Taxi
Posted on: Tuesday, October 31st, 2006 at 12:44 AMTaxi Drivers. Curious people..
Stephen: Busy tonight?
Taxi Driver: Aye, well.. naw. No really. Well, when a say no really, its been raining and its been causing a bit of floods so naw. No really busy big man.
Stephen: Okay. One of them nights then?
Taxi Driver: Aye. Workin the night then?
Stephen: Yes, my liver. Working it overtime with fine red wine.
Taxi Driver: Yer no fae Edinburgh are ye?
—- ( This is the point where I now try to become cold and slient ) ————-
Stephen: No. Ive been always here. Forever here. Today, yesterday and tommorow.
Taxi Driver: Fair doos.
—— ( I have shut him up ) —————–
Taxi Driver: A wis reading aboot the Blair wan saying we are all doomed. Like in oor lifetime.
Stephen ( Becoming interested ) Oh yeah. Its old news that. 20 years too old.
Taxi Driver: Aye. We is gonna see disasters. Flooding. Dae ye know what that means big man?
Stephen: No?
Taxi Driver: Mere fuckin immigrants!
——————
Oh god, another racist taxi driver. I love Taxi Drivers. Yes I do. The non racist ones.
——————–
The conversation became rather one sided and I shut off until the following:
Taxi Driver: Its awright fur Bush n company. They have special spaceships in which they can escape intae space if sumthing bad happens tae the climate. There is space stations fill of plants tae make oxygen so they can live long.
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November 4th, 2006 at 1:03 pm
Getting a taxi in Edinburgh is fun. They usually don’t make any conversation
whatsoever.
If they do, it means they are not from Edinburgh. The last time I had a
cheery chappie, I asked him where he was from, and he said Edinburgh. I was both
confused and dissapointed, as he had made a mockery of my theory.
I explained that he was a little overfamiliar for a burger, to which he replied,
“Aye, but I married a weegie”.
November 4th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
Here, in Riga I developed to theories about taxi drivers. First, the less the driver talks, the less you pay. Second, the less you talk, the less you pay. But I think the second rule applies only for me and maybe tourists too. My Latvian is getting better, but if I talk to much the taxi drivers recognize me as a foreigner and I’ll get the tourist extra charge.
November 4th, 2006 at 2:02 pm
Sarah, I noticed that during my times in Edinburgh. Some of them are dressed rather formally, more like a chauffeur rather than a taxi driver. I think Festival Cabs?? the drivers are suited?
November 6th, 2006 at 7:56 pm
I’m usually happiest if cabbies stay quiet. If they talk, I indulge them but try not to
get too involved. Usually means they have something to say and you just nod along with
whatevers on their mind. Have to say, your cabbie sounds a treat. Space stations for
the world elite? Whatever will they think of next……………..?
November 6th, 2006 at 11:50 pm
I had a taxi this evening. The driver claimed to know of a friend who suffered from a heart attack that lasted for four days before he went to the Doctor with flu like symptoms..