Everyday we, the drivers carry more than half a million passengers throughout the New York City and surrounding areas. Every single passenger comes with a distinctive personal character. So it literally means that there are more than half a million different characters of people we meet everyday. Do you know the best part of being a Taxi driver..? I think the best part of being a Taxi driver in New York City is meeting all different kinds of passengers every day in our job. Since I like to talk to my passengers, I find so many interesting people everyday and today also it was not any exception. In my last posts I talked about some passengers but today I met a passenger who was so impatient that it really took my test to be patient.
The morning was very rough today. It started to snow from last night but soon it turned ice. So the roads were very slippery and dangerous. I was very careful all morning as the ice made the roads really a very hazardous place to be. At about 9 o’clock in the morning I picked up a passenger from the middle part of Battery Park City. He wanted to go to 48th St and Madison Ave. The fastest route should be just make the right turn and make another right turn to West side Highway..go through the tunnel to FDR Drive and take an exit on 42nd St to 3rd Ave to 47th St..make a left on 47th St to Madison Ave and make a right turn..That’s it. It should not take more than 13/14 minutes and the bill should be about $16 to $17 dollars. But this passenger had some other idea and I had no idea why. He told me to go to Church Ave and go up to 48th St and make a turn. I told him,” Sir this will take at least 40 minutes because the whole city became very slow and very congested..so let me take the FDR.” He told me to go the way he wanted. What could I do so I started to drive him the way he wanted. I noticed that every time I slow down because of the traffic..he started to curse and that made me very uncomfortable as I never use any profanity and totally hate it. The traffic was very slow and on top of that I had to be very careful because of continuous ice falling. Since it was very congested he finally yelled at me,” Driver why are you using brake so many times..why are you driving like a girl..?” I said,” What..? I am driving as careful as I could and try to take you to your destination safely.” He started to read his newspaper again. When I was around 4th St and 6th Ave he told me” Why can’t you drive faster, I am being late..it’s been 30 minutes and you are only 4th St..?” I was very frustrated also as my meter was only about $10 dollars where I could have dropped him off long before and got another customer. I reminded him that it was his chosen route.
While I was stopped on a red light I took only one peanut from a small container I had and he saw that…and right way he yelled at me,” Why are you eating in your cab..you are so obnoxious person..1st you deliberately driving slowly, then you are continuously pressing brakes, now you are eating in your cab.” This time I had to answer him as I was taking his abuse for more than half an hour. I stopped the car and told him,” Sir..I have been very patient with you…you are literally harassing me..had you listened to me you would have been in your work long time before and for your mistake you are trying to make me feel that it’s my fault..? If you harass me one more time I will call 911 or stop a Police car and then you will see that you will be really late to your work. So stop harassing me and let me drop you..it’s your choice. Do you want me to call a Cop..?” It seemed like that he got the message. He told me,”Ok..please take me to my work.” When I was about to make the right turn on the 48th St on 6th Ave..there was a truck in front of my cab…he again asked me,” Why are you behind him..?” So I smiled and told him sarcastically, ” Because he is ahead of me…”..I dropped him on his destination after about 43 minutes and the bill came to be about $17 dollars which was almost similar to had I was allowed to take FDR Drive and I mentioned it to him. He did not give me any tip and he sure enough told me why. So I answered back,” Sir..I would not accept tip from such an impatient passenger either.” He paid me in cash and left.
So see my friends..this is how my days gone today. I am sure no one wants a passenger like that but I am glad that I got him today because that experience helped me to write this post and I am thankful to him for that. Love you all. Thanks for reading my blog. Good night.