Thursday, October 8, 2009
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
rank taxi?
Why Australian taxis are rank
Look, I know it's often a thankless task. The hours are crook and the work is repetitive. The pay is often poor and the stress levels high. But seriously, our taxi industry isn't exactly doing itself any favours right now. Look, I know it's often a thankless task. The hours are crook and the work is repetitive. The pay is often poor and the stress levels high. I know that those who do it for a living routinely see humanity from its least flattering angle. And let's not forget for a moment that it's an extremely dangerous way to put bread on the table. But seriously, our taxi industry isn't exactly doing itself any favours right now. Or maybe I've just had a bad run. But I don't think so. In a single week, I've been inconvenienced and put in personal danger several times by taxi drivers and companies, and I'm about ready to start banging heads together.
The inconvenience was the least life-threatening situation, but it still meant I almost missed a flight for which I had one of those el cheapo, non-refundable fares. The sort of you-don't-turn-up-you-do-your-dough arrangement that airlines (and don't start me there, either) have embraced. Having booked a cab 90 minutes earlier, the agreed time came and went with no (Melbourne) yellow sedan arriving to leak oil on my driveway.
So I phoned back 10 minutes later, only to be told that no driver had accepted my fare (an easy $120, I should add) and possibly none would. This would be bad enough, but why hadn't anybody phoned me back to tell me so? The dispatchers knew I was heading to the airport, after all. I hung up, threw my bags and significant other into the car and we drove to the airport (a three-hour round trip that Mrs M could clearly have done without on a wet Sunday evening).
A full 45 minutes after, the dispatcher rang me back, wondering where I was because the taxi was now in my driveway and couldn't find me. I'll spare you the full version of my reply. Suffice to say that if he'd followed my instructions he'd still be walking with a limp and the company would be down one yellow Ford Falcon. The dangerous stuff started to happen that same week when I pulled up at the lights in my own car. Right next to me was a cab with, in the right-hand-front wheel arch, a space-saver spare tyre. Now, you and I know, a space-saver is for emergencies only and you should use it only to get you to a tyre shop to have the flat fixed.
Not this bloke. Judging by the amount of road grime and brake dust on the space-saver, it'd been on that cab for at least a few days. Maybe more. A panic stop or wet patch on the road and he'd be crossing lanes and bouncing off whatever car was next to him. That'd be me, then.
But it got worse. Not more than a couple of days later, I jumped in the front seat of a taxi while my mate in the back seat suggested I look up, directly above my forehead. But do it slowly. No sudden movements. And there, poking about 15 mm through the roof lining was a shiny, metal screw, pointy end down. One decent bump and I was going to be screwed. Literally.
I laid my seat back to put some space between me and the self-tapper and asked the driver if he could possibly explain this example of Flintstone engineering to me. "Not my cab, mate," said the driver. "But there was another one on my side. I took it out. Bloody dangerous, I reckon."
Later the same week, I found myself in a Sydney cab. As well as being completely worn out, the cab was distinguished by having the driver's seatbelt pulled around the back of the seat and clipped into the buckle. That stopped the warning chime from sounding, but it also meant the driver was completely unrestrained. Aside from the idiocy inherent in driving in Sydney traffic without a seatbelt on, what about me, the paying passenger? What would happen in, say, a roll-over if the driver - now a flying object - clobbered me in the melon? I can only hope the self-tapper screw from the previous cab would have held him in place.
Look, I know it's often a thankless task. The hours are crook and the work is repetitive. The pay is often poor and the stress levels high. But seriously, our taxi industry isn't exactly doing itself any favours right now. Look, I know it's often a thankless task. The hours are crook and the work is repetitive. The pay is often poor and the stress levels high. I know that those who do it for a living routinely see humanity from its least flattering angle. And let's not forget for a moment that it's an extremely dangerous way to put bread on the table. But seriously, our taxi industry isn't exactly doing itself any favours right now. Or maybe I've just had a bad run. But I don't think so. In a single week, I've been inconvenienced and put in personal danger several times by taxi drivers and companies, and I'm about ready to start banging heads together.
The inconvenience was the least life-threatening situation, but it still meant I almost missed a flight for which I had one of those el cheapo, non-refundable fares. The sort of you-don't-turn-up-you-do-your-dough arrangement that airlines (and don't start me there, either) have embraced. Having booked a cab 90 minutes earlier, the agreed time came and went with no (Melbourne) yellow sedan arriving to leak oil on my driveway.
So I phoned back 10 minutes later, only to be told that no driver had accepted my fare (an easy $120, I should add) and possibly none would. This would be bad enough, but why hadn't anybody phoned me back to tell me so? The dispatchers knew I was heading to the airport, after all. I hung up, threw my bags and significant other into the car and we drove to the airport (a three-hour round trip that Mrs M could clearly have done without on a wet Sunday evening).
A full 45 minutes after, the dispatcher rang me back, wondering where I was because the taxi was now in my driveway and couldn't find me. I'll spare you the full version of my reply. Suffice to say that if he'd followed my instructions he'd still be walking with a limp and the company would be down one yellow Ford Falcon. The dangerous stuff started to happen that same week when I pulled up at the lights in my own car. Right next to me was a cab with, in the right-hand-front wheel arch, a space-saver spare tyre. Now, you and I know, a space-saver is for emergencies only and you should use it only to get you to a tyre shop to have the flat fixed.
Not this bloke. Judging by the amount of road grime and brake dust on the space-saver, it'd been on that cab for at least a few days. Maybe more. A panic stop or wet patch on the road and he'd be crossing lanes and bouncing off whatever car was next to him. That'd be me, then.
But it got worse. Not more than a couple of days later, I jumped in the front seat of a taxi while my mate in the back seat suggested I look up, directly above my forehead. But do it slowly. No sudden movements. And there, poking about 15 mm through the roof lining was a shiny, metal screw, pointy end down. One decent bump and I was going to be screwed. Literally.
I laid my seat back to put some space between me and the self-tapper and asked the driver if he could possibly explain this example of Flintstone engineering to me. "Not my cab, mate," said the driver. "But there was another one on my side. I took it out. Bloody dangerous, I reckon."
Later the same week, I found myself in a Sydney cab. As well as being completely worn out, the cab was distinguished by having the driver's seatbelt pulled around the back of the seat and clipped into the buckle. That stopped the warning chime from sounding, but it also meant the driver was completely unrestrained. Aside from the idiocy inherent in driving in Sydney traffic without a seatbelt on, what about me, the paying passenger? What would happen in, say, a roll-over if the driver - now a flying object - clobbered me in the melon? I can only hope the self-tapper screw from the previous cab would have held him in place.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
TALKIN TO MYSELF
SEEM TOO BE TALKIN TOO MYSELF...HARRY OPEN THE BLOODY THING TOO EVERYBODY?
Me and the Misses went too Melbourne thur night for her birthday stayed at the Sofitel on Collins ..grab a cab and i asked him too take me too the sky deck ? Which happens too be the Fucking Biggest building in the Southern hem ..the black fuckhead had no idea ..all you have too is look ...fuckin hell
http://eurekaskydeck.com.au/eureka-skydeck.asp
Me and the Misses went too Melbourne thur night for her birthday stayed at the Sofitel on Collins ..grab a cab and i asked him too take me too the sky deck ? Which happens too be the Fucking Biggest building in the Southern hem ..the black fuckhead had no idea ..all you have too is look ...fuckin hell
http://eurekaskydeck.com.au/eureka-skydeck.asp
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Vic taxi drivers to protest planned wage reductions
Victorian taxi drivers are planning to protest against moves by taxi operators to take a bigger slice of income and reduce drivers' wages.
Most taxi drivers earn about $8 an hour under a split payment system where they get 50 per cent of the takings for a shift, but taxi owners want to change the split payment system to 60-40, blaming rising fuel prices and extra costs.
Vice president of the Taxi Driver's Association, Wally Hunt, says owners will already get a boost from the 4 per cent fare increase introduced yesterday.
He says taxi drivers are already poorly paid and will protest if their wages are cut further.
"It's going to be disastrous and they can look for an absolute revolt," Mr Hunt said.
"Drivers are not going to take it, and never will, never should and the drivers are getting far less than they deserve and share of the fares as it stands.
"There'll be a lot of cars sitting in depots not driven and there'll be lots of drivers in the welfare queues, and the drivers aren't getting much more than they would if they were in a welfare queue anyway."
Taxi Operators Association president Geoff Bell says cab owners should wait until the fare increase in September to reduce the percentage paid to drivers.
"Since December taxi operators have been losing about 3 per cent, about minus 3 per cent so even with this 4.2 per cent increase, we're still on a knife edge and its time the government realised the industry is in crisis," Mr Bell said.
Mr Bell admits drivers are poorly paid, but says owners are not making big profits either.
"They do earn a very poor return for their work and operators are in the same position, we get nothing out of it," he said.
"We are public transport, but we're not a charity, we're privately funded and if the government wants us to run as public transport then someone has to pay."
Most taxi drivers earn about $8 an hour under a split payment system where they get 50 per cent of the takings for a shift, but taxi owners want to change the split payment system to 60-40, blaming rising fuel prices and extra costs.
Vice president of the Taxi Driver's Association, Wally Hunt, says owners will already get a boost from the 4 per cent fare increase introduced yesterday.
He says taxi drivers are already poorly paid and will protest if their wages are cut further.
"It's going to be disastrous and they can look for an absolute revolt," Mr Hunt said.
"Drivers are not going to take it, and never will, never should and the drivers are getting far less than they deserve and share of the fares as it stands.
"There'll be a lot of cars sitting in depots not driven and there'll be lots of drivers in the welfare queues, and the drivers aren't getting much more than they would if they were in a welfare queue anyway."
Taxi Operators Association president Geoff Bell says cab owners should wait until the fare increase in September to reduce the percentage paid to drivers.
"Since December taxi operators have been losing about 3 per cent, about minus 3 per cent so even with this 4.2 per cent increase, we're still on a knife edge and its time the government realised the industry is in crisis," Mr Bell said.
Mr Bell admits drivers are poorly paid, but says owners are not making big profits either.
"They do earn a very poor return for their work and operators are in the same position, we get nothing out of it," he said.
"We are public transport, but we're not a charity, we're privately funded and if the government wants us to run as public transport then someone has to pay."
Monday, April 14, 2008
One hot day at albert park
Went to the G.P. At the park a few weeks ago and guess who i bumped into?
This Wanker!
Didnt get much of a chance to take any more photos as i spent the rest of the day hiding from him and the sun.
Thank god he didnt go to the kiss concert!
Wonder who he's looking at?
Anyway had a great time and will be going again next year.
(Hope that wanker stays at home next year!)
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
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