A Typical Day

A taxi driver just drives passengers to their destinations all day.

Top 3 Perks

1) Earn tips

2) Listening to the interesting people in your cab

3) Learn a city inside and out

Job Culture

Driving for long periods of time, collecting fares, cleaning and maintaining your car, responding to calls to meet passengers

My Experience

I spent a short time with a taxi driver driving around with him and asking some questions. Ang has been a driver for 7 years and works for a large taxi company. He works downtown and responds to the occasional call to meet a passenger. Other than that he is on his own to accept fares. His shifts are 8 to 12 hours and he starts early in the morning – that is a tough day. However even though he sits in his car all day and it can be tiring he stressed that it is important to always be alert. I felt very comfortable in Ang’s car and he is actually a very good driver. As if the driving isn’t enough at the end of a day Ang has to return the car, count his earnings, make sure the car is full on gas and ensure the car is clean. Although driving the actual taxi is easy, getting business and large tips is truly an art. Ang says if you treat your customers well, listen to them, and drive safely and on time then they are happy.

The experience was actually a lot of fun and I have a new found respect for taxi drivers. Ang was a great guy and knows the city incredibly well. Although I don’t plan on being a taxi driver it was a great experience.

Requirements

1) Driver’s licence

2) Clean driving record and no criminal record

Skills Needed

Good knowledge of the city, people skills, patience, self-motivations

The Field

- Strongly impacted by the economy