Lady Cab Driver

by Melissa Alexander, Onondaga Community College, November 25, 2007

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"How boutcha Violet?"

"Go ahead."

"I'm clear."

"10-4. Come on back."

It was 6 a.m. and time to go back to the office and cash out. My body ached,
and I couldn't wait to crawl into bed. Before I went back to the office, I
had to fill up the gas tank and make sure the car was clean. I pulled into
the parking lot and started counting my share of the money. 60% was
Violet's; 40% was mine (plus my tips of course). When I went into the
office to give Violet her money, the rest of the "family" greeted me warmly.
I looked around the room at all the people that I had come to care about so
deeply and I felt like I was home. At that time of the morning everyone was
there, those of us that had just finished a twelve-hour shift and the rest
of the gang that was just starting their twelve hours. Everyone in the room
was smiling and laughing. Suddenly my body didn't hurt so much anymore and
there was a smile on my face to match theirs. It didn't matter whether they
had just finished their shift or were just starting, everyone chatted
good-naturedly. There wasn't one person that didn't have a Dunkin Donuts
coffee in front of them and there was a box of donuts on the table. Our job
wasn't one of those jobs where you dreaded going in, you suffered through
the day, and counted the minutes until you went home. We all truly enjoyed
being there.

Violet was sitting behind the desk talking on one of the four phones lined
up in front of her. She was a short, full figured Italian woman with short
jet-black hair. As usual she looked great. She was wearing a black pants
suit with a pair of tan pumps that matched her blouse perfectly. Her
clothes always looked like she had just picked them up from the dry
cleaners; there wasn't a spot, wrinkle, or stain to be seen. Her hair was
curled, teased, and sprayed to perfection. I often wondered if she didn't
have her own personal hairdresser living with her. You would never guess she
owned and operated a cab company. I gave Violet her money and chatted for a
little while with the guys and then headed home to get some sleep.

When most people think of a cab driver they imagine a middle aged, big,
burly man. That is not always the case. Though it is rare, there are women
cab drivers. Being a cab driver for a woman is much different than it is
for a man. For a woman it can be dangerous and a lot scarier, but it is
also more exciting and better paying. It takes a strong woman that likes
excitement and adventure to be a cab driver. I've had many
different occupations in my life and I'd have to say that driving cab was by
far the best. Even though there were the occasional dangers that
accompanied the job, overall it was a lot of fun and definitely interesting.

There is no doubt that this job had its dangerous aspects. As you can
imagine, when you drive sixty hours a week, there is a greater chance that
you can get into an accident or get pulled over, especially if you have been
driving all night and are tired. Also, you are always at risk of being
robbed. I was never robbed for my fares, but there was one occasion that I
had something stolen from me. It was around midnight when the call came over
the c.b. radio.

"How boucha Missy?"

"Go ahead."

"113 Earl Ave. going to Teall Ave."

"10-4."

When I arrived, four young men in their late teens or early
twenties came out of the house. Because there were four of them, one of
them had to sit up front with me. A few blocks away from their destination
they abruptly said, "We'll get out here." They got out of the car and were
moving very quickly. When I got back to the office, I realized why they were
in such a hurry. My wallet was gone; it had been on the seat next to me. I
had planned on stopping and paying my rent in the morning, and my rent money
was in my wallet, along with my credit cards and driver's license. I was so
upset I couldn't stop crying. Even though Violet and the rest of the guys I
worked with all pitched in and gave me the money that I needed for rent, it
was still very upsetting.

Being a female cab driver definitely had its awkward moments. I
can't count how many times I had to go into strip clubs to pick up
customers. Every time I walked in, it was all eyes on me. It seemed like
every time I went in there someone would ask me if I worked there. When I
stated that I was the cab driver, there were suddenly fifty hands in the air
and everyone was yelling, "I need a ride!" There were a lot of guys sitting
around watching a bunch of naked women on stage. So you can imagine the
ride home. Sometimes I'd have to pick up two or three guys, and it was
very awkward knowing they were in the backseat,
drunk, and all riled up having watched women dance and take their clothes
off all night. It could be a scary ride. They almost always made passes at
me, and when I turned them down they didn't want to take no for an answer.
It was a slight comfort knowing that if things got bad I could always push
the button on the c.b. radio, and my dispatcher could hear everything that
was going on. If there were the slightest chance that I was going to have a
problem, she would send one of the guys to help. I constantly had to tell
myself, and sometimes even the customer, that this was my car and at any
time I could pull over and they could get out. There were also times that
the customer would pass out in the car and that meant I had to wake them up.
I think that was worse than getting hit on because I never knew what their
reaction would be if I had to actually shake them to wake them up. Would
they get fresh or even violent, when I touched them?

Most of the time I just had fun. I met a lot of interesting
people and once in awhile something really great would happen. The best
night I ever had also happened to be the night I made the most money I ever
have at a job. It was a Thursday night and my first fare was at the truck
stop. We often got calls from truck drivers that would need to go places
they couldn't or didn't want to drive their trucks. I picked up a gentleman
that was only going a few blocks away to the Laundromat. When he got in my
cab he seemed like a nice enough guy and introduced himself as Pete. Being
a cab driver, you learn to read a person as soon as they get in your cab. I
didn't feel at all uncomfortable or uneasy with Pete. He was tall, in his
late 30's, early 40's with thinning gray hair. When he asked me what there
was to do in this town, I told him that I liked to go to the casino. We
talked for the few minutes it took to get to the Laundromat before I dropped
him off. He was a family man that spent a lot of time on the road.

Sure enough a couple hours later my dispatcher came over the
radio and told me a customer had requested me. I had to pick up Pete at the
truck stop and take him to the casino. This was a good fare; it cost $50.00
to go to the casino. When we got there Pete said he wanted me to stay there
and wait for him so that when he was ready to leave he didn't have to wait
the thirty minutes it would take me to come back to get him. I'd never had
this happen before and was unsure what to do. I called Violet and she said
I could stay but it would cost him twenty dollars an hour for me to wait.
Pete wanted me to come inside and show him around; I think he just wanted
company. The casino was packed and everything about it was exhilarating. I
loved the lights and the sounds. Pete and I decided to play blackjack. We
stayed for two hours and I won $110.00. Pete lost quite a bit of money, but
it didn't diminish his good spirits. I drove him back to the truck stop and
his fare was $140.00. I was shocked when he handed me $200.00 and told me
to keep the change. With the $110.00 I won, the $60.00 tip and my 40
percent of the fare, I earned $75.00 an hour for three hours, and I had a
blast!

I'm sure no one's goal in life is to become a cab driver. However, if you're
ever bored and want some excitement and a little danger to get your
adrenaline pumping, I highly suggest taking a chance and driving a cab for a
while. If you are a strong-willed independent woman it is rather easy to
manage the danger. Being assertive and standing your ground can deter any
unruly or inappropriate customer. You can enjoy a friendly and family-like
atmosphere with your coworkers. There is a great amount of independence in
this job. There is no boss hanging over your shoulder telling you what to
do or how to do it. The best part is that you can make quite a bit of
money, and you're not stuck in some building. You get to be outside and
you're constantly seeing new places and new things. You meet a lot of
interesting people with distinctive personalities and each night you
experience something beyond the everyday norm.

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