Taxi Drivers the other Side of the Partition
For those who have never experienced taxi driving, how many actually bother about the feelings of the person on the other side of the partition when boarding a taxi? Many would care only for matters concerning their side of the partition when they board a taxi - how much they would pay for the ride, the shortest route, the shortest time, no traffic jams and no police stops. They would often expect the taxi driver to do miracles and whisk them off to their destinations in a jiffy.
For regular commuters who have a heart, these are the heart matters of a taxi driver:
- dealing with unreasonable passengers
- paying the high maintenance for taxis
- optimizing the hours on the road to earn as much as possible
- being their own planners for old age without pension schemes
- safety from theft and murders
Passengers often think their taxi drivers are being unreasonable. They often fail to see themselves as the creators of their own problems. Unreasonable passengers often take taxi drivers to be mind readers who know the exact route they want to take to reach their destination. They assume that great minds will always think the same but they forget that their minds are often not great at all.
It is certainly hoped that one day, a special automated taxi will run the route the passenger can trace on a computer screen so that such problems would disappear. In the meantime, passengers should spell out clearly the route they desire to take. When things go smoothly, the taxi driver is spared. But when they encounter a traffic jam due to a road accident, the poor taxi driver will have showers of curses raining on their heads if their partitions are not up.
Some passengers may assume that taxi drivers know all the places in their country. They forget that new taxi drivers would need to familiarise themselves with new buildings and roads. It is best that passengers let the taxi driver know if they are going to an unfamiliar location before the start of the journey and board another taxi if the taxi driver is not familiar with the destination. It would save a lot of unpleasantness on both side.
Some passengers also assume that taxi meters tick like the seconds of the clock. They fail to recognize that taxi companies may charge differently and they may end up paying more than they would if they had boarded a taxi belonging to another company.They start to haggle over the charge shown clearly on the meter as if they are at the market, oftentimes yelling at the poor taxi driver and holding up their time.
Paying the high maintenance for taxis is another problem that taxi drivers have to bear in mind at all times. Accidents do happen and if the taxi driver has been negligent or the taxi is not covered by insurance, the taxi driver will not only have to bear the cost of the repairs but also lose out in earnings when the taxi is at the workshop for repairs.
It is important that taxi drivers optimize the hours on the road to earn as much as possible especially during peak hours. unreasonable passengers may call for a taxi and leave him in the lurge waiting precious minutes for them to turn up. In some countries, taxi drivers are relieved of the waiting time once a company-set period of fifteen minutes is reached and he will not be penalised for not fetching the passenger. The dollars for answering the call for the taxi will not make up for the potential earnings that the taxi drivers may get during the waiting time.
Taxi drivers need to be their own financial planners for old age for they are often without pension schemes and they often do not earn enough to save, after spending on their families, maintaining the taxi and paying the daily rental on a company-owned taxi. With more taxi companies coming into the picture and more taxi drivers on the road on full-time or part-time schemes, the taxi driver's average earnings may soon fall to below subsistence level in many countries.
Safety from theft and murders is of utmost concern and lurks at the back of taxi drivers' minds when they take to the road. Sometimes, the thieves they encounter can be students who board a taxi and then claim they have no money at the end of their journey. Rather than wait for them to turn up with the money, taxi drivers evidently invite future repetitions of such theft by having pity on their passengers and not demanding payment. Even though partitions are up, passengers with ill motives will have their ways to gain financially from the drivers which they ought to be paying. Many a time, murders of taxi drivers are not reported as companies would prefer their taxis to have a safe reputation. With satellite tracking and alerts, however, murders of taxi drivers are less now than before.
The next time you board a taxi as a passenger, have a heart for your driver who like you, needs to earn a living and does not need unneccessary trouble to spoil his day.
