In about 1993 I was a taxi driver in Brisbane, Australia.
I was looking at jobs and I saw Yellow Cabs was looking for drivers. They offered training and employment so I applied.
The trainer told us about taxi driving. He seemed to be an experienced driver. I liked what he said.
I attended the training and passed the written test. However when I came to my driving test appointment I felt too nervous to get in the car to do the test. It was a transport department vehicle and it looked big and intimidating to me even though it was only an ordinary large sedan car. The door was open for me to get in and I saw the two way radio that was installed in the vehicle. I said I can’t do the test.
A few days later I made another booking to do the test and this time I did get in. I seemed to be driving satisfactorily until I failed to do a right turn correctly. The testing officer had asked me to turn right at the road intersection. I turned right and the officer told me that I had made the turn incorrectly. The officer seemed very displeased when I asked “Did I make the turn too sharply or did I not do it sharply enough?” He didn’t answer my question yet he passed me on the driving test.
Within a few minutes of starting on my first shift, I saw a man who wanted to be driven in the taxi. Because of the training I knew what to do and he paid me when I got him to his destination. He got out of the cab and he left.
One day a passenger wanted to be driven to the Brisbane town hall. That is one of the destinations that was supposed to know for the written test for the taxi driver’s licence. My passenger was shocked that I didn’t know the directions and he directed me. It was quicker than looking it up in the street directory yet I felt guilty for not knowing the way there.
I enjoyed driving the taxis, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.
One Saturday night I picked up a passenger in Fortitude Valley. A lot of cab drivers do not pick up passengers there on Saturday night. He was a big guy and he obviously had had plenty to drink. He mumbled something that sounded like “Take me to Rode road.” I started at the Sandgate Road end of Rode Road. It was a long road, Rode Road. Eventually he said “Turn right here.” By then he had climbed from the back seat into the front. Eventually I got him home and as he paid his fare he said “Weren’t you scared of me?” I said “No, I was only scared of not know where the hell you live. He explained to me “I went to Fortitude Valley to find someone to bash up but I didn’t find anyone worth doing that to.” I felt sorry for the guy. All that way and not getting what he wanted. He got out of the cab and left after he had paid his fare and I headed back towards the city to get more customers.
Another time a woman asked me to take her to Northgate. As I was driving towards Northgate she told me that I was going the wrong way. I asked her what way she wanted to go to Northgate and she directed me. It seemed a long way and when we did eventually get to her destination, I was shocked at price of the fare that was indicated on the taxi meter. I wanted to charge her less than that but I really couldn’t afford to. So I told her how much the fare was. She seemed surprised. She said “The last taxi driver had charged her more than that.”
Early one Sunday morning when I returned to the city I saw a lot of people waiting for a taxi. I stopped at the curb and the passengers very quickly got in. As I was driving I felt and heard a loud thud. I thought “Oh no, I have hit somebody or something.” I stopped and all the passengers got out of the cab. I saw them attacking an angry young man. Apparently he had kicked the cab as we were driving off. They then got back in and I drove them to their destination.
I began driving Maxi Taxis and taking wheelchair passengers. One morning as I was returning to the depot at the end of my shift, I heard this plaintive call on the radio from the radio room.'”Any wheelies on air?” They asked again. I picked up the microphone and replied “I don’t have a maxi. I’ve got the limo and I want to go home as it is the end of my shift.” They said “There are two passengers and I will find out if one of them can transfer.” When I picked them up they were disappointed that it was only a stretch car rather than a maxi taxi however I easily got one passenger in a wheelchair into the cab and the other passenger was able to transfer from his wheelchair into the seat of the cab.
One regular passenger has his own car however he gets a taxi to go out on Saturday nights so he can have a drink. He is very strong and has an amazing sense of balance. I watched in awe as he wheeled his wheelchair up the two steps at the venue that the went to.
I loved the beautiful experience of sunrise as I drove over the Storey bridge on the way back to the depot at dawn at the end of my shift. It was so awesome, every time that my shift ended that way. Hardly any cars on the road at that time of the morning and I looked forward to getting a good morning’s sleep.