June 28, 2007 - The Station Wagon Taxi

            For the last week or so I have been driving one of the older station wagon taxis.  I’m amazed that these things are still on the road, it makes me look absolutely ridiculous to drive around in one of these things.  Almost every customer that gets in makes some smart ass comment about it.  How embarrassing.  This thing belongs in a museum.  The drivers say that this taxi gets better gas mileage than the rest, which I find hard to believe.  

And it burns oil like it’s nobody’s business.  I have to put a quart of oil in each day.  This must be costing the office a fortune in oil.  I mean I use at least one quart of oil in my shift, sometimes two.  The guy who drives the taxi in the morning probably does the same.  So lets assume that it uses two quarts of oil per day at $3 per quart or so.  That’s $6 per day, $180 per month just on oil?  Are the other taxis this bad?  If so they must be costing the office a fortune! 

This isn't a picture of my actual taxi, just a crudely photoshopped one, but you get the idea.

June 23, 2007 - The Ride Along

            For the last few days one of the drivers who has been with the company for 10 years or so has been showing me the ins and outs of cab driving.  It’s all pretty basic stuff – learning radio etiquette, learning the radio codes, and taxi regulations mostly.  My trainer, Julio, has been a cab driver since he moved here from Mexico a little over 15 years ago.  Nice guy, he even bought me lunch.  Julio however warns me of certain other drivers as well as the sedentary lifestyle that such a career path entails.  Overall he seems happy, and likes the flexibility.  From what I have seen so far everyone seems pretty nice, and eager to help.  Perhaps I should keep a watchful eye though… Just incase.