New York Taxi Drivers

by Laura Warrell (American English spelling)

Even if you’ve never been to New York, you’ve most probably seen or heard of New York’s famous taxi drivers. They’ve appeared in hundreds of films and television series, and they have a reputation for being rude and eccentric. They’re also known as the worst drivers on the planet as they drive too fast, rarely pay attention to traffic laws and they think they own the streets. For passengers, a ride in a New York taxicab can be like watching a car-chase scene from a Bruce Willis movie. So what’s it like to be a New York taxi driver? And what are they really like as people?

Are You Talkin’ to Me?

One of the most famous taxicab drivers from the movies is Travis Bickle (played by Robert De Niro). He appeared in the classic 1970s film Taxi Driver (directed by Martin Scorsese). Travis is an ex-Marine and insomniac who drives his cab through a decaying mid-1970s Manhattan. He desperately wants a “real rain” to wash the “scum” off the earth, and he decides that it’s his mission to clean up the city, and to kill two people: a politician, and the pimp of a child prostitute (Jodie Foster). The film won tons of awards, and let everyone see how crazy life in New York can be. It also caused lots of nerds to copy Robert De Niro’s famous scene when he’s standing in front of a mirror saying to himself, “Are you talking to me? I don’t see anyone else here. You must be talking to me”. So, is Travis a typical example of a New York taxi driver? Not exactly.

They’re not all Robert De Niro

Unlike Travis, only about 10 percent of drivers are American. Most of them are from the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia. Only 1 percent of drivers are women. In fact, the average New York City taxi driver is a middle-aged, foreign man. And what about their personalities? Most New York taxi drivers come across as rude, stubborn and impolite.They also think they know the city better than anyone else (they usually do). And few of them pay attention to taxi driving rules. For example, if a passenger asks a driver to stop smoking, or turn off the radio, most drivers will ignore the passenger and continue to smoke like a chimney, speak to their girlfriends on their mobile phone (illegal) and listen to music at the highest possible volume.

The Cab

Many taxi drivers are really fond of their cars. Some of them put photos of their families in their cars. Others decorate their cabs with incense, religious symbols and even shrines (particularly the Indian ones). Most of the rest of the taxi drivers just decorate their cabs with cigarette butts and half-eaten roast beef sandwiches.

The average salary for a typical New York City taxi driver is about $31,000. Taxi rates start at $2 and the meter starts to run based on distance. It also runs when the taxi isn’t moving, which is quite frequent in Manhattan. The most expensive trips are often to and from the airports. The flat rate is $35, plus bridge and tunnel tolls and a tip (about 15% of the total price), which ends up costing the customer around $45. Passengers who can’t afford the rate have the option of selling their grandmothers to the driver.

Job Options

There are strict rules for those who want to become a taxi driver. You must be at least 19 years old, and have a driver’s license from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut or Pennsylvania. You also have to pass a driving course, as well as medical and drug tests. The strangest requirement is that drivers with children must demonstrate that they are responsibly paying child support to the mother. It also helps to have a death wish, to enjoy taking the longest route between two points and to have a minimal level of English.

Mr Cab Driver Won’t Stop to Let Me In

One of the most difficult tasks in New York is stopping a cab. Ordinary yellow taxi cab drivers often refuse to travel into poor neighborhoods such as Harlem and areas of the Bronx and Brooklyn. For the residents of these areas, mostly AfricanAmericans and Latinos, this causes complications; and many often complain that they spend hours hailing taxicabs and never get a ride. On his first album, Lenny Kravitz wrote a song called “Mr Cab Driver” about “racist” taxi drivers. In the song, he sings: “Mr Cab Driver, won’t you stop to let me in, Mr Cab Driver don’t like my kind of skin.” This song spoke for a lot of African-American and Latino men who thought they were being neglected by racist drivers. Fortunately for Lenny, he no longer has to wait for taxis. Instead, he rides in stretch limousines where he can drink champagne off the stomachs of supermodels.

Getting a Cab

Other people have difficulties stopping cabs too. The recommended way is to stand at the curb, hold your arm out and move it up and down. But the best methods are less conventional: women should push their chest forward and show some leg; and men should whistle loudly and punch taxicabs that pass without stopping. Anyone dressed well and who is drunk should have no trouble finding a cab. Taxi drivers love drunk, rich people because they are too drunk to realise that they’ve been to New Jersey and back, instead of driving the two blocks to their flat. This allows taxi drivers to charge an extra fifty dollars.

Illegal Cabs

And finally, beware of illegal taxis. There are lots of them around. The drivers of these cabs aren’t licensed by the city, and the cabs aren’t yellow. There’s nothing wrong with these drivers, it’s just that they aren’t obliged to follow the rules. For example, the drivers can decide the price, and many of them don’t even have a meter. Most illegal drivers are poor immigrants - mostly Dominicans, Colombians or Haitians. They don’t speak much English and have limited job options. It is illegal for these drivers to pick up passengers from the street, although they do. They are also more likely to be victims of violence. Since 1994, no yellow cab drivers have been killed. However, between 1992 and 1993, seventy-three illegal cab drivers were killed. This is probably because these cab drivers are the only ones who are willing to go into dangerous neighborhoods. And now, are you ready for a taxi ride in New York?

G L O S S A R Y

a taxicab n a taxi. A “cab” is an informal word for a taxi a car-chase scene n a scene from a film in which one car is trying to catch another car an insomniac n a person who cannot sleep at night to wash off phr vb to eliminate a spot, mark or stain on your clothes by washing it scum n the worst people in society to clean up phr vb to clean completely a pimp n a person who controls and manages prostitutes tons of awards n lots of prizes a nerd n inform a person who studies a lot, and who lacks skill in social situations to come across as… exp to give the impression of… stubborn adj with very fixed ideas about things and how to do things to smoke like a chimney exp to smoke very much tobacco fond of exp if you are “fond of” something, you really like that thing incense n a stick that burns and produces a nice smell a shrine n an object in the taxi that has some religious and symbolic meaning a cigarette butt n the end of a cigarette that has been smoked a meter n the electronic object in a taxi that tells you how much you must pay to run vb if a meter is “running”, it shows the increasing cost of the journey a flat rate n a standard amount of money a toll n the money you pay for crossing a bridge or going on certain roads a tip n extra money you pay the taxi driver - usually 15% of the total child support n money you pay to the mother or father of your child/children if you are divorced a death wish n a desire to die to hail a taxi exp to stop a taxi a stretch limousine n a very long and large car that famous people travel in a curb n the edge of the road and the pavement or sidewalk (the place where pedestrians walk) a chest n the front and upper part of your body to whistle vb to make a noise by blowing air out of your mouth. People often do this to get someone’s attention to punch vb to hit with a closed hand dressed well exp with nice and formal clothes no trouble exp no problem a block n New York City is divided up into “blocks”, which are square areas of land with houses and shops on them beware exp be careful obliged adj forced to do something to pick up passengers exp to stop and take passengers in your taxi