernarfon to visit his mother, Sharon Sweeney who lives in Townhead, Haverigg.

Evans said he had taken the 190-mile trip from his home because his mother was upset and asked him to visit her.

When he arrived at the destination, he told the taxi driver that neither he nor his mother had the money to pay the £220 fare.

He told the court: “My mother phoned me and she said she wanted me to come down. She was crying on the phone. I said I couldn’t visit because I couldn’t pay for the trip.

“But she said she would pay for it on the other side. When we got to the house, she said she didn’t have the money. I thought that I was in a bad situation.

“I was in a bad situation and didn’t know what to do.”

Mr Evans then ran away from the driver, Darren Fitzjohn, as he unsuccessfully tried to get the money for the fare from his sister.

He was originally due to appear in front of the magistrates on October 12.

Evans, who is unemployed, said he missed the original date because he lived in Wales and didn’t have the money to travel to Barrow.

He said: “I couldn’t get back up here from Caernarfon.

“I fell out with my mother over this situation and had nowhere to stay up here.”

Magistrates asked Evans to think carefully about whether or not he knowingly left Wales with the intention of not paying the fare.

Evans told the hearing he felt that he was guilty as he had failed to pay the fare and wanted the case to be dealt with so he could return home.

Evans, of Bro Seiont, Caernarfon, was ordered to pay £220 compensation to the taxi driver.

Drunken Woman

2010-09-18T13:30:00.003Z

Its not that often I get out on the road these days as a taxi driver but when I do I`m always looking for something interesting.

Last night I picked 3 women up that had been to a party. It was a family party, there was mother, daughter and daughters daughter and most people can go out and have a good time and go home happy but its not always the case as there is always one who cannot handle their drink.

The middle aged woman in tha back of the car sandwiched between the other two was extremely abusive verbally to both the other passengers. Now the journey meant 3 different people being dropped off at 3 different addresses and I was just hoping the drunken woman would not be the last in case she couldnt pay the fare.

After having to listen to a torrent of four letter words and abuse from this woman directed at the other two I was glad to get to my first drop off address where one woman got out of the car followed by the abusive woman who then started shouting at the top of her voice in the street waking up residents. She was soon shoved back in the car and I carried on my journey. I had only got about 100 yards up the road when they started fighting in the back of the car.

It was at this point I stopped the car and told them both to get out. The drunken one fell out and was all over the place. the other one was very apologetic and paid the fare and so I went on my way.

What I cant understand is why people have to have stupid arguments, get aggressive and not be in control of themselves and its usually the women.

Alcohol enhances your mood so if you go out in a good mood you should in theory go home in a good mood. Unfortunatly it works the other way as well so if you go out looking for trouble then the chances are that you will find it.

Its all part of the job description these days and my main concern is for the safety of myself and other passengers as well as other road users if the vehicle is moving so by getting them out the car I think I did the right thing.

Naked in summer

2010-09-07T12:33:00.005Z

Well its been a while since I posted and the reason behind this is that I have spent very little time out on the roads as Bob has been on holiday for a couple of week enjoying the delights of America and beyond and I have spent most of my time in the office doing the things that Bob would normally do as well as doing my own work in there as well as trying to get to the gym for a workout.

I'll tell you a little story which actually goes back a few years when a passnger rang up to complain that a naked driver had picked her up and insisted that he was wearing no clothes at all.

It turns out the driver was wearing a pair of green shorts but whilst sat in the drivers seat his flab from his oversized belly dropped down convering his shorts and making him look naked.

Of course, with me going to the gym, I don't have that problem... Ahem....

Mobile Phones in Cars

2010-07-16T14:19:00.004Z

This is what happens when the driver in front of you is using a mobile phone and negotiating a roundabout. I dont think the driver noticed the blue car on the inside lane

No answer

2010-06-28T23:30:00.002Z

I was sat there listening to the taxi radio when the operator shouted up a driver and there was no response. She then shouted another driver and again there was no response. This went on for about 4 different drivers then all of a sudden all I heard over the radio from the operator was

"Is anyone rogering me tonight or not" I think I knew what she meant but the way iot came out sounded more like something else if you know what I mean. I just went into fits of laughter

Roger - Over and out

Motorway Madness

2010-06-09T22:46:00.002Z

A few times in the last 3 or 4 week I have had reason to make use of Britain's motorway network. Now consider these are suppose to be the safest roads to drive on then there should be no problem with a nice easy drive as you head out on your journey.

Speeds on motorways in the UK are 70mph (around 120kmh) and the roads are wider, usually 3 lanes or more. All traffic goes in one direction, no roundabouts or traffic lights, no pedestrians or cyclists and all you need do is obey the rules oif the road and you should be OK.

One of my pet hates when motorway driving is idiots that come right up behind you, (Tailgating). Its dangerous as they are not leaving a large enough gap to stop in time should you need to brake hard but this last few week its not been the tailgater, Its been the white van driver and the sales reps.

They think they own the road and feel that its ok to not use their mirrors, pull out without indicating, overtake without warning, undertake and generally swerve from lane to lane.

Each one I actually managed to drive passed I looked at them and everyone of them had a mobile phone to their ear and driving with one hand on the wheel and obviously by their manner of driving they were not concentrating.

One lady driver had a mobile phone to her ear and a map laid out in front of her whilst she was driving.

Perish the thought of an accident waiting to happen. Every single person that weaved or drove erratically was on the phone at the time. The fine is £60 and and endorsement on the licence but this doesn't seem to deter these people.

Airport Journeys

2010-06-04T10:25:00.002Z

Recently I have done a few airport runs picking up foreigners who need to be brought to the home town. Its not a bad run down the motorway and the journey can be completed in 2 hours each way so there's always a time for a good craic with the passengers assuming they speak good English.

This is actually usually the case and you can talk about all sorts of things with them and feel that after a 2 hour journey that you know them. Some just talk about work and some just grunt the odd English word at you.

One guy I picked up this week couldn't stop eyeing up the girls. It was beautiful weather and the girls were out wearing next to nothing and every female we past no matter what age or what they look like, he remarked saying that English girls very beautiful.

Another gentleman I picked up who couldn't speak much English was listening to music on the car radio and he kept joining in with English songs and words but well out of tune. I think he was trying to learn the language

The best of the lot really is what most foreign passengers do when you take them to the car... They try and get in the drivers side as they are not used to the fact that we drive on the left.

Never hurt anyone

2010-05-24T09:54:00.002Z

Picked a young couple up this weekend who had been involved in a brawl and wanted to get way from it all. They were about 20-22 years old. He looked your typical chave type person and she looked very similar.

Anyway the conversation was along the lines of him looking for a job and how he would like to work so he can support his girlfriend and he went on to say that he cant understand why he gets turned down for jobs as he is not a violent person and has never hurt anyone in his life and he doesnt have a criminal record for violence.

Then in the next breath he tells me that he recently came out of prison for robbery but he's never been violent. No wonder he cant get a job and surely I would havew thougth that robbery would have a degree of violence to it as the person being robbed would have felt threatened. I mentioned this to him and his response - I may have robbed someone but I didnt hurt them so that makes it OK. - Sorry, but in my book, that doesnt make it ok. Just because youve served the time does not mean you have been rehabilitated.

Drunk Driver

2010-05-22T22:04:00.000Z

Last Night I was taking a fare to nearby Ulverston when we came acorss a car weaving all over the road and mounting the pavements. I decided to follow this car whilst I had my passengers on board who didnt seem to mid as I struck a deal with them over the fare, I called the police whilst following the drunk driver who seemed to be lost and kept doubling back on himself until he made a wrong turning at the local cemetery and drive into a wall.

It was at this point that I went bumper to bumper with him to stop him from moving, jumped out and grabbed his car keys. The police turned up literally seconds later. The man in his early 50s could hardly speak and was incapable of taking a brethalyser test.

At this point I realised that I had done my bit for society and got a drunk driver off the road but then got a lecture off the police saying that I should not play the part of a hero and should not put myself in danger. I can see the officers point now but at the time you dont think of this sort of thing and I wasnt on my won. I did have 2 passengers on board a male and female.

Anyway, bottom line is, a drunk driver taken off the road afetr I witnessed him narrowly miss a bus and 2 pedestrians. To me its a job well done and if I see the same again then I would do the same again.

Sorry but I've no time for drink drivers

Unruly teenagers

2010-05-22T02:57:00.003Z

Its been a few week since I've posted. This is mainly due to other aspects of the job taking over temproarily. Things such as the office I.T as well as other important matters so I have not been out on the orad as much locally.

Anyway tonight I picked up 3 young lads aged around 19 or 20 and a girl. During the conversation every other word was a swear word and entwined with sentences of a sexual nature towards the girl who was just as bad by going into graphic details as towhy she likes sex and what she wants the lads to do to her.

Personally I dont need to know this and didnt realy need to hear it but its part of the job and you cant help hearing what your passengers say but there again they didnt seem to care that I was listening.

Would they have still been like this if it was one of our lady drivers that picked them up. I reckon they would have been as they didnt seem to care.

Some things are just left unsaid until the end of the journey and theyve left the car,

No respect from them and this isnt just a one off. Its a regular occurence

The price on the meter....

2010-04-19T19:38:00.003Z

This weekend gone I picked up 3 dumb blonde girls who must have been around 16 years of age each. The conversation in the car gave me the impression that none of them could afford to go out to a party but they felt they needed to and only had £30 between the 3 of them.

Part way into the journey one of the girls realised she had left a birthday card behind and asked me to turn round and go back so she could pick it up. No problem there but then she asked me if I could stop the meter and kept saying things like" Your not going to charge us for this extra bit of journey are you?"

I explained that the price on the meter is the price they pay and its not my fault that one of then had forgot the card. This didnt sink in and all 3 of them ended up demanding I turn the meter off and start the journey again once they have picked up the card.

It didnt wash with me and I carried on regardless and charged them the fare on the meter which came to £4.90p . They insisted that I should knock £2 off as I had to go back but as it want my fault I told them to take responsibility for their own actions and due to their incompetence it has now cost them more money and I am not knocking anything off the fare.

The fare was paid in full which caused the 3 girls to get out of the car trying to add up how much they could spend. One said that they had £25 left between the 3 of them so that makes £10 each for drinks and they would scrounge a lift home instead of a taxi.

Seems to me they need to learn how to do maths.

Hammer Attack

2010-04-06T03:27:00.002Z

Reports are coming my way of a Bank Holiday super sunday assault on one of our companies drivers. Details are vague at the moment but it looks like it was a planned assault as the assailant was waiting ready to ambush the driver.

The story has made national news headlines and is available at this link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/8603328.stm

It is so annoying that this sort of thing happens and it was only 16 months ago that I personally was assaulted and had a knife held to me. All we are doing is trying to provide a public service and assaults should not have to be part of the job description.

I really do hope that whoever this person is that assaulted one of our drivers gets caught and locked up for a very long time but knowing how stupid the British Jusdicial system seems to be then the accused wil probabl get away with a small fine or a slap on the wrist.

Summer Time

2010-03-28T09:21:00.000Z

This morning marked the start of British Summer time and if you havn't already done so then please put your cloick forward one hour.

Lighter nights on the way. I like this. It means the start of summer and hopefully a good one this year as after a hard days work its a nice thought of a few beers, a beer garden, a few mates and a barbeque. What a great recipe to relax.

Enjoy the summer cos if its typical UK weather then it won't last.

I wonder how many people forgot to put the clock forward. Thers at least one every year.

In a roundabout way

2010-03-24T01:36:00.001Z

Some people would say that Taxi drivers are the worst drivers on the road and that they think they own the roads. Others would blame trucks, buses or white van drivers. Either way, these people are professional drivers as they use the roads for their business every day and therefore have more experience.

This doesnt stop an accident from happening but one momentary lapse of concentration could cause an accident as seen in the CCTV footage below taken from the forward facing camera in the taxicab.

We encounter various traffic scenarios every day on the roads and have to be alert all the time. This is one of the reasons why you have to take a special driving test to become a taxi driver and sho awareness at all times.

Look out for the car approaching from the left and driving straight into my path

Mothers Day

2010-03-15T09:16:00.003Z

A typical mothers day. Always guaranteed to be a busy one as I found out yesterday. I didnt get started til around 1pm due to a very late night the night before and I ran non stop all day as mothers from all walks of life were being taken out and treated for dinner.

It made a pleasant change than taking drunks home late at night and all in all it looks like everyone was having a lovely day with their familys.

Now, if only every Sunday could be as busy as this.

This leads me on to one elderly lady that I picked up with her daughter and son in law who went on to tell me how her family had always been there for her no matter what and as she is now 99 years old she feels she is a burden on them as they have to do everything for her but as her daughter explained to me that she didn't mind and that "mam was there for me when I was younger and now its my turn to be there for her and repay all that kindness over the years".

Good old family values, You don't see much of that these days

Google Street View

2010-03-11T20:50:00.001Z

Earlier on today Google decided to make street imagery available for most of the UK. Meaning you can now see what its like in our local streets with a virtual tour. Go to www.maps.google.com and enter the post code LA14 1ED to find our taxi office and see it as you take a virtual drive along the street

Immature sad chav

2010-03-10T19:33:00.001Z

This weekend just gone, one fare that stuck in my mind was one that I thought wasn't going to be a pick up.

First off, the operator took the call for the job in Ulverston (About 8 miles away) but was reluctant to send a car as the person on the end of the phone sounded young, childish, giggling a lot and the staff assumed it could be a false call.

As luck would have it, I took a fare to Ulverston so thought I would check it out on the way back. It was a genuine fare. Two girls got in the car. One was quiet and the other didn't know how to shut up.

Both looked around 14 or 15 years old and were heading for a night out in town. The eight mile journey seemed to take forever as this one young girl told me of how she was charged £27 for a fare of around 4 miles. She then went on and changed her story about 5 or 6 times giving different prices and saying that she didn't complain as she was too drunk.

Personally, I didnt believe a word she said as she carried on to accuse every taxi driver in town of ripping her off as every time she rang any company they would always charge her between £10 and £20 over the proper fare.

She then asked me to stop at an off licence so she could buy a bottle of Vodka. As I stopped she asked me to go and get it for her. I refused this as she obviously didn't look old enough and so she started verbally abusing me for the rest of the journey saying how taxi drivers are the scum of the earth and only want to rip people off.

The whole journey sounded as if she had tourettes as every other word began with F. She rambled on about how she threatened to beat up people she doesn't like and when she gets into town tonight she is looking for a fight as a night out isn't a night out without a good fight she said.

This girl was about 5 foot 2 inches, slim, wearing tracksuit bottoms and what looked like a home made tattoo. She had a scruffy jumper on and dirty trainers and spoke in a very grating voice just like your average chav.

Not exactly the way to dress for a night out and I guess she would probably be refused entry in every club.

It just makes you think that she's got a bad attitude, dresses scruffy, wants to drink and fight everyone and she is definitely under age. What sort of adult life is she going to turn out to have?

Anyway, at the end of the journey she paid the fare and as she got out the car she shouted to me that she was going to lay me out with one punch. I jumped out the car and told her to come here and say that. She was off like a shot.

Typical, all mouth and no action. I really do hope she gets her fight that she wanted and that she comes worse off. It would serve her right. Some people just don't want to listen or be educated.

I've always said that "Its nice to be nice". What the hell happened to chivalry and manners and politeness. It doesn't cost anything.

Embarrasing Names

2010-03-07T20:22:00.000Z

Quite often when one of our telephonists takes a phone call from a customer, they don't always hear the name correctly. This could be for a number of reasons such as loud noise in the callers background, An unusual to pronounce name, The callers too drunk to say their name properly as well as operator error where the telephonist hasnt listened properly or has hit the wrong keys on the keyboard and spelt it incorrectly.

Not too long ago I got sent for a job in the name of "Proudcock", When I did pick up the fare, it turned out the name was "Proudfoot". Makes you wonder what was going through the operators mind at the time of the call.

However, earlier on today was the best so far as the image shown on the PDA unit below shows.

The name was "BASTET". Now if I try to say this as its spelt then it can very easily be mistaken for the word "Bastard" and I thought that theres no chance of me risking having my face used as a punchbag by someone if I pulled up outside the pub and shouted "Is anyone a Bas**rd.

I double checked with the radio operator and it turns out the name was BASSET.

Has anyone else ever picked up passengers with strange names or given to you incorrectly by a radio operator

Mobile Phones

2010-03-04T19:06:00.002Z

Is it me or are the public at large generally thick when it comes to using mobile phones.

Normally if you can't hear the person on the other end then you would turn up your volume a bit but a passenger in the car this afternoon was on a call and he couldn't hear what his mate was saying and demanded that his mate "Turn HIS volume up so that his mouth is louder". (His words, not mine)

When you turn the volume up on a phone you are increasing the level in the ear piece. Not the mouthpiece. He then went on to say to his mate that he couldnt hear him for all the music in the background. Wouldnt it have made sense if that person had left the room and moved somewhere quieter before attempting to make the phone call.

A different sort of day

2010-03-03T20:27:00.003Z

Looking back through the blog about a post that was made by Bob a while back saying that Taxi drivers do more than just taxi. (http://taxistorys.blogspot.com/2006/04/skills.html)

Today I had to visit Blackpool (about 70 miles away) to install a sound system for a niteclub Which took up most of the day. It was a good little job and these jobs don't come along too often for me but its right what Bob syas about Taxi Drivers, most of them can turn their hands to any skill. So next time you are in a cab, don't just think the driver is your ordinary run of the mill Cabbie.

I`ve even heard of Cabbies that are also part time firemen and Cabbies that do voluntary work as well

Driver Safety

2010-02-28T04:07:00.002Z

As a driver, we do everything we can to make sure that our passengers are conveyed to their destination in comfort and safely. This means showing exceptional alertness to the roads and surroundings as well as to everything that is going on in the car.

Usually, the passengers reciprocate this by thanking you or offering a tip but a bunch of rowdy drunken lads I picked up tonight had other ideas. One lad sat behind me decided that he would reach over and put his hands over my eyes so I couldnt see where I was driving. My immediate reaction was to slam the brakes on and perform and emergency stop.

The guy in the back headbutted the seat and the guy in the front shot forward but was saved by his seatbelt. The other two people in the back were not happy with the person who had put his hands over my eyes and verbally had a go at him.

I leapt out the car, pulled the back door open and yanked this idiot out of the car onto the floor and told him that this is where the journey ends. The others apologised on his behalf and paid the fare. I told him he was lucky that I didnt give him a good hiding for what he did as it was dangerous

To my surprise, the 3 other lads took it into their own hands to sort him out and as I drove off they were kicking and punching him. I left them to it. Wasn't my problem anymore. I got paid so was quite happy.

It goes to show what a split second of an idiotic prank could do to me or the car but in this case it back fired on the prat and he got what he deserved by his mates.

Ah... Justice... and I didnt have to do a thing.

A Narrow Escape

2010-02-24T20:36:00.003Z

Out on the roads today I was nearly caught up in an accident whilst driving down a main road at 24mph. Obviously the car coming out from the left didn't look properly and must have only glanced in my direction for him not to see me and pulled straight out in front of me. Its lucky I was only going slow and had a good reflex reaction when I did an emergency stop otherwise I could have hit him.

The oronic thing is that the car behind me was a police vehicle that witnessed what had happened as he had to brake as well to avoid hitting me. Yet, the other car carried on totally oblivious to me being there and the police vehicle also carried on rather than turn round and have works with the driver.

In-Car CCTV footage shows the incident

Snowgiant

2010-02-21T20:21:00.001Z

After an unexpected snowfall early this Sunday morning the streets and gardens of Barrow became home to a large assortment of snow folk. None that I saw were bigger than the one pictured above. But even apart from its huge size the clues were there that this snowperson had been built by an over competitive parent. The main thing to me was that, I know kids would never build a snowman looking out and away from their home. No matter how grand or humble the snowperson it has to be seen from the house usually from the kids bedroom window.
Talking about huge erections I was embarrassed this morning when I pointed out a large snowman to an elderly lady fare. How was I to know that the cheeky varmints that built him had made him anatomically correct! Mind you I do think they may have exaggerated a bit but then again I’m no expert on snowman’s bits.

Valentines Weekend

2010-02-14T11:40:00.002Z

Well so far so good. The weekend has gone ok but its been a quiet one. The road works are causing major delays and a detour into town adding an extra mile on the journey coming from Barrow Island.

One conversation in the car this weekend between a mother and a young girl aged around 8 years old was quite enlightening. The young girl said she had a boyfriend at school and her mother asked who it was. As most 8 year olds do, they refuse to say who it is and she said "I`m not telling, its a secret". Her mother replied by saying that she shouldn't have boyfriends as she was too young to which the little girl promptly said." I need a boyfriend as I don't want to become a lesbian like my sister" I tried not to laugh at this as her mother instantly started to shout at her saying that we dont talk about things like that and its not right etc etc.

Made me laugh anyway, you don't expect a young girl to come out with that in conversation

A Quiet Time

2010-02-12T11:08:00.002Z

Not much has been happening over the last 2 weeks hence no posts but this week alone has seen so many road closures and diversions that it is not possible to get into the town centre.

The main thoroughfare into town is closed for 4 weeks but the contractors never seem to get the work done on time so I don't hold out much hope. Tonight will be the big test as the main road where all the niteclubs are is closed off meaning our busiest taxi rank is not available for use so it looks like we are going to have nowhere to park up tonight.

I wonder how the clubbers will get in and out of the niteclubs and when they do, they will have to walk a bit to find a taxi.

Other road closures in the town include one of the main routes to the next town and is a very busy road. Temporary traffic lights are causing long tailbacks all over the area and with it being Valentines weekend I reckon it could be a busy one.

Road Delays +people going out + plus valentines weekend = Pandemonium

Bad luck

2010-02-01T11:35:00.001Z

Its been a strange weekend, Got a puncture on Saturday night whilst having a fare in the car so I called up another cab to take my fair whilst I changed my wheel. Nothing wrong with that except I couldnt get a puncture repaired that night so used my spare.

On Sunday I set off to get my puncture repaired and on the way, I got another one.

2 punctures in 2 days and only one spare. How unlucky is that?

Above and beyond the call of duty

2010-01-27T12:28:00.002Z

Got a nice compliment from the boss this week. It transpires that an elderly lady that i picked up back in December had contacted the office to thank me for the assistance I offered her in the bad weather.

All I did was help her into the car, take her home and help her into her house and make sure that she had locked the door before I left. Nothing wrong with that as I will do that for anyone as its all part of the service we offer.

She had contacted the office and asked me to call round for a tip to show her appreciation.

Its just nice to be remembered after a month but there's no need for a tip as it was just an everyday routine to me.

It was really kind of her to ring the office and thank me for doing my job and helping her in any way I could and its nice to hear these things as well.

Forgotton goods

2010-01-26T02:01:00.002Z

Picked a fare up this week from where he worked and set off to take him to his destination. About half a mile down the road he reaslised he had left his beer at work in the fridge ready for a party and asked if I could go back.

Not a problem, I turned round, went back and waited a good 5 minutes for him to come back out. The journey continued and when I asked for the fare of £3.60p he gave me £5 and told me to keep the change.

He then said to me that I couldhave the change for "Not getting angry with him for having to turn back and wait". I can't understand this bit. Why should any driver get angry with a customer who wanted to turn back because he had forgot something

We are there to provide a public service which means being polite and courteous and there really isnbt any need to get angry with a customer when they have forgot something. Its one of those things.

It just makes me think that this guy has had bad dealings with a driver in the past.

Another club closes

2010-01-23T01:57:00.001Z

Picked up a fare tonight from the Unuted Club in the town only to be told that at the end of February it is closing its doors and the building will no doubt be sold on to some developere to turn it into houses or flats as is much the case with other pubs and clubs that have closed recently.

Its not good news for those that visit there on a regular basis but its happening all over the UK. Places closing down and being converted to houses or flats, never to be used as a pub ever again.

Barrow In Furness used to have lots of pubs and a history of them all can be found at www.barrowpubs.co.uk

The Funeral Party

2010-01-20T01:29:00.002Z

At first I thought it was a one off but after picking up a few drunken people who had been to funerals, it seems all they want to do is fight each other.

These sad events bring families together, people who havnt seen each other for ages and you would think they would be wanting to talk to each other but when the beer flows all they want to do is fight and argue,

It happened today and even in the back of the car on the journey they were trying to knock hell out of each other.

I did wanr them but they didnt take any notice. I stopped the car and told them all to get out. They apologised and promised that they would sort their differences out when they got home.

The fighting stopped but the arguing and insults continued.

And what was the reason for all this. People who hadnt seen the deceased in ages were trying to stake a claim to the will.

Its a sad case but no excuse for fighting with each other. They should respect the dead persons wishes and get on with life

Taxi Councils and Criminals

2010-01-17T11:54:00.000Z

A 10 minute documentary on TV the other night says it all.

Download it from HERE You will need something that will play an mp4 file

criminals licensed to drive taxis

2010-01-14T18:24:00.001Z

Criminals with convictions for offences such as indecent assault and drug dealing are knowingly being licensed to operate as taxi drivers, an investigation by the BBC programme Inside Out West Midlands has revealed.

Freedom of Information requests to councils and police authorities across the West Midlands region discovered that over the past three years 209 people with previous convictions have been given a licence, despite criminal records checks being carried out.

In Wolverhampton, a man who between 1985 and 2005 had carried out more than 30 offences was, in 2006, deemed suitable to become a taxi driver.

A spokesman for Wolverhampton City Council said the licensing of private hire and hackney carriages was taken seriously.

"The council has received no complaints regarding this driver since the private licence was granted in 2006," the spokesman said.

There are no official rules about licensing taxi drivers. Instead, councils tend to follow various guidelines, one of which is issued by the Department of Transport.

In Worcester, there are several drivers with criminal convictions.

A spokesman for the council's licensing committee said they followed guidelines issued by the Metropolitan Police and by the Lord Chief Justice.

"The third criteria is whether we would allow our daughter, if [we] had one, to get in the cab," a spokesman said.

He said convictions for drugs and sexual offences were "a complete no no" but added that was not stipulated in the council's guidelines.

A spokesman for the National Taxi Association said people with previous convictions tended to have their applications decided on merit.

Threats to kill

"If someone does have a lot of previous convictions he is likely to have to go before a council and explain himself," he said.

More checks to police authorities revealed that 250 crimes had been carried out by licensed taxi drivers over the past three years, including rape and making threats to kill.

The National Taxi Association spokesman said magistrates and police would inform a council of a conviction.

"If it is a serious offence they have the power to suspend a driver," he said.

In November 2009, Stoke-on-Trent taxi driver Mohammed Qaddier was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

Katie Bennett, 21, suffered massive head injuries when she tumbled from the cab in Newchapel in May 2008.

The Inside Out investigation revealed that Qaddier had previously had his licence taken away from him by the city council for plying his trade illegally.

In 2004, it was given back to him by the city's magistrates.

Her father Philip Bennett said the fact that people with convictions were getting jobs as drivers was scandalous.

"Whoever is putting them in a position of taxi driving, with those sort of convictions, wants their heads feeling.

"They are no better than the people they are giving licences to," he said.

Last year, councils across the West Midlands region took £4.5m in taxi licensing fees.

The GMB, the taxi driver's union, said the system needed to be tightened.

"What we don't want is a tick box system saying a check is done and the licence issued," a spokesman said.

"The policy must be robust. It must take into account the nature of the offence and does it have any effect on the job they are doing."

Wolverhampton City Council, and others, have now said they will review their guidelines.

Watch the video.

Icy Conditions and accidents

2010-01-10T23:19:00.002Z

Its been a strange sort of week with all this artic weather that we`ve been hit with. Most of the UK could well be used to the snow but where we live on the peninsulas we are surrounded by mountains and these tend to keep the snow away.

Its not uncommon to have no snow at all here and yet about 10 miles away it could be thick with it so when we do get the snow, its common sense to assume that everyone else gets it worse.

We did get the snow and drivers just wernt prepared for it. I did see a car very cautiously drive up a street and turn left at the end. He was going very slow and got the front end round but the back end just slid and he then hit a parked car.

This was happening almost everywhere and a lot of the drivers were afraid to work in the snow and the ice.

Today I witnessed something completely out of the blue. We have a few sets of traffic lights in the town which have a left or right turn green arrow filter. The set I was at on the junction of Holker Street and Abbey Road has a left turn filter when approaching from Holker Street.

There is a car in the left hand lane waiting for the filter light and I am in the middle lane wanting to go straight on but I am behind a car at the lights. The green filter came on to allow cars to turn left and our light was still red but the driver of the car in front saw the car to his left set off to turn left and seemed to think that because he has gone then he should do the same and shot straight through the red light.

Goes to show the driver wasn't looking at the lights but lokking at the car to his left and oved when he did.

Luckily there wasnt an accident but its a notorious junction anyway. I guess he had a lucky escape

The Driving Instructor

2010-01-09T22:39:00.003Z

Today I picked a fare up who was a local driving instructor who had been having a drink with the family and quite wisaely he left his car behind and so after picking him up he sits in the front seat, puts his seatbelt on and I ask him where he wanted to go.

He told me where he wanted and I set off.... Next thing I hear him say to me is....................

"At the end of the street Turns left. Position yourself correctly and use your mirror."

I was just about to say something when he carried on talking to his wife and when I approcahed a roundabout he then said to me... "Use Mirror, signal and Manoeuvre and get in lane". He then carried on talking to his wife.

At this point I thought he was being a bit sarcastic but he seemed a jolly enough fellow and then I seized the opportunity to ask him what he wanted me to do as he had been giving me instruction all the way.

He went a slight shade of red and said he didnt realise he was doing it and it was out of habit. His wife backed me up this and he was very apologetic.

In fact, he couldn't apologise enough and when I came to the end of the journey he gave me a £10 note and told me to keep the change for the touble.

No trouble, I thought.. Just humourous...

Facebook

2010-01-06T07:59:00.000Z

As well as our usual website at www.838383.co.uk you can now join us and become a fan on facebook.

Have a click at this link and add yourself and find out all about us and keep in touch with new developments

Heres the link

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barrow-In-Furness-United-Kingdom/A1-838383-BARROW-LTD/252406705559?ref=ts

Waiting around

2010-01-04T03:15:00.000Z

Picked a fare up over Christmas and she asked me to take her somewhere and wait. Whilst the meter was clocking up the waiting time she came back out, looked at it and said. "Can you turn your engine off so that the meter doesnt clock up".

Thick or what???

Selfishness

2010-01-03T21:49:00.004Z

The Christmas and New Year weeks were very busy with a lot of work for everyone but the problems occur when customers decide to book a taxi to go home.

The two main issues were that customers would book you and you would turn up to pick them up. They would then acknowledge you and then spend a good 10 minutes saying their goodbyes to their friends whilst everyone shakes hands and kisses.

OK so its New Year and you have to allow for this sort of thing but surely it would make sense to be ready when you book the taxi. The problem here caused you to set off with the fare 10 minutes late making you late on your next pick up and this had a knock on effect making jobs run late and the customer has the nerve to blame either the driver or the office staff when its their own fault.

The other issue is, that customers seem to ring a number of taxi firms and order a taxi to take them home from each firm. The customer will then jump in the first car that arrives and not even have the decency to ring the other firms and cancel the cab. From our side of it we end up sat outside a house with about 4 or 5 other cabs from different firms and none of us gets a pick up

However, not all customers are the same and the vast majority were ok and even gave tips as well. Its just a minority of ignorant customers that will do this.

Anyway, its 2010 and hopefully back to the norm.

Sounds like....

2010-01-02T01:47:00.002Z

Quite often I will pick up a fare and they will try and tell you where they want to go but can`t quite remember what it is called.

I got asked to take a fare to "The Caffeine". This got me thinking as I couldnt think of anything to do with caffeine apart from cups of coffee,

Turns out the location he wanted was called "The Canteen".

Welcome to 2010

2010-01-01T03:17:00.000Z

A new year and some people would say the start of a new decade but I`ve inly calculated 9 years gone and the new decade shouldnt start til the end of 2010.

Thats a thought. 2010 is it going to be promounced as "Two Thousand and Ten" or "Twenty Ten"

Anyway, hope everyone had a great xmas and New Year and wish everyone the very best and keep checking in for more taxitales as and when they happen.

Bill and Bob would like to wish you all a Happy New year.

Xmas and New Year

2009-12-23T05:10:00.002Z

Its that time of year where it is our busiest and this means working right through with not much time off so please bear with us whilst we do this work and hopefully can come back in the new year and post somethings about what has happened over the festive period.

Taking a short break from the blog and returning sometime during the first week of January so please keep checking back.

Meanwhile, Bob (The blog owner) and myself would like to wish each and every one of our readers, drivers and passengers a Merry Christmas and wish you all the very best for 2010

See you in 2010

Black eye Friday

2009-12-21T19:05:00.002Z

The last Friday before Christmas is traditionally nicknamed Black Eye Friday as it usually the busiest day of the year for us and as people tend to have a little too much toi drink then fights start and hence the name Black Eye Friday.

However, this years seemed quite peaceful. It was a very busy night with lots of people out but I didnt once see a single fight. No doubt it was happening somewhere but just not near to anywhere I was.

Driving conditions were bad due to blck ice as the temperatures plummeted to -5 degrees Celcius
(23 degrees farenheit) but we got by and apart from slip sliding away in some places we made it through the night

Snow

2009-12-21T02:16:00.002Z

Where we live we never get much snow as we are surrounded by mountains that seem to fend off the bad weather so its possible that the rest of the country could get it except us and when we do get it then we know everywhere else gets it bad.

We got it pretty bad today. Snow, Ice, freezing conditions, black ice. I slid around in the car trying to pick up and drop off fares and tried to avoid going out of town but it wasnt an easy task.

During the day and nights workload I saw one car slide into a stationary car and shunt that one into another car. The first car was going very slow but it caused a lot of damage.

Later on in the night I had to rescue one of our drivers and her passengers as they had become stuck on ide at the top of a steep road. I went to their assistance and got stuck myself but with the help of neighbours who had seen what was going in and come out to help we managed to get some Rock Salt" on the road and get a grip and drive to a safe place

All in all a busy night but an eventful one as well. All the customers were understanding and very patient and all worked out ok in the end.

Just hope that it doesnt last and we can get back to normal soon.

Time For Bed

2009-12-18T01:21:00.000Z

Theres nothing like putting my foot in it when a female passenger got into the car with a very young child.

I asked her where she was going to and she answered me and in the same sentence she spoke to the child but I didnt realise this.

Her reply and I quote, was "Lumley Street, - When we get home I`m taking you to bed"

Obviously (or maybe not obviously, the address part was meant for me and the rest she was saying to her child but it didn't sound that way to me and my ears pricked up and I answered her by saying that it was a very kind offer but I really couldn't as I had other fares to pick up.

She gave me a disgusting look and I pointed out to her what she had said she then realised and fortunately we both had a good laugh about it.

Lapland

2009-12-15T01:07:00.003Z

Whilst transporting a fare in the cab to their destination an advert came on the radio advertsing that yuo could take your kids to LAPLAND to see Father Christmas this year.

Nothing wrong with that I thought until one of the sad uneducated chavs that was sat in the car asked his mate where Lapland was, only to be told that its probably a kids theme park or maybe part of a Santas Grotto in a supermarket.

He asked me if I knew where Lapland was and I told him it was above the Arctic Circle near Iceland.

His reply to his mate. They must have a Santas Grotto in Iceland. One sad chav then said, "I`m going shopping there tomorrow, I`ll ask them".

For those that dont know where Lapland is take a look at www.lapland.tv/where.html

Drunken Conversations

2009-12-11T13:27:00.003Z

Some of the things that taxi fares tell you about their experiences with other taxi drivers.

One girl says she was in the back of a taxi on the way home and felt really sick and when she was sick she made sure it was in her handbag. Next day she completely forgot about the previous evening and went into her handbag for something only to find the nites before tea. Nice....not!!!

Have a look at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCRSpddExWI&feature=related

Sunday Roast to go....

2009-12-08T19:48:00.002Z

Bob doesn't post much at all these days as he is mainly in the office but when he does get out on the road he tends to get some strange jobs.

The job that he went on last Sunday was one of those jobs where you don`t think you are going to get your fare to the destination in one piece.

Curious..... Bob picked up a fare and the fare came out with a Sunday Roast on a plate and asked him to deliver it to an address in Barrow. We do a lot of courier work picking up parcels and goods etc but a Roast Dinner.... Hmmm..

And the reason for the comment about not getting the fare to its destination is that (according to Bob) the meal smelt so good he was tempted to eat it.

What would you have done. If it was me I would have eat it then go to the chip shop and buy some chips to give to the person at the other end and say. "Heres your dinner".

Only Joking. of course but it does make me wonder what strange items have you been asked to deliver anywher

Birthdays and time off

2009-12-05T18:23:00.001Z

Yesterday was my Birthday and so I decided on a day off work mainly just to recover from the night before as I was out at a local pub playing my guitar and singing and as I wasn't driving I decided that I would have one or two drinks after the gig and celebrate my birthday with a few friends.

All in all it was a very good night and I am looking forward to playing there again in January 2010. Had a great birthday as well and today I`m back at work.

Why is it that time off seems to go ten times faster than time spent at work. It was good while it lasted and now back to the grindstone.

Wheres that at?

2009-12-02T20:17:00.001Z

Wheres that at? Its a question that from time to time a driver will ask, especially if he is new or uncertain and theres no problem with that as its better to ask rather than the job run late due to not being able to get to it.

However, we do have a little laugh from time to time at the drivers expence, mainly due to them reading the info on the screen incorrectly.

The system works by sending the job details to the driver. The details usually include the pick up address, the customer name and the type of car required such as a 6 seater or an 8 seater, an estae car or a saloon car.

On this one occasion it was a saloon car required at the railway station so on the screen appeared the word "STATION" and the word "SALOON".

It was quite amusing when the driver contacted the office to ask if it was a new pub and wanted to know where the "STATION SALOON" was.

System Upgrade

2009-11-28T19:11:00.002Z

Its been one of those weeks where I have spenmt more time in the office than out on the road as the firm is changing over onto a new system for the taking and dispatch of taxi fares to the driver.

The new system uses GPS technology together with a PDA , internet and a mobile phone network allowing the taxi driver to work in a safer environment without having to use a two way radio.

We have been phasing this technolgy in for a few week and the drivers seem very happy about it. However, it has meant me spending a lot of time in the office dealing with this and I guess the same is to come for the next few weeks and trherefore it means that not as many storys can be told if I`m not out on the road to hear them so bear with me til things get back to normal. I`ll try and keep you updated with latest events.

Meanwhile, you can now book your cab by text message or you can do it on line at the website www.838383.co.uk

London Cabbies

2009-11-25T21:29:00.000Z

Not sure how true this is but a passenger I picked up this week tells me that a mate of his is a taxi driver in London and can take £600 for 5 hours work.

My passenger tells me he got a taxi from North London to South London and it costs him just short of £50 and their meters start on £4.50p

It seems a lot of money and to earn £600 in 5 hours equates to £120 per hour.

London fares may be more expensive than ours but there again ethers a lot of ground to cover as London is a large place but if we were to start our meters on £4.50p I think there would be a public outcry up here.

Every Little Helps

2009-11-21T21:23:00.002Z

Quite often I pick up a fare from Tesco and take them home. They pay the fare and I help them unload their goods but this week I pick up a fare and I take them home. The fare was £4.10p They paid me a five pound note and told me to keep the change.

With the £5 note was a Tesco receipt and I passed it back to him saying he had given me his receipt with the fiver. He then told me that it was a little extra for me as Tesco have a promotion on where if you spend more than £50 on goods then you get 2p per litre off your fuel and as my fare didnt drive, he passed it on to me.

Not bad then, a 90p tip and a voucher for 2p per litre off fuel.

Figuring it out

2009-11-17T10:27:00.001Z

I picked up 6 girls and took them into Barrow. They asked me if I could turn the music up on the radio and so I did. My radio display is part of the cars computer and this is what is normally displayed.

To explain it a bit it shows the time, the temperature and the radio station. (The 218 miles was how much fuel I had left)

Anyway this computerised thing in the car tells you when you have a blown bulb or if your oil or coolant level is low and also tells you if your windscreen washer fluid is low.

I was really surprised to hear the girl sat in the front seat say this and I quote.
"Is there really a radio station called "Washer Fluid Level"?"

I was so surprised by what she said that I told her that there must be if that's what it said and she went on to ask me what frequency it was on. I didnt have the heart to try and attempt to explain to this dimwit that it was warning me that my washer fluid was low.

At the end of the journey I asked for an £18 fare to which she took out her mobile phone and used the calculator on it to divide the £18 into 6 people and then blurts out to everyone that it will be £3.00 each but then asked if one of her friends could check it on their phone just in case her calculator is faulty.

I`ve said it before... Some people are only alive cos its illegal to shoot them

Passenger forgets taxi

2009-11-14T20:26:00.002Z

Picked a fare up today from a local pub. He was very drunk but happy with it. He wanted me to take him to a local shop so he could buy some more beer. I did this and he asked me to wait whilst he went in the shop.

5 minutes went by and no sign of him. I thought that he cant be far away as he is a regular fare so I gave it a few more minutes and I failed to see him come out of the shop and walk off down the street so I`m still sat there outside the shop waiting. I knew he would be back as he left some things in the car including his jacket and house keys.

Another couple of minutes and nothing so I decided to get the callers number and ring him back. He answered, apologised to me and sai d he was at home and forgot I was there and to call round and get the fare. I did this. He got his belongings out the cab and I got my fare which had clocked up nicely on the meter.

He was very apologetic, said he had been celebrating and was drunk and when I asked him what he was celebrating. he said.... Super Sunday......

Its now November and the last Super Sunday was at the end of August.

Confused

2009-11-11T20:16:00.002Z

I was sent to pick up a fare on Walney Island when I pulled up outside the house and this elderly man from next door came out and jumped in the cab. He asked me where his lady friend was and why I hadn't picked her up first.

Scratching my head I told him that this wasn't his taxi but he insisted that it was and that he wanted to know why I hadn't picked his lady friend up. I asked him where from and it was pretty much around the corner so I thought if I`m only going to be a few minutes then I would take him round the corner.

I did this only for him to find that his lady friend wasn't at home. I knew now what had happened. He had rang a different taxi company at the same time that my fare had booked me and he thought I was for him The best thing I could do was take him back home and as luck would have it, his taxi was outside his house complete with his lady friend in the back seat.

The other taxi driver had panicked wondering where he was and thought he may have fell ill in the house. I managed to get the elderly man out of my car and re-united with his lady friend but with all this happening and not knowing how long I was going to be sorting this out I decided to contact my office and get them to send another car to my job.

The whole incident lasted about 10 minutes and I lost a job through it but I couldn't very well throw a 97 year old man out of my car onto the cold street.

At least all worked out OK for them. He found his lady friend and she was relieved that he was OK. It was just a genuine mistake on his behalf but after talking to the other driver I was told that this couple are a regular fare of theirs and he is 97 years old and gets very confused.

I`m just glad that all was sorted and I didn't mind losing a fare as the health of a 97 year old is more important

Access all areas

2009-11-07T10:09:00.003Z

One of this weeks fares was two ladies, one was elderly and in a wheelchair and the other was able bodied and in her early 50s. I picked them both up from a house in the Town Centre and took them home where upon asking for the fare of £4.20p I was given a £10 note and told to take £7 out of it.

What a generous tip I thought to myself and it was too. I got £7 for a £4.20p fare. I opened the boot of the car and removed the ladies wheelchair. She didnt need it for short distances as she could walk a little bit so her friend insisted on taking the wheelchair in so in effect all I had to do was put in in the boot of the car and take it out at the destination and this earned me the tip.

The elderly lady thanked me for taking her wheelchair and went on to tell me that she felt a burden to people and always paid the extra for drivers to carry her wheelchair. She said she knew she didnt have to pay the extra but felt guilty if she didn't as the drivers are so helpful.

This got me thinking that its really nice to have praise for our drivers but why should an elderly disabled person feel compelled to give a large tip just because thet are in a wheelchair?

Its not right that they should feel like this and I suppose its down to the individual driver if they accept the tip. If you do accept it then you feel as if you've got extra because she is disabled. If you don't accept the tip then you offend the person that's giving it you, so you cant really win.

I just don't think its right that elderly or disabled people that need a little help from the driver should feel they have to tip a lot more as a way of saying thank you. After all, helping our customers in and out the car with or without any luggage is all part of the job description and people like this shouldn't have to feel compelled to pay more.

We don't charge any extra for wheelchairs and never will do. Its all part of the service that we provide. We look after the customer but some customers that feel they have to give a large tip because we took their wheelchair and helped them with it.

As in her words and not mine "You took my wheelchair and lifted it in and out the car for me and I feel guilty that you have to do this and I dont want to be a burden to anyone so please take it". were her exact words.

I didnt want to take the extra money after hearing this story and tried to give her it back but she insisted and told me that if I didn't take it then she would feel guilty about asking for my help.

Mr Jobsworth

2009-11-03T22:21:00.004Z

This week I was parked outside the local "Subway" shop when a traffic Warden... Oops, I mean Civil Enforcement Officer (Thats what they are called now) came up to me and told me I couldnt park there.

I looked around and there was no yellow lines and no signposts saying I couldnt park but he was adamamt that the whole area was restricted. This could easily confuse a lot of drivers as part of the street has double yellow lines meaning dont park and the other part of the street doesnt have any markings which now means "Don`t park" I didnt argue with him as I couldnt be bothered and just moved off.

About an hour later I was waiting at the local train station for a fare when one of their own private wardens approaced me and told me I couldnt wait there without putting money in the "pay and display" machine. This annoyed me and I told him I was waiting for the train to arrive as I had a fare and he was having none of it so I moved to the near by telephone exchange about 20 yards up the road and waited there.

He approached me and warned me to move otherwise he would give me a ticket. I told him that it wasn't railway land and he was out of his jurisdiction to which he started taking photos of where my car was parked so I got out and took a photo of him.

He then changed his tune and said that he would give me a verbal warning not to park there.

It was only a few week ago that Bob (The owner of this blog) had very similar issues and probably with the same Jobsworth.

I have been told by the local council that their wardens are not on any bonuses relating to the number of tickets issued but I beg to differ. There are lots of tickets issued every day and of those that are appealed then it seems the council are not prepared to listen and innocent motorists have been issued tickets.

I do think that traffic wardens get more bonuses the more tickets they issue but ask any of them and they will deny it.

I found a rather comical clip on the internet (below) and seem to get the impression that this could really happen

Emergency Call

2009-10-31T09:17:00.000Z

Its not every day that you get an urgent call to get you to the hospital but I felt really sorry for the two young boys I picked up this week when they asked me to get them to the hospital casualty department as quick as I could.

They started telling me their story of how they were a happy family, just the two brothers and their mother when all of a sudden without any warning whatsoever that the mother suffered a stroke. Apparantly she is only 53 years old I was told and the two boys were quite upset not knowing what was going to happen. I got them to the casualty department and wished then the best of luck and hoped that things weren't too bad but I couldn't help but think afterwards how lucky we all are.

Someone once said to me that theres always someone worse off than yourself. We take everything for granted and one day it could happen to anyone of us and from that day on your life and the lives of the people around you are changed forever.

All I can say to you is enjoy life while you can as you never know whats round the corner., I felt really saddened for these two young lads as there life will now change forever, and from such a young age.

They did tell me that whatever happens that they love their mum and will do whatever they can to look after her.

If only more families were as caring for each other like this. There's too many people out there that think of only themselves and only visit family as and when they want something. Life's too short. Give someone close a hug today.. Go on.. do it right now.. Tell them that you love them. Just do it and see the smile on their face.

After all, this is life. We only get one chance at it. Its not a rehearsal, its the real thing ...

So live it........

Bread and Gutter

2009-10-29T20:48:00.001Z

This week I picked up a passenger who had been to a local supermarket to buy supplies to sell in his own shop. He loaded the car with numerous goods which included about 15 loaves of cheap supermarket bread which he was to then sell in his own shop for a bigger profit.

Whilst unloading the bread at his shop, one of the loaves of bread spilt open and about 4 or 5 slices landed in the gutter. I would have expected the passenger to throw this loaf away but to my dismay he just calmly picked up the bread, put it back in the wrapper and re-sealed it ready to place on a shelf in his shop for sale.

He didn't seem to think it was wrong and didn't seem to care as all he was interested in was the taxi fare which was 20 pence higher than what it should have been because he asked me to wait whilst he went into an off licence to by alcohol for his shop.

He also pointed out to me that I shouldn't charge him for waiting as he was a regular customer but I pointed out to him that it was my living and if he wanted me to wait then he has to pay for it. He expects very cheap taxis but sells his goods at raised prices and moaned at me over the fare costing an extra 20 pence.

Compensation

2009-10-28T21:14:00.003Z

You may well remember that I mentioned that I had an incident occur on Boxing Day last year and the case went to court in January this year with the courts awarding me £100 compensation...

Well, finally, after 10 months of waiting I have received my first instalment of £20 which is being paid monthly. The first payemt arrived this week so I guess I will have to wait til the end of March 2010 for the final payment.

I really cant see the court awarding compensation when the defendant doesnt even miss it and can pay it at £5 per week.

If you missed the original post then take a look HERE

Counting the pennies

2009-10-26T12:11:00.002Z

It seems to me that this is not a one off thing but a regular occurrence between most drivers and their customers. Usually its a bunch of young lads or girls and its the same routine everytime.

At the end of the journey you ask for the fare. In last nights example the fare was £4.50p so I would have thought it would be easy for the fare to hand over a £5 note and I give her 50p change but no......

I`m parked up in the Town Centre whilst these girls take a good 4 minutes to start counting out their money to pay me. After adding up all the small change it comes to £4.10p and they had the cheek to ask if £4.10p will do for the fare as they dont want to break into a note.

"No it wont do.. The fares £4.50 and thats what you pay" is what I said.

"But I don't want to split ionto a £5 note" was the reply from this girl.

In the end she paid with a £5 but it annoys me to think that they get a taxi into town and want to use their loose change to pay for it as they don`t want to break into a banknote. I don`t mind the loose change but when they try and pay you less than the fare when they have the means to pay is not on.

You know whats next. They go into a pub and have no change so what do they do. pay with a note and I bet they dont try and say to the bar staff that they are 30p short for a drink.

At the other end of the scale I dont mind letting someone off with 10 or 20p p their way home if they get in the cab and ask how far can they get for their money but when they are going into town for a night out then it doesn't wash with me,. If they've got money for their night out then they have money for the fare into town.

Maybe I should go into my local pub tonight and order a pint and then haggle the price... I know what they would say...

Taxi smash

2009-10-24T19:16:00.000Z

A collision between a police car and a local taxi at the junction of Abbey Road and Holker Street.
The local paper reports as

A police van and a dark green Peugeot 306 taxi collided in the middle of the road. Police say investigations are underway and it is not yet known how the collision occurred.

An officer said the police van may have been either on its way to or returning from a job, and it is not yet known whether its sirens were in use.

An additional police van was also called to the scene, and an officer kept traffic moving freely by diverting cars around the scene.

Rural Cumbria

2009-10-22T19:31:00.000Z

Reading an article lately in a taxi magazine. What do you think. A good idea or not.
Personally I dont know much about this or how it operates. Anyone care to explain?

Another fine mess

2009-10-20T23:24:00.002Z

I know the law is the law and it is supposed to be upheld but there should be discretion used when dealing with blind or partially sighted people.

We pick up a few of these people and our drivers will always (NO EXCEPTION) help this person from where they are picked up at to where they are going and that means getting out the car, guiding them and offering help in every way possible. This of course does mean leaving the vehicle unattended for a short period of time.

The issue is how long is a short period of time as each person will maybe vary depending upon their disability. Maybe 5 mins should be enough. 1 minute certainly isn't as can be seen in the story below.

Double click to enlarge

Thats Just Fine...

2009-10-17T23:15:00.001Z

As taxi drivers who carry disabled passengers it is not always easy to find somewhere for these passengers to get in or out of our vehicles due to obstacles such as double yellow lines or cars parked on both sides of narrow roads.

What would you do? go on, answer honestly. Would you park as near to the disabled persons house as you can so as to make it easier for them even if this meant blocking a road for a few minutes or being on a double line or would you park somewhere where there is a parking space and let the disabled person walk back and you carry any shopping for them. What would you do. Lets hear some answers.

OK, so its illegal to park on a double yellow line but you would have thought that some local officials would give a little leeway to our disabled customers but in the story below, this doesnt seem to be the case. It just seems like the usual money grabbing councils are interested only in your cash and even if you have a right of appeal the chances are that your voice wont be heard. Our local council is no exception. In fact I think they are all like this.

The story is below. Double click to enlarge

Oh and on a similar note. What if the person you are picking up is not disabled. Should you park a few metres away and make them walk to your car or will they not come out the house as they cant see you parked outside.

Sorry, we don`t accept Cash.....

2009-10-14T20:21:00.002Z

This week I have to submit my details for my CRB check renewal. For those not familiar with this, we need to have a CRB (Criminal records Bureau) check every 3 years to make sure that we are what the council deems as "Fit and proper" people for the job.

In all honesty I wouldnt like to think that any of my family were being picked up by a convicted killer or rapist so in my eyes the CRB check is a good thing.

However, what I do not agree with is the cost of £36 to the Town Hall and they don`t accept cash. Payment by credit/debit card or cheque and the procedure to make this payment is as follows.

First you go into the Town Hall and see the "Floor Walker" who takes your name and issues you with a ticket. You then sit and wait til its your turn and then they realise they cant deal with it and then ring someone from taxi licensing to deal with it.

After someone from licensing has seen you then you need to pay the fee and to do this the taxi licence person gives you a little slip of paper and you have to get another ticket from the floor walker and queue all over again just to pay.

Today, handing in my CRB check and paying for it took near on 35 minutes.

And these are the people that boast that the new payments system, speeds things up.

No match for a sad chav

2009-10-12T23:46:00.001Z

Found this video on youtube. How this man stayed calm for so long I`ll never know. Personally I wouldn't have had the patience and he got what was coming to him.

Air and Water

2009-10-10T23:39:00.002Z

It seems that Tesco have started charging the motorist for air and water. Well not exactly water but it seems like water, it looks like water but it has a very small hint of screen wash in it and the charge for this, £1 for an 80 second squirt of the stuff. Hopefully 80 seconds is enough to fill an empty window washer tank.

If you just want air for your tyres then it costs you 20p

The photo above is of the machine and closer look at it shows a pipe sticking out the side. Pressing a button on the pipe will send water coming out of it. This is free but the pipe is fixed so there is no way you can put it in your radiator.

Its the last time I go to Tesco for my air and water when others are supplying it free. Even the screenwash is cheaper to buy and mix with water

Double click the image to view full size

Fixed Fares

2009-10-07T23:34:00.002Z

This week I picked a fare up from the Town Centre and took him into the nbext town and aksed him for the £6 fare. He paid it but started asking questions like.

That's extortionate, we`ve only just come up the road?
Is it a higher rate on a Sunday?
Why do you charge so much?

The fact that he said we had only just come up the road made me calculate the mileage to around just short of 4 miles. I explained this to him but he said it seemed like a few hundred yards.

The guy spoke with a broad irish accent and told me that where he came from that the same journey would cost him around 75 pence.

Is there any taxi firm out there that has a minimun rate this low?? speak up...

Inflation

2009-10-04T21:18:00.000Z

Today, I picked a fare up from the local hospital. It was a lady who`s battery had gone flat on the car and had got a lift to the hospital but needed a taxi back home.

At the start of the journey she asked me how much it would cost and I estimated around £3.00p to which she exclaimed that it was too expensive and I must have got it wrong as she had never paid that amount to get home before.

I asked her what she normally pays and she said about £1.80p. This had me a little baffled as I knew that £1.80 would only get her part way to her house so I started digging a bit deeper and decided to ask her when the last time she got a taxi was.

Her reply...... "I don't normally use taxis as I have my own car but last time I got one from the hospital to home must have been about 5 years ago or maybe longer"

Did she not realise that due to inflation, the rising costs of running a car that taxi fares would have increaded in that periood of time

Seems to me she was stuck in some sort of timewarp and expected to pay 2003 prices.

Another One Bites the Dust

2009-10-01T16:30:00.000Z

I got a call recently to pick up a fare at the Kings pub at Hawcoat in Barrow In Furness. When I got there it turned out that one of the men I was picking up was Barrows Ex Mayor councillor Jack Richardson who was quite the worse for wear. As he tried to climb into the back seat he fell off the pavement and landed on his backside and had to be helped into the car by his friend.

Councillor Richardson was so drunk that it wasn't easy to understand his slur of words as he tried to explain where he wanted to go to. Eventually we made it to his house then carried on the journey with the other passenger in the car.

So why was our ex mayor so drunk that he couldnt stand up or speak? Was he preparing himself for a council meeting? No.. Nothing like that as his friend explains.

For a number of years now the councillors son has been running the village pub at Hawcoat which is actually a nice quiet pub with its regular local yokels from the village visiting their local hostelry most evenings. Now this pub is one of the oldest in the town and a little bit of history research tells me that it was built in 1860 by a Mr King who then applied for Cliff Lane (the street that the pub is on) to be renamed King Street. The application was refused so he named the pub the Kings Arms and it was granted a full license in 1874

So why is our councillor drunk?? Because it was to be the final night of the pub being open.
135 years that pub has been serving beer and its now the end of an era. Another pub bites the dust and possibly due to the credit crunch.

Unfortunately the pub will not be handed over to a new tenant as the brewery have stated that the pub isn't profitable and it will no longer be a pub.

I guess it will be converted into houses or flats like other pubs in the town have been.

Some of the regulars that live in the village never see many people and are quite elderly. Some of these people use the pub to meet up and socialise. What will they do now? The village pub is dying out. Not many left in this area.

So now you know, Councillor Richardson was supporting his son and enjoying a last drink with friends in a pub which has been home to many people in the village and very soon will just be a fond distant memory

Young Mums attitude to child safety

2009-09-29T23:00:00.002Z

Earlier today I was travelling along a major road in the town when I saw a young mother pushing a pram. She wanted to cross the road and was stood on the edge of the kerb waiting for a gap in the traffic. She was on the edge of the road and the pram was actually on the road.

I saw this and indicated to pull out into the middle of the road giving the pram a wide birth. She just stood there with her hand son the pram, fag in her mouth looking very much like "Waynetta Slob" from the Harry Enfield shows on the television.

You could see her nervously pushing the pram further into the road and then back again in a hope that traffic would stop to let her cross.

This isnt the first time I`ve seen this and it seems to be a thing with young mothers lately where they dont seem to put their childs safety first. Personally I don`t think some of them even care.

The crazy thing about this was that 20 yards down the road was a zebra crossing and she couldnt be bothered to walk towards it and use it.

Standing on the kerb with the pram in the road is a dangerous thing to do. I wish these idiots would think about the consequences of what damage could be done to their child.

Lazy Boyfriend

2009-09-27T22:49:00.002Z

Picked a fare up this week, a young lady around 25 to 30 years old who had a little boy with her aged around 10 years old. He didn't say much apart from saying goodbye at the end of the journey, However, his mum was totally different....

She proceeded to tell me how her boyfriend was a "lazy lump" who didn't work and wouldn't do any work around the house. He went out drinking and when he came home he would just fall asleep.

The conversation then turned to sex as she said that she was fed up with him not performing properly and all he wanted to do was fall asleep.

A little too much information was spoken from her mouth and from a taxi drivers point of view, we do get to hear all sorts of stuff but to talk about this in detail in front of her child.... well, no wonder he was quiet and going a deep shade of red. I asked her if she always discussed matters like this in front of him and her response.... "Well he`s got to learn sometime"

I was glad when the journey ended as I could see that poor boy going red and felt really sorry for him

Twos Company, (Threes a crowd)

2009-09-24T22:47:00.003Z

Picked a fare up last weekend. A young couple. He sat in the front and she sat behind him in the back. She was very quiet and never once spoke. Not even to say Hello, Goodbye or Thankyou except for one sentence which I will come to soon.

He was the opposite and spoke all the way on the short journey of around half a mile. He tells me how he wanted to win the lottery so that he could travel the world and do what he wanted to do.

I then asked him if he was taking anyone with him to which he replied and I quote. "I`d take the young nurse that I have been seeing for the last 4 months. Wouldnt take the wife as shes too boring".

At this point the girl in the back shouted some obscenity at him and exclaimed that they had been married to each other for 2 years and then a full scale argument starts in the car.

It turns out he had been going out at night saying he was with mates and all the time he was with this nurse. He`s only himself to blame as his reponse to her exclamation was "Oh Shit.... You were that quiet I forgot you were in the car. Sorry Luv.."

I was asked to stop the car while she got out, she insisted on walking home so he then paid the fare and walked off after her.

Not my fault I thought so best leave them to it and not get involved so I pulled away and just went onto my next job.

Not a sporting chance

2009-09-20T23:15:00.002Z

Why is it that quite a lot of passengers that get in the cab will start up a conversation about the Rugby or The Football or The Cricket or any other sport. They will say something and then ask what you thought of it.

I would frequently say to them "it doesn't interest me and after all, its only a game."

I`m entitled to my opinion and if they ask me what I think then I should be allowed to say what I do think and if that's my opinion then they should respect it, either that or keep their mouths shut in the first place and don't ask.

However, this one guy I picked up then went onto say that I must support some team as its the way of life. Everyone has to support a team and why do I not bother with it. He kept going on throughout the journey about me not supporting any team.

Why should I? If I`m not interested then why should I pretend to be. I`ve always adopted the attitude of speaking my mind. Sometimes I may have sailed a little too close to the wind but if I`m asked for my opinion and I give it then its their problem if they don't like what they hear.

This guy then went on to tell me what a great team he supported (I cant remember who it was as I wasn't really taking much notice) and tried his hardest to get me to support them. He just wouldn't shut up and was adamant that he would have me interested in his team before the journey ended.

Its a bit like religion isn't it? Imagine those religious people coming to your door to preach the gospels and try to convert you to their faith. He was trying to get me interested in something I couldn't be bothered with and why should I be.

I am a great believer that we are all unique individuals and should be allowed to believe in any religion we like, just like we should be able to support (or not bother) with any sport there is.

We have that choice and shouldn't be forced into something we don`t want so why do these people get in the cab and naturally assume that you are interested in the match or game and when you say that you don't follow it then they keep going in your face about it.

Eventually I did tell him who I supported.... I told him I supported all the other cabbies that throw idiots like him out the cab and if he didn't shut up then I would do the same with him and maybe I just might not stop the car when I do it.

Maybe I had opened my big gob again but he took no notice of me and carried on babbling on.
This was one fare I was glad to have out of the cab.

Its not much to ask is it. Don't shove your beliefs, football teams or any other crap in my face and just sit back and enjoy the ride home.

And the best bit.... This guy was on his own, stone cold sober and had just finished work so their was no excuse for his attitude.

Under the influence....

2009-09-17T02:20:00.002Z

This week I picked up two young girls aged around 20 maybe 22 years old and they were chatting amongst themselves and the usual girly conversation was about parties they had been to, and then one of the girls said to the other girl , and I quote,

"Your Dad was lucky he didnt get caught drink driving when he came back up the motorway".

Her mates reply was "I was sh**ting myself as he was all over the three lanes at 80 miles per hour."

Did you know he was drunk? came the response from the first girl.

Second girl replies. "Yeah but we had to get back home and didnt want to leave the car overnight"

Some people seem to think that it is socially acceptable to drink and drive, not only putting their own lives at risk but also other people as well. As for the girl who travelled in the car with her drunken dad behind the wheel then I have no sympathy. They are both as bad as each other. Her for knowingly allowing herself to be put in this danger and him for being a complete idiot.

Lets face it, what sort of decent father would put his daughters life at risk allowing them to be carried in a vehicle where the driver is drunk.

I was going to do what I normally do and open my big mouth and tell them what I thought of them but on this occasion I just kept my mouth shut and didnt say a word.

Just as the girls were about to pay the fare and get out the car one of them said to me, "You didnt hear that conversation about my dad did you?". I just shook my head and ignored her. It wasnt even worth me having a go at her about it as experience says that people like that never listen and never learn.