Australia has the most tightly regulated Taxi services in the world. Some international observers say the best, I have some reservations about that, however regardless, drivers are drivers and always have a "Good Story" to tell. A few of you know I am GM of a Mid sized Taxi Company and as such I hear the "War Stories" fairly often. Most, I take with a pinch of salt, but there is some drivers who take their role very very seriously. One has been part of this company for 30 years and he came to me recently with the "Story to end Stories" IMO. I have no reason to doubt a word of what was told as this guy is about as straight as they come.
The driver starts at 5.30 am on a Sunday morning recently and the computer data dispatch system lands him with a job. (Passenger to collect) He arrives at the address and a gentlemen appears in suit and so forth, but looking rather disheveled and a little like "last weeks meat".
He boards the Cab, directs the driver and begins to bemoan his mistakes of the night before. The driver being no fool figures fairly quickly what has occurred. The gentleman has been to a work party the night before and has gone home for the night with a woman who is NOT his wife. Now he is facing the return to his home with a degree of trepedation.
The Pax remarks to the driver that his wife is fairly tolerant and he is always trusted to go and have a few drinks and provided he is home by a reasonable hour she never suspects him of misconduct. But this...!!! She will know for sure that he has been up to "No Good" and she will not only be angry, she will most certainly divorce him. It will cost him half of everything. His assetts currently total about the million mark.
As they are driving, sobriety begins to creep in and the "Cobwebs" are clearing from the Pax's head. He is thinking now. "Wait driver" he says, "take me to the police station". The driver is of course perplexed and inquires as to the logic of the re-routing of their trip. Get this, this guy is clever.
He says, "Driver, drop me at the police station, I will call her from the public phone, tell her I got drunk and got arrested for drunkeness, the police locked me up for the night but I have not been charged because it was simply drunkeness, I have now been released and please come and fetch me". The driver is aghast and says to the pax, "Well, how will that work?".
The pax responds, "She will be totally p!ssed with me for a day or two, not let me forget it for a while, but it ain't gunna cost me 500k".
The driver was bereft of speech, but complied with the direction to drop the pax at the police station. Yes he did get paid for the fare.
Very well paid I might add. Go figure.
Whadaya say? Some guys do think on their feet.
I/O
