The Motor Forum

DarthBalls · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 12:59 pm Post subject: 'Memorable' cab journeys

These can be good or bad, here's my 3:

The Good

Catching a cab across Paris on a Friday in rush hour, taking in the Place Des Etoiles and Champs Elise (sorry about the spelling). Like Alton Towers but cheaper and more exciting. Cars going in all directions on the PDE, even reversing to let others in. Every vehicle seemed to have some form of battle scar on it. Fantastic.

The Bad

Getting in a minicab from my brother's flat in the Southside of Glasgow back home at 3am with Mrs DB. The first sign things weren't going to be good was when the driver changed CD from Bob Marley's Legend to Don McLean's album that has American Pie on it. The driver was quite chatty, which normally I like, but not when the opening gambit is to tell you he's knackered as he started his shift at 6am the previous day!

The Fucking Awful

Another trip home from my brother's but this time from his last house in Blantyre, using one of the 2 local minicab companies. The vehicle was a Citroen Picasso Mk1 and half of the route consisted of a speed bump infested, winding road down a hill. The driver decided to take a call on his mobile, letting the car veer onto the wrong side of the road before correcting with his free hand every time he changes gear. This happened on every bend. Speed bumps were just crashed over too.
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Matt · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 1:02 pm Post subject:

I don't remember most cab journeys as I'm nearly always 3 sheets to the wind, but the fucking awful one that I remember is when I was thrown forward from my seat, thanks to the driver trying to beat a red light, realised he couldn't and slammed on his anchors. Silly twat got a flash from the camera, though. He asked me if I was alright after. Yeah mate, better than you'll be when that comes through.
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franki68 · Petrolhead Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 2297

1) arriving in new york on a business trip ,hailing a cab ,getting in to be confronted by a driver who can only be described as rambo/taxi driver...wearing military kit with a piece of green cloth tied round his head and mental eyes.Proceeded to drive through new york at speeds that had us hangin on for dear life.

2) Numerous taxis in pakistan/bangladesh/indonesia/china

3) In dahab in egypt as a 17 year old,trying to sort a taxi out to get to the bus stop to get a bus to israel,being told there is only taxi...taxi turning up driven by a child of approx 10,who had wooden blocks laced to his feet so he could reach the pedals.

Rodge · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 1:49 pm Post subject:

The Good:

1. A few years ago after a college reunion in the city. I couldn't get a taxi anywhere and ended up walking half way home until one finally pulled over.
The funny thing is that after we arrived, I paid him and told him to keep the change. When I got in to the house, I realised I'd left him £5 short!

The Bad:

2. Edinburgh. Going from the train station to a friends house. The bastard taxi driver overcharged me and I had to give him directions.

The Ugly:

3. A very drunken taxi ride after a Christmas party. I was completely plastered, after drinking Guinness, red wine and finishing the night off with a few Baileys & Brandy mixers. I could barely walk and remember the ride back because I was feeling very ill.
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Racing · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 5:34 pm Post subject:

I don't think I can pick a worst out of the various horrendous collapsing Ladas I've been in over the past few years in Moscow. Suffice to say that racing along on packed snow and black ice in an ancient car with the structural integrity of a wet cardboard box is utterly terrifying.

The best was when I was on the Aberdonian down from Scotland to Kings Cross and was over two hours late in KC, which was about 1am and meant I'd missed my onward train to Suffolk. So the rail company stuck me in a black cab in the middle of the night and it drove me all the way to my mother's house near Aldeburgh in deepest darkest Suffolk. Only time I've been in a black cab that's stopped to refuel - the driver bought me a Mars Bar, which was highly appreciated. He turned the meter off as we passed Ipswich (with still over half an hour to go) at which point it read 173 quid. Apparently after a certain point, it's done by mileage rather than the meter.
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SpecB · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 5:37 pm Post subject:

I can't remember any particularly good taxi rides but the worst was one of many in Sharm a couple of years ago. One of the drivers decided that his ancient Peugeot 504 would fit through the gap to overtake two buses already overtaking each other on a dual carriageway.

Those 504 taxis are a credit to Peugeot. They are all falling apart and nothing electrical works apart from the headlamps maybe but they run and run although the smell of petrol in the car is disconcerting.
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Mark

Pkh72 · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 9:01 pm Post subject:

My funniest/most dangerous cab ride home from Derby after a night on the pop was provided by a Rasta bloke, he was sound but he must have been high on something, he was sooooooooooooooo laid back and he was struggling to keep the car on the right side of a wide A road not far from home at approx 40mph, i swear i could have done a better job even though i couldn't really see straight, needless to say i got out a bit earlier than i otherwise would have done and walked the rest of the way, bless him.

The best cab trip was last year from JFK airport in New York to our hotel in Manhattan, simply because we were both so excited about our holiday and i knew i was going to propose the next morning and she had no idea.