What's it like being a Taxi driver in a country town? Ryno and Ryan Newberry discuss the interesting characters, the runners and a holiday saving 400km dash!
#taxi #cabbie #country #tamworth #nohumbleopinions #straighttalk #sparkplugradio #rynosway #unpopularopinion #unpopularopinions #podcast #podcastlife #podcastrecommendations #podcastseries #politicallyincorrect #politicalcorrectness
What's it like being a Taxi driver in a country town? Ryno and Ryan Newberry discuss the interesting characters, the runners and a holiday saving 400km dash!
#taxi #cabbie #country #tamworth #nohumbleopinions #straighttalk #sparkplugradio #rynosway #unpopularopinion #unpopularopinions #podcast #podcastlife #podcastrecommendations #podcastseries #politicallyincorrect #politicalcorrectness
0 (1s):
Hi there. Ryno here from the podcast. No humble opinions where we talk to interesting people about interesting things. Today I've got a very close friend of mine, so close. He's actually my brother-in-law boy, am I going to have a chat about being a cabbie? I country cabby a country cabby. Gotcha.
1 (20s):
<inaudible>
0 (32s):
Hey buddy. How are you? Very well. Very well. Happy to be here. I'm very glad. And thank you for correcting me on the country. Carry thing, because that is an important thing that we shall have a chat about during these, because it got to be honest state. And we've talked about this before cabbies. Haven't been my favorite in my life being a bit of a city dweller, but country. Cadbury's a little bit of a different thing. So we'll have a chat about that shortly, but Mike handle me. Have you been driving taxis for,
2 (58s):
I don't know, years. And whereabouts are to tell you in Tamworth new South Wales,
0 (1m 2s):
Dan, with new South Wales. So I don't know any is now. Okay. You haven't done it forever, obviously. Cause you're a favorite out of that and he doesn't look as old as me, but that's probably because he's not. But anyway, let's say that he's done a rod. So mate, what, what got you into driving cabs? What led you that direction? Well,
2 (1m 17s):
Long story short, I left school working in a bakery. Did my apprenticeship did 10 years in the bakery left the bakery for change, became a plasterer working for the old man, Richard, who you've spoken to in a previous one. I haven't dated the last week actually. Yeah. Did roughly pretty much 11 years as a plasterer. Did my apprenticeship doing that sort of thing? Had a workplace accident,
0 (1m 41s):
Like a second sheet. You can have like two sacks, two solid heavyset.
2 (1m 46s):
X of sheet. Yep. Yeah. Basically just damage the foot, torn to tenants and crushed all the cartilage in my left ankle. And I had eight months on worker's comp doctor said no heavy lifting, no climbing, ruled out plastering, driving a cab was the first thing I found where it didn't make me left foot for too much. Yeah. So yeah. Got into driving cabs. Did a bit of training in town here with Tim, with radio cabs and was driving for some other blokes, basically taxi drivers, a subcontractor. Yep. So if you own a taxi, you get two or three blokes who work for you. I come to your place, pick up your taxi. I do the shift at the end of the day, whatever's on the meter. We'd take a percentage and the owner gets X amount. The driver gets X amount and you park the car and walk away at the end of the shift
0 (2m 31s):
Swing. What training do you have to do to be KV?
2 (2m 33s):
Basically just the most difficult bit. If you, if you know the town or you know, the city, you've got a massive head start, just short cuts and where the heavy traffic is to avoid. But other than that, it's just how to use the dispatching system. How to accept jobs on the screen, knowing whether you can do the job, the amount of people, what the load is, all that sort of thing. And yeah,
0 (2m 54s):
I have to say the ones in Brisbane have never done the no where you are sort of thing. Like no, the region kind of thing, because our fam I woke up one night and this is, as I said, I'm not real fond of them. But anyway, I woke up one night when we were gone home to rake leaf and we're at the airport and I'd had little snooze in the cab because I might know it was a big day. You know, you haven't acquired the calves, ended up the first one to ever snow good actually. And Mark Smith is a good mate of mine. Had, he was sneezing way before me, that guy can go to sleep in four seconds. It's just unbelievable. You know, I cut him off at the airport and said, what are you doing here? And he said, Oh, you know, just, you know, you wanted to come in. No, I didn't. Oh, well, sorry. I have to charge for that as well. No, you won't. And you know, just that sort of staff and go in different ways and all of a sudden things.
0 (3m 37s):
So for you, part of the training is actually known where you leave and where, where illustrates out. Well,
2 (3m 41s):
When we do training for new drivers in Tamworth, if you, if you're, if you know the city, it's a, it's a bonus. It's a good start. And if you're new to town, we've got like a basic, the main streets. If you know the main streets, you all right and you all, we always ask our passengers cause Tamworth, we've got 60, 65,000 people here. It's a pretty big town. But if somebody says, I want to go to Billy street, if you don't know where it is is a new drive. We say, we just say, what street does that run off? And they say, Oh, it runs off John street. Everyone sort of knows John street. And then you can work yourself from there. But if you're like, like myself born and bred in Tamworth, I know the streets pretty well. And from Ida Bay, there's two or three different routes. It just depends on what time of day, which way the passenger wants to go is to which, which is the best way to go.
2 (4m 27s):
Yeah. That's what
0 (4m 28s):
Did you, did you ever see yourself in a caviar? It was just one of those things. Yeah.
2 (4m 32s):
It just one of those things, it was just when, like when I came out of the foot injury and texting was the, the only thing that I found at the time, cause me foot was getting better, but not good. And taxi, driving automated vehicle. You don't need your left foot for too much. It just
0 (4m 49s):
No nothing, which is perfect for your situation. So that's cool. Yep.
2 (4m 53s):
So do you enjoy it? I love it. Tell me why you love it. The freedom you can. If you take a break, when you want, if you want to stop and grab a coffee, you can, you don't have to wait till five o'clock for your 15 minute break or whatever it is with the big co-ops. You've always got cash in your pocket. So if you see a garage side and you can pull over and you do love a bit of junk, I do do, I do love junk. You can't, you can't drive past the garage sale without going have them over. So something, something ridiculous. And also just the interaction with locals. Yeah. Like I said, Tim was a city, but a small town in the same, same sort of way. So you get to know your passengers. You know, Bruce, everyday Bruce is going to go to the ball and club.
2 (5m 33s):
He's going to have three too many and they want to go home. So you get Bruce on the way and you hear about his day and then he tells you the truth on the way home, how his day is really going to get lubed up. And just, just, just the general things like that. Like, Oh, the regular passengers are great. And even the randoms they're, they're they're we get good stories. Like all the, all the regulars sort of behave pretty well. And even if they don't, you know, them at their best and at their worst, you know what to expect, but then busy times, like our country music festival or holiday periods and that sort of thing we get out of town has come in and parked the car at mom and dad's and they gone out in the town and the gown to this fellow's house and that fellow's house. And they had just cat loose with stories and just no holds barred.
2 (6m 14s):
Like it's, it's amazing what people get in a taxi. And it's just like, they think you're deaf and blind. When they're in the back, talking with their mate about what they're going to do tonight or what they've already done.
0 (6m 23s):
I'm looking forward to, I'm going to have a chat in the second half of these about some stories. And I want you to re and just let loose and let me know what what's the weirdest shit you've had happened and you care. But now I start now, there's that? I want to hold that off to the, to the, to the end of it. I'm looking forward to it heaps, but okay. Now you, you actually own, or you, you don't personally, I knew. Or, but your parents on your cab, is that correct?
2 (6m 48s):
Yeah, we, we, me and my wife, at least two cabs. Yup. I do driving in one of the cabs. We've got another couple of blokes who do shifts day and night in the other two cabs, my wife drawing. She does all the paperwork and I do the driving. Yeah. That's a good combination because she's a lot better at paperwork than I am.
0 (7m 5s):
I'm sorry, Zima. I'm not even close. I don't even know what's going on most of the time.
2 (7m 8s):
And I'm a lot better at dealing with crazy people though. It sort of works both ways.
0 (7m 13s):
It's funny, same mirrors and why they go, so, okay. So how long, how much time do you reckon you're on the road during the week? How much time do you put in
2 (7m 23s):
On a normal week? Normally starting during a school week, we've got allocated school runs. So I start, it's all different. COVID changed everything before COVID I would start at four o'clock in the morning to be on the road, to get jobs, to go to the airport. And then once the airport rush was over, we had a flight left-hand weather at six o'clock. Once that finished, it sort of got a bit quiet for about an hour and a half before you, your daily people with flat batteries who can't get to work or people who are regular users started using the cabs again. But since COVID, I was, wasn't starting until seven o'clock in the morning to do my allocated school run and then work through it all four o'clock in the afternoon, but normal shift before we'll just refer to before COVID as normal, it was pretty much 4:00 AM to 4:00 PM in the cab.
2 (8m 8s):
That was five days a week. Yep. And we've got a fatigue management program. So yeah.
0 (8m 13s):
12, no, no, you're not doing it. You're not driving a hundred percent during that 12 particularly, but you drone a fair bit.
2 (8m 20s):
Yep. You're you're you're in the car. We do a few Ks, like a weekly average is hard to determine because some days are busier than others, but pretty much we, we work our cabs. If we do 120,000 Ks around town a year in a taxi. That's about average.
0 (8m 34s):
Yeah. It's having a crack. Yep. So your customers, now you were saying about your regulars. I mean, do you, when you say a school run, do you take school kids?
2 (8m 43s):
Yep. I've got a working with children's certificate and with our particular network 10 with radio cabs, we have allocated school runs. So every year they do a draw. There's about, we got 26 cabs in town. We've got probably about 13 or 14 school runs. They put all those school runs into a hat. They draw out Billy to school and then they draw out a number for a taxi. And if you're available to do it, meaning if you've got, you're working with children check and your car's going to be available, we pretty much signed a contract to say every morning at seven o'clock, I'm going to pick Billy up, take him to school every afternoon. I'm going to pick Billy up from school and take him home. That's five days. That's pretty good to get a pretty good rapport with some of those kids, I think.
2 (9m 24s):
Yeah.
0 (9m 24s):
It's can I be cool? Cause I've worked with kids in tribe and job seeking stuff and also thing and getting a relationship with a young kid that, I mean, I'm only imagining that, but it'll probably be some, some times there where it's a single mum or it's a two parents that are working pretty hard or whatever the case might be. So for them to be able to sit there and have a chat with someone who's out of the family a bit might be pretty cool.
2 (9m 44s):
Yep. Absolutely. And our school runs, we do kids who have like social issues who can't catch the bus because they can't handle the bus or they get a bit of grief on the bus with normal kids and all that sort of thing. So special needs kids last year. Perfect example. My young fellow who I took to school every day, he had autism and just socially on the bus, couldn't help. It just, he just shut down and was no good for the rest of the day. So I went and picked up a carer and me and the carer went to this fellow's house, picked him up and drove him to school and we found out he sort of liked these country music. So basic YouTube on the phone. What do you want to listen to today and started off with your, all your simple, like you started off with slim dusty, and then that went on and were Lee Kern again.
2 (10m 28s):
And we sort of, what else do you want to try? So we just suggesting things and he was keen to listen. So we ended up by the end, he was just a staunch, slim, dusty and Lake earning and for about the first month and we sort of, we sort of nudged him in the right, just try this one might just, and by the end of it yet, like we're listening, we're listening to everything from like all you, we, we, we got into lots of different stuff like meat loaf, and a bit of guns and roses, Metallica, and Pantera got him a bit too worked up. So we sorta cut that back here, but he, he enjoyed it, but he had a bit of a Waldo at school after that. So we sort of curved it back in. Yeah. So he and his parents actually said that he's had a lot of, a lot of great changes in his, in his listening to music and that sort of effect he's effected the way behave socially as well.
2 (11m 13s):
Like just opening him up to different things. And it was only like a 25 minute ride every morning and every afternoon in the cab. So we got him maybe three or four songs, but apparently according to his parents had, had had a big effect on the way that he behaved in general
0 (11m 25s):
Seven. I hear you influencing a young person. You just it's that simple. Like I say it all the time and people go, Oh, you are such a change. It's like what to do. Well, exactly. You taught me how to shake hands properly. I mean, that's eat really. But anyway though, it's a, you know, it's a good way to base. So when it's a country cabby thing that does city capsule, I suppose,
2 (11m 44s):
I assume they do. They're all department of education. It's all allocated and paid for through department of education for kids in need. So, and all different schools, private public schools, special needs schools, your schools that have special catering for people in wheelchairs. And that we do a few of those in town. Kids who need to get to school to, and from school every day. Mum and dad have got kids at home and Billy's is in the chair and needs to get to school. So we've got services where they are. They apply through the department of education and we, we get a cab to them and get them to them from school.
0 (12m 17s):
No, I mean, it's cool. Now as a country cabbie, you get a couple of jobs that I don't think other people would get too much. Now, for instance, yesterday, Phyllis, about yesterday's job, we did, there was a little unusual as far as I was concerned anyway,
2 (12m 31s):
But it's not as rare as you think. Yeah. Yesterday, Oh, announced started work, did two jobs and then got a message from the call center saying, are you available for a trip? Which means it's over 50 kilometers. I sent back the message. Yes. So as soon as I finished the job I was on, they sent me the new job, which was a pickup from MCAS in Tamworth who needed some bread rolls delivered to magazine. Maury,
0 (12m 55s):
Maury had run out of bread, rolls for burgers. They had run out of bread. <inaudible> think of it. You'll burn his brother,
2 (13m 4s):
My bonds in the back of the cab. There you
0 (13m 7s):
Go. That's a story slated to you, which is unusual. But so you had to pick up bands, MCAS bands from Tamworth and taken them. All right. How far is that trip?
2 (13m 17s):
Three hours tomorrow. So yeah. So I'll load them up on the murder. Cause they're not a regular account job. We've got different deals with things like with the DVA or Oxley community transport where we've got a, a set fair of cents per kilometer. But because MCAS, they only use us when they need us. We're not just, we're not their go-to regular thing. It's just on the meter. So we run the meter.
0 (13m 40s):
That's a fairly good trip that in it, it was a great trip for me for a nice payday for a really
2 (13m 45s):
Quiet day yesterday. It was
0 (13m 47s):
No passengers and us except for some seated bonds. <inaudible>
2 (13m 52s):
No your bags. They didn't make a mess. I didn't need to stop to go to the toilet. They weren't whinging about the fair. It's just from a to B thank you very much.
0 (14m 2s):
Now when you need, probably try and strike up a conversation with him. But anyway, I don't know how that would've gone for you, but listen, it's wacky man. So you've got a six hour turnaround. It takes some bands and being a caviar. I think that's super cool. Tell us about now. I remember one particular trip though, which was infamous, I guess, to a degree where European the papers and did a few bits and pieces of that was someone missed a plane. Is that right?
2 (14m 23s):
Yeah, that's true. And if, if, if you Google Ryan Newberry, Australia's best Kevie. You'll see a picture of me nudge, nudge, do what you want to say. An ugly mug. That's me
0 (14m 34s):
Tell you what I'll put it up. I'll put it out there and say, yeah, this is, this is the main. So tell me the story about it.
2 (14m 39s):
We're just out at the airport on spec, which means we're just waiting and hoping to get somebody off the plane who needs a job. And I saw one of their regular passengers who are now, he was pacing around looking a bit stressed and whatever happened. There was a bit of an, with the controlled hair at Sydney airport. So the plane that was supposed to come from Sydney to Tamworth, to drop passengers off and then return him to Sydney. So he could get a connecting flight to go to Bali was not coming, but he had limited time. He had to be in at mascot by three 30. I think it was in the afternoon. So he can catch his connecting flight. And what times he's all about nine 30, 10 o'clock in the morning. Yep. So he's looking a bit worried and I'm like, what? What's the matter you're looking a bit stressed and I'm intentionally not using any names or addresses in this podcast.
2 (15m 22s):
We've got to confidentially confidentiality. And he said, Oh, and he told me the story. And he said, well, could you get us there? And I said, well, if you pay the fare, I'll get you there. And he's like, Oh, what did it cost? And sorta did the maths and him and him and his misses. And three kids wanted to get down there with a bootleg of stuff. So it was a maxi taxi job, which is 50% extra on the normal fare. I did quick calculations. And cause I knew him. I did him a discount less than half price. And he said, that's too good, too good to say no. So if he didn't, if he didn't get down there on time, he missed his flight. Misty's holiday show's over. So what he paid me was pretty much just insurance that he was going to save thousands of dollars. So we loaded him and his Mrs and kids up into the car.
2 (16m 4s):
And we took off and we're doing calculations on when the plane leaves and how long it's going to take us. And that was stressing out. But by the time we got to Singleton that figured out we're pretty much going to make it with a bit of time to spare. So we went through the drive-through bottle, they grabbed my arm and it was, it was a happy, happy joy Mary tree. They were pretty happy and we ended up flying down there, dropping them off and they, they jumped out of the car. Thank you very much. Pay the fair or good. And the next thing I got the next day on, on the way the passengers were like, they put a Facebook post up things to where their airplane for the day Ryan, the taxi drivers saved us and the next seated cabby cabby. And the next day I got a picture of them on a beach in Bali saying you made our holiday.
0 (16m 44s):
<inaudible> so much fuzzy. That's cool, man. And that's, I mean, that's the sort of stuff, isn't it? You do little things for when you can get a bit of hate and you can pick up a lot of drunk dickheads and people carrying on lots of stuff. But that's a little, little shining diamond in that day. That one, sorry. All right. Question two on a few things. What does it cost you? Because I mean, okay, Uber's coming obviously and all the other ones as well. And I don't think you've had much drama with them in this area, but it was obviously a bit nerve wracking when they first started was it was, it was a bit weird,
2 (17m 16s):
Just uncertainty. Everyone's scared of uncertainty and we weren't sure how it was going to go. But Tamworth being like it is it's, like I said, it's, it's a city, but it's got a small town feel. And with Uber, a lot of our locals, like our Tamworth radio cabs, we've been driving people around here for, I think it's like 109 years from horse and cart days hybrid cars. So we've got a pretty good rapport with people. The phone number, you cannot forget the phone number. It's just so easy. It's ridiculous. And if you don't remember our local number, we're part of Australia wide taxis, which has got their own one-three number. So yeah, it's pretty easy, but all in all our locals just use us regardless. That's just the number they know when they ring our number up at the phone, says to book a taxi to your current location, press one.
2 (18m 2s):
And that's just what they do.
0 (18m 4s):
They just, that's just what they've been doing for years and years. So they'll continue to do that. Yep. Well, when, okay, so what is, what is your, what sort of license do you have to have to drive a taxi? What sort of, you know, what do you have to pay extra to be able to do this job
2 (18m 16s):
Before it was all deregulated? When they deregulated the taxi industry, basically rather than bringing Uber up to the standard of taxis, they dropped taxis down to the standard of Uber. So before in term with you, we want to drive a cab. You had to apply to the department of transport to get a taxi license. And they basically went through and made sure that you weren't a habitual traffic offender and you had no outstanding,
0 (18m 42s):
All that sort of stuff
2 (18m 44s):
Either. They don't like them. And we don't like them either. So who does not, I've never been particularly popular, thumbs down. I'm standing right. One star that's a bumper sticker, but it was a t-shirt. Yeah, easy, easy. So basically before all that came in, you had to apply for it. They did basically a, a credibility check on yourself. And if you ticked all the boxes, then you could apply for a taxi license through the department of transport. Then you went to your local town. In our case, Tim with cabs and said, I want to be a taxi driver. They said, okay. We asked for a criminal history, check a driver history check and working with children, check, you have to have a working with children, check to do those school runs that we're talking about.
2 (19m 26s):
Yep. But it's not compulsory if you just want to, for whatever reason, if you just want to be a normal cabin, don't want to be in the school runs. It's not compulsory, but we recommend anybody applies for a job. We say you're better off having one. And it's just one of those things because we just like to, everyone in town knows Tim with cabs and everyone likes to have somebody safe. Who's got approval and ticks all the boxes. And that's, that's the difference between us and Uber. You don't need a criminal history check or any of that further. No, it's a lot different.
0 (19m 55s):
Do you need that same sort of stuff in the city?
2 (19m 59s):
That's a good question. I'm not too sure. I don't, I don't, I don't think that cause they gotta be sorry. They're not. I,
0 (20m 5s):
When I said I don't like cabbies, I was a CAPA for a long time and they weren't the most pleasant of people a lot of the time.
2 (20m 12s):
And that's the difference between country cabbies and city
0 (20m 15s):
Cabbies. And I think it did sit right. Like, I mean, we've got a couple of rides since we've been lucky enough to be in here over the Christmas period. And they've just been lovely and it's so nice, but it's not, it just doesn't signal that in, in, in the city, you know, I don't know what that is all about. And that's why I think Uber has thumped them in the city areas. Absolutely. And it probably the same sort of thing is what you're saying here about the fact that people just call Tim with cabs straight away, because why would
2 (20m 39s):
Yep. And they all, all the regulars know all the drivers and, and that's, that's exactly the difference. You sort of, you're in a small town like this, you who the drivers are, you know, who's, you may think, I think we've probably got about all up. We've got 26 cabs and probably about, I think there's 60, 65 odd blokes who are taxi drivers. Some of them work every second Tuesday. Some of them work every day of the week. Yep. So the odds are, and then that's the difference between city and country cabs in the city, a dodgy taxi driver can get lost in the crowd. You'll catch him once you rip you off. And you'll never see him again in a small town like this. If I do wrong by you or you do wrong by me, the odds are we're going to catch up again. So everyone's going to know about it.
2 (21m 19s):
Absolutely. And that, that, and that's my rules in my taxi. I've got three rules rule. Number one is you don't make a mess rule. Number two, if you pay the fair, I don't care. I don't care whose house we're dropping you off in the middle of the night and then taking you back home. I don't care. Who's who you're guessing in the back of my cab, nothing to do with my mind. That's all good. And rule number three, providing you abide by the first two rules and all secrets are safe. Yeah.
0 (21m 43s):
I don't see any issue with that particular, like you're not there to, to gossip and do whatever which you could, you could do in a town like this. But in saying that like, you'd lose your rep pretty quick.
2 (21m 51s):
Absolutely. That's it. And that's half half of the thing. Like, and we have jobs for all different sorts of things. Like I've taken newborns home to the hospital. I've taken women in labor to the hospital of pick people up from funerals and from nursing homes where people have died and you see every level of person on their best day and on their worst day, man,
0 (22m 16s):
I thought of that, you know, like, I mean, coming from the cops, we used to have the same sale. Often we'd made everyone and their worst day and it was tough to judge them at that point in time. Like, you know, at some point you'd find some people that were behaving really well and understanding and just going on and others that were just losing their minds and you would see a lot of the same. And I hadn't thought of that to be honest.
2 (22m 38s):
And like I said, and literally in my years of experience, I have taken women to hospital who were in labor. I've picked up newborn babies to take them home and exactly the same thing. I've taken people to, to the hospital who were in a bad way and pick people up from the hospital who have been saved. Yeah. And like I said, everybody on their best work day on their worst day, it's just, you just never know what you're going to get. And like, it's like anything, it doesn't matter whether you're on the checkout at Kohl's or where you are. Every, every person, every passenger, every customer, you just don't know what you're going to get until it happens. And you just wing it to do what you can. I've had people who have picked up from somewhere and taking them home and mom and three kids and the car doesn't work and they've got no cash.
2 (23m 25s):
And then mum's in tears because the husband's at work and she can't pay for the fare and she's all upset. And it's like, look, don't worry. Here's me number, ring me up tomorrow. When you, when you got the money, I'll come around and sorted out. And, and mum just did mum just crying. Thank you so much. And you're like, well, if my wife was in your situation, I'd just hope that someone would give him a break, understand and give them hand. And then nine times out of 10, they ring up the next day. So we've got the cash, got the card camera. And so you drop in and you get a hug and a kiss and mum still thrilled. She's still in tears. It was such a nice bloke. And the husband's just giving you a handshake that the snap you're on because you looked after his misses when she needed to be looked after he wasn't there exactly. Did it, have you been ripped off much or not?
2 (24m 7s):
You get a runner every now and then. And then realistically, most people, like I said, Tim was a small town. We get a few jobs that come through the system, pick up Billy, the Billy, the hobo from number 42. And you think, Oh, well, Billy, the hobo was his card. Hasn't worked for the last three times. So he owes me 60 bucks. I'm not going to be bothered with Billy today, Billy, no only for you. So you just put a note on the job payment upfront and send it off to the next block. Or if you want, you go around and say, Billy, you've got outstandings. You can fix me up or we can walk. And more often than not, they fix you up. They're just having a bad day or they're full of sauce. And they're just being big men in front of their little Knights and carrying on and they fix you up.
2 (24m 51s):
Sorry about that, dude. No worries. Let's go. Sorry. But yeah, every now and then you get people in when they get in the car, you know, what's going on. If you pick up your tickets, it's pretty good too then is it? Yep. Absolutely. One to the right eye goes off. Yeah. And you know, if you go to pick up a job and there's three blokes and they all get in there, you like who, who doesn't want to ride shotgun? Like, why would you want to sit on your lap in the back? Like what what's going on up front boys. So they get in the cab, you'd turn the interior light on you. Turn her in my guy contact. Where are we going guys? And that can make all the difference, but then sometimes a bit of whisper. No worries. Are we going? He said, no worries. You stop the murder. So that'd be 15 bucks my bank doors. Right. And they run it.
2 (25m 31s):
Yeah. There's been one occasion where exactly that happened. They jumped out and they ran through a park and I'm like, you mongrels. I thought that was going to happen. And in him watching him watch and run through the park and they run through the park and turn right. And I'm like, right this time I was driving a little Prius. So I did a little squealy around the corner, waited for a second until I thought they were coming up. That road, drive up the road just as they run them out. One of them ran straight across the road. Two of them jumped the fence and hit under a bus. And I pulled up the cap with the spotlights on the Elliot said, come on boys. You gave me 15 bucks. Yeah. They didn't move. And I said, well, I'm ringing the place. I can sit here all night at any hour. Well, you don't know where we live. And I'm so mad. You're under that boat in that house. I'm pretty sure this is where you leave off.
2 (26m 14s):
Anyhow, they come around, ended up coming up and pay wave. And he said what I said at 15 bucks, but owe 30 for the hassle. Oh, that's a bit rich. Isn't it? And I said, running away from me is rich made. I said, I'm not Eddie for the front of it. I'm trying to feed me. Mrs. And kids. Yeah. So do you want to play the game? Give me 30 bucks or I'll just knock I'll I won't call the police. Tell him to yeah. Oh, Oh right. So they pay the fair. Thanks very much. There. It is a great film on these blokes that were for 15 bucks that were going to do the run-up, whether it was just for the value of the money, the laughed didn't matter, but I'm out there on not out there for the front of it.
0 (26m 47s):
You don't fit. Yeah. As you say, phase misses and Keats. So man, I'm glad you got him sight now look, all right. Can you go to, Haper funny stories that I want to hear what I'm going to do and they break us off right now. I'm gonna have a quick chat about my sponsors today because these guys helped me do these podcasts at a height because at their enjoy, but crude legal firm, keeper ring, Grites a bunch of solicitors there. They're looking after people with personal injuries. If you've got an injury in any way, shape or form, but it an accident or a workplace, or just wandering the road, whatever it might be. Give crew legal, a call and keep ring shine. And the, and the gang there. Also, I was gonna say to shine on the crew. And I think I've said that before, but it's Angela dumb. When it's crew legal, putting shine and the crew at crew legal, we'll help you out doing it.
0 (27m 31s):
We've had personal experience with that with I might've been none of my shine who's on now younger, disabled podcast. A while ago, they helped shine hypes that he was in a terrible car accident. And I helped him get a bit of loft. And now he's getting along and doing pretty well. So if you're in trouble, if you've got a drama, give crew legal, a call and have a talk to him. Tell him what your stories side boy Storytime. What do you got brother? You'd be known as how many years now? I don't know. I don't know knees. You've picked up on and you remember people innumerable. Numerable everyone, everyone, every man he's dope
2 (28m 9s):
Dogs. Absolutely. And dog dogs. Great. Some of my best passengers have dogs. They know the deal. You sit down and you shut up. You don't make a mess. You get out.
0 (28m 18s):
That's nice. All right. Now tell me on. He sent me a based in some of your words, you can go in whichever order you want. Tell me some stories, brother, what are you going?
2 (28m 26s):
Well, Oh, stories are good. Once they finished. It's like, it's like anything a bit of time makes horrible things amusing. It does. And vice versa as well. Absolutely. Everything has happened in a taxi. If you've heard a story about it does matter. I don't care whether it's in Tamworth or the city. If you've heard a story about something happening in a taxi, I could guarantee that it's happened. Whether yeah, whether that person's making the story up to tell you, I can guarantee it has happened somewhere in a taxi somewhere from AB absolutely everything. I'll give you some memorable water. You got memorable. All right. Get a job to pick up at one, two, three, ABC street, pull up to the house. There's cars everywhere. Obviously party going on inside.
2 (29m 7s):
The name is just Wally. Yep. Pull out the front. There's no Wally to be saying, we just give like four or five minutes for Wally to come out. Find his socks and his shoes. Whatever. No one's coming out. I'm like, all right, no, one's here. So I've just no showed the job on the computer that just tells the system that I was sent here, but I couldn't find anybody start crawling down the road to go and get my next job. See a wave Harman from our arm, waving from it from some bushes. I'm like, hang on. What's going on in bushes from some bushes on the curb, pull up. Now mine's gone taxi for Wally. I'm like, yeah, Wally. But he's got now that's us. And he's yelled at Billy. And then he out Billy's camera from across the road, stark niggas with a handful of clothes in front of him comes running and jumps in the back of the cab.
2 (29m 50s):
I'm like, what? And he's going, nah, dude, we're good. Trust us. And I'm like, all right, the boat, jump in the cab. One's got a bag with some clothes and didn't have clothes on. Or w H w naked, but just holding gear and light a fan. I did have Jay strings on anyhow, long story. Short turns out these two blokes had been hired by a group of ladies, do a bit of, a bit of a dance for a hens night sort of thing. They were starting to get a bit of a cost by the ladies and it was getting under pressure. And these blokes went for a costume change, but didn't feel safe. Going back into the room with these ladies, literally climbed out the bathroom window at the back. Jumped did a runner from a Hinz, not jumped down
0 (30m 31s):
St. Some of those hands. No. And I, I, I'm hearing your voice.
2 (30m 35s):
Wow. Run for your life. And that's what these, these blokes pretty much did. And now we're like, thanks, man. You've saved us. You've saved us. And these blokes with all their, whether it was cop costumes or whatever, I don't know. I just saw too much skin. They got in the back. They're getting dressed on the way we took them out, took them back to their motel, wherever they were staying local ed. They were not local and important. And they were just thrilled and pull up to where we gas. That's like 12 bucks. Thanks, Mike. And he's just slept down at 50 and said, you have no idea what you've decided just from what was going on. I don't know what was going on, but yeah. Well, if they didn't go out the back window, they weren't coming out. That's the way they were going to get tampered with. Apparently though,
0 (31m 17s):
No touchy. I w I'm out
2 (31m 20s):
And that's they say, Oh, I knew the rules, but that are out of control and we couldn't handle it. So say you save two male strippers. They literally went for a costume chat ladies, time for change and into the bathroom, out the back window. And we still did the ladies, whether they figured out <inaudible> yep.
0 (31m 38s):
If they got a phone call off that guy, where'd you go?
2 (31m 41s):
It was well in the five minute cab drive, it was like, they've already paid us, but we're not getting paid for that. And they, they took the stats and realized that things were going in a direction that they weren't comfortable with. So all I had was the address on where they were booked to perform. Right. And they just rang a taxi from there, but
0 (32m 0s):
A couple of houses down the street and down the street, couple hundred meters. So you've bought, you've taken 'em ladies giving birth the hospital. You bought home newborns and you've saved Cutler strippers. I like that. Absolutely. That's excellent. What else? Give me, what else? What has gone on?
2 (32m 14s):
Ah, absolutely everything. Like I said, notable stories. Spear was in cabs.
0 (32m 20s):
Oh, my brother used to do all the fricking time and it wasn't, I'd never go on a cab with him. This was when we were young fillers. I just get, Danny just looked at us and go into say nothing. And his spoon is pork heavy. Like no. Good. And then he just want to run. And we're sitting at all. You can't, you can't
2 (32m 34s):
<inaudible> people like that are the scum of the earth. When you think about it like that cabbies workstation for the night. Yeah. I'm in that, that is my, that is my toolbox to earn money for the rest of the day. You have a spewing, my cab I've got to go and clean it. Yep. So it takes you off the road, off the road for X amount of time to clean it. And if you're going to clean it properly, you're going to have to use warm water soap. So then you've got wet seats. I can't just vacuum spew off a seat and then go pick someone up and expect them to sit in a wet seat. So basically off the road for the rest of the night Spears of the worst, and we can tell you start getting the hiccups. If the pest, he gets a hiccup
0 (33m 9s):
In the window, the deep,
2 (33m 11s):
And you're like, here's the window dude. Here's the spew bag. If you're in a cabinet and to spew asked to pull over or wind the window down, I'd much rather spend three bucks at the carwash to hose. You spew off the side of the car than spend hours
0 (33m 24s):
Cabs do wrong. And
2 (33m 26s):
She'd happens. Occasionally catches you unawares. I've had baby spew. I've had people split. It's a bit different, but babies are different. Normally it's just on themselves and you take them. It's okay.
0 (33m 36s):
Shake them off there. We're all around the dust. In the pet down, they go together. I could not, I love a rattle. Yup.
2 (33m 46s):
I had a black once and it's actually, if you're familiar with Gary, the goat,
0 (33m 51s):
Can you, you know, authored it, but can you tell the listeners about Gary, the gun Gary, the guy Jim?
2 (33m 56s):
No, he's a comedy performer used to travel around Australia and he got a goat for a cat and a Pearson now back pub somewhere. Yeah. Change it for this baby gate. Little kid as you'd want Gary became part of the show. He'd just wander in having a shit here. Evan appears, she went on napkins and whatever, and it was just all jokes. And this Jimbo was, it was a pretty crude comedian. He's on YouTube. And this story I'm about to tell you actually is on the Gary, the goat movie, which was made after Gary died. Comey's reactions. Gary got infection in his leg. Gary got skinned and Jim Barry's owner got Gary butchered and ended up having a bit of a cookout with his mates. He's best mate for five years. And Gary shut down my good use.
0 (34m 34s):
All right. So any problem with that, particularly not at all. I think someone should make a book out of my off. I can spend a lot of money on these tablets. In fact, you can, if you want, if I'm still lamps, mine, your wallet and I land on a whatever, built him, let it go. Your artist. Okay.
2 (34m 48s):
Yeah, absolutely. Any story. This bloke in a cab picked him and his mates up. We're traveling along. He starts getting hiccups. You're right, mate. There's a sick back there. Sick bag. He said, now I'll be right.
0 (34m 59s):
Nah, this, this story's on Jimbo's movie. Bragging rights for me. I'm on, I'm on a movie. I know some people, I know, people know people don't, you know who I think I am anyhow,
2 (35m 11s):
The traffic lights and Splunk starts getting hiccups. And I said, dude, you're going to spew. I sit out the door. He's like, yeah, I'll be right. I'll be right. And as I've said that he's gone and started to spirit is lifted his t-shirt up bibs style under his chin. He's just had a full-on like there must've been like six burgers and chips. It was alone. He spewed into his shirt and I'm like, dude. And he's like, well, and he couldn't talk. I've land over underneath the spew hammock, unlock the door at the traffic lights, open the door he's gotten out. And somehow this dude has got out of the taxi in between traffic at the traffic lights, got his shirt off his head full of spew without getting a drop on him. His chin chucked, his t-shirt on the ground, looked at me and said, my good.
2 (35m 53s):
And I said, you're good. So we got back in and then we will look, hang on my thumb. It was all him. He did a great job. He did a great job. And that, that was the best view story because it was a full on Chandra in the cab. And he managed to not get a drop in it. When we're at the Gary, the Garrett show in Tamworth here during the festival. Oh my Jimbo asked people, what have you done? What have you done? That's cool. People. One black up said, Oh, I got a stint in the vein. I mean that sack because I had a blood clot in something or rather, and well, what else have you done? That's interesting. Just sarcastically. This blocks it all. I spirit in his cab and I'm in the audience. And Jimbo's like, we're going to have to have a talk about this.
2 (36m 34s):
So later on that took toward, turned into a talk in the carpark about pretty much the story I just told you.
0 (36m 39s):
Yeah. And he was proud of himself. He was proud as punch. I'm absolutely proud of him. I love him. I think that might be the first round of applause. Everyone. No humble opinions. That's not too bad. So we'll play to you, sir. Congratulations and take that. We have to find him and sit and let him know that he's been mentioned so. Right. What else you got? So like, alright. What's tell me about getting, if you see a bunch of, I was going to say cheeks for some reason, but a year to rank because you do do something you do
2 (37m 9s):
As a, as a cab. We do rank and hail and books.
0 (37m 12s):
Yep. Okay. So you've got all rock on toward you coming down there towards you and you think that not only sheet what's gone on here, I mean, there must be some made in a sick. It is.
2 (37m 20s):
It is. And we've got every right to refuse a passenger into the car. Like if you're a regular bloke who always spews or doesn't pay, I've got every right to just say, I'm not taking you today. Lock the doors and drive away farewell. So it has the passenger. You've got the same right? To say, I don't want to get in your cab because you're my girlfriend's ex partner or you kicked my dog or whatever. They've got as much right. To not get in my cab. As I've got to say, you're knocking
0 (37m 45s):
It down to the second Kevin or ranks. Okay. Pretty much.
2 (37m 48s):
Absolutely. That's the rule is you go to the first one, but if, if you don't like the driver, there's, there's, there's no rule that says you have to get in that cabin. So it's, it's safety for the passenger. If you don't like the driver, you can go and get the next one and same thing. And we've got regulars as well. Or they pull up if I'm on the rank and they walk up and they look at me and I just give them the thumb signal, get in the next one. I'll just flip you the bird and call you a couple of names and get the next cab. But there's a reason for it. Pretty much. If, if you want to get in the cab, that means you want to give me money and I'll just do the quick evaluation is, is the money you're going to give me worth the shit you're going to give me night. Yes or no, whatever.
2 (38m 28s):
And you just evaluate on passenger by passenger,
0 (38m 30s):
Right? And I'll a hundred percent get you. Don't worry. You'd see him coming to go. Nah, not today. Cave. Thanks very much, buddy. We're done. Absolutely. We
2 (38m 36s):
Played this game last week. We're not doing it again. It's got the same outcome. Yep.
0 (38m 43s):
Well, I was just thinking about malls. My Gabbi might. I did an episode on wallet guy, which I think you have listened to yesterday.
3 (38m 52s):
Yay. There you go.
0 (38m 53s):
And how you malls, you've fucking Legion to love you though. Now he had some great stories about shit that just shouldn't go into bean, like a red to I, to Holden motor that he had nearly tipped his tractor.
2 (39m 6s):
Mark Margaret's empty box of stuff that got hung on the fence.
3 (39m 10s):
People don't tell you that.
2 (39m 13s):
Well, that's a bit similar to lost property in a taxi.
0 (39m 16s):
Well, okay. All right. Let's get on that next. But my next question was what have people tried to put in your cab that just shouldn't go
2 (39m 23s):
Many things that shouldn't go, they bring up a taxi and they've got to push bikes and a flat screen TV and you do your best. And if you've got a Mac, you've got a maxi taxi. It's a different story. It'll fit. But some people just think, Oh, well I've just got all my boys yet for Christmas ring a taxi. And you pull up to the loading dock at big dub and they've got like, shit, you need a Pantech truck for that. Not a fucking taxi. Yeah. You got it all wrong, mate. Absolutely. And like, you're just like, dude, I can get you a bigger bus, like a wheelchair taxi. It might fit. Now we'll be right. And I'm like, no, you won't. You're gonna waste my time. I'll start the meter mate. Well, we'll be right. We'll be right. All right. No worries. You, as soon as you give me permission to start that meter general rule is we don't start the meter on and start the meter until we're traveling.
2 (40m 6s):
Yep. So if you've got kids in strollers and whatever, we get all in the cab door shut. As soon as we start driving, we press go. He says, start the meter. We'll fill it in. No blip. Start the meter. Oh my it's got a flat screen and the kids pool and a swing set and then
3 (40m 21s):
Toronto will do it. <inaudible>
2 (40m 24s):
It'll help you. But like, and it just doesn't work. Sorry. Might get us a big taxi. Stop. The murder is 10 bucks or whatever. And it's all good. But some of them just lost property. People leave everything. If you, if you ever run out of Bobby pins or cigarette lighters, you're the man down. So your taxi drivers, you got a shoe box.
0 (40m 42s):
Well, I was going to say, all right, Bobby pins and secret lot is all well and good. What's a weakest what's what do you go? Oh, well someone left the lasagna on your roof the other day, which flew off.
3 (40m 52s):
We had had a lasagna. It was left on the roof of the car. Where's Melissa.
2 (40m 58s):
Yeah. Pick, pick mum and dad up in the surf market. Two kids loaded them in. No worries. Took them home. They've unloaded all their stuff. Lasagna was just sat on the back seat. I don't know the kid's legs cause they didn't have room in the unloading of the car. Kids are out. No worries. Lasagna is out. Set it on the roof. Help with the rest of the groceries out of the boat. Yeah, no worries. Thanks. Here's your cash. So you lay driveway. I've got about three blocks away here. This book button. What was that noise? Didn't think another thing about it till an hour or so later we get a message. Lasagna was lifting a taxi. I'm like, that's what that was. That was on taxi. And I'm like, ah, right here and here I'm like, Oh, well, so that was
0 (41m 34s):
So sort of joke about someone doing that. The city, since I glued a coffee cup to the top of my roof, I've never had so many people wave at me
2 (41m 42s):
What a gal. Yep, exactly. And Zenya. And I'd driven past that, where it fell off. And here's this 1.8 kilos Carl's lasagna sitting on the road, rang up and said, yeah, it's Ryan, you carry that lasagna. Is it? I said, is there any chance you might have left that in the roof? And he's like, sounds like something I'd do. I said your lasagna is not a good man.
0 (42m 3s):
It's going down. And Dustin, sorry about that buddy. But what else? Lost property. Give us some other ones.
2 (42m 8s):
Oh, lost probably everything from a shoe shoe box. Full of dildos. Yes. You've got one of those. Yeah. Just been at the car lovers. I don't know. What's this could be treasury. Open it up. Hoping for cash, but it's never cash. No, one's going to ring you and ask for it now one night he just yep. Just drop it in the bin and she's gone. Yeah.
0 (42m 24s):
I have a thing in, when I was in drug squad, search enhances. You'd always, if you found the first deal day in, in the thing you get B's and it was every time everyone had node photos was all they had everyone had dude as hidden somewhere. Yep. Oh, that looks so shameful. When you go to the it's like, no, sorry. It's funny. Drugs. Certainly fail this 12 inch monster.
2 (42m 45s):
I don't know what you're doing with that. Margaret. Cool. Yeah. Stop the bruise from coming under the door. That's exactly what that was for. We don't don't know what else should be using it for now when we get there, I'll always regularly get poo or left a packet of smokes in the back of a taxi yesterday. Not sure which tasks taxi. Yeah. Now we're done between yesterday and the day. I've had 50 people in the back of my cab. One of them has just, they're not going to say, Oh, I lost property cabby. Hmm. Some of them do some of them don't but more often than not. They're like, Oh, okay.
0 (43m 13s):
Kevin is 50 bucks seat on the floor here. There must be some other pool. But now
2 (43m 16s):
Taxi treasure. She found it before may it's yours.
0 (43m 20s):
Well, hang on. You got rid of one the other day. You retired. Kmfc yep. You had to claim that out in any taxi treasury net that you've nominated in the back of the sites.
2 (43m 30s):
Well, like I said, Bobby pins and cigarette lighters always tucked in down the back of the seats. Yeah. He used to get a lot of pills, noodle, like, like your purple purple dolphins and your Mitsubishis. And when I first started, I was like, Oh, I know what that is. And I just put them in a jar on the shelf, in the shed. Yeah. And when the jar got full I'm like these are better off Gandy on the Donny probably shouldn't have those. Like you're not going to take him yourself and you don't want to be responsible for giving them to you mates and science. See what that does to you. Hey Timmy, come over here. We're so good. And he's still alive. And that's just the thing and tips are good, but cash in cabs, sometimes people lose 30 cents.
2 (44m 10s):
Some times people lose, lose five bucks, 50 bucks every now and then you might find 50 bucks in the back of the cab, under the seat where people have gone through their wallet. And you'd never going to find who who's that 50 bucks is.
0 (44m 23s):
So that's just taxi treasure, taxi treasure. As you climb the cabbie fond of the chores. I like it. I'm on it from a bit of taxi treasure say, all right, you got any more stories for me? Rather give me something. Ah,
2 (44m 34s):
Not that that's what you do. I've had a passenger before an emergency call or every taxi is an emergency need to go to mom's place. And they've jumped in the car with her, with a styrofoam box, with a blanket over it. No worries. We're going to mom's cool. What's going on today? Oh my cat's not. Well, we'd need to get at the mums anyhow, on the way the cat in the backseat in a box. All good. Oh. And she starts counting. I'm like, what's going on in that? Cat's given birth in the back of the cat. So we got cab kittens coming in. We had three and she's gotten to where she's going and she's running inside and I'm like, well, you haven't paid the fair yet, but she got the cat and knocked on the door. Everything going right? Oh yeah. Oh, I forgot to pay you pay the cat or emergency.
2 (45m 14s):
I was up to number seven. Yeah. So yeah. Cat giving birth in the back of the cab decks.
0 (45m 18s):
Yeah. And that will benefit. Is that going to have data with the gurney? Has it, yeah.
2 (45m 25s):
Up here we go on close couple of time. Like I said, people do the, to the hospital, whatever. And ambulance is a pretty expensive. So if you think you've got time, you call a cab. Yeah. So a bit of huffing and puffing and emergency and you hope men do the right thing to teach them
0 (45m 38s):
To breathe and all you've been through a FINI,
2 (45m 40s):
I'll get a top of my damn mega.
0 (45m 44s):
I'm like a mess. Yep. Nah, that's cool, man. I dig it. So I mean, you sort of, it's another situation where a services utilized for a great many situations that you wouldn't normally have thought of. And I mean, yeah, look, it's, it's certainly made me think. Being near related to you. Poor bastard. Anyway. Sorry about that. But you'll get over it. I'll get over it anyway. We'll try it. But just understanding how it all works. So I remember Sydney thinking like a cabbies and using Uber and stuff like that. And then now it's a different thing when you're a country boy, like when you you're out there helping people every day to get where they need to go and might not think it's super cool. And I might, I'm glad you're telling us about it.
0 (46m 24s):
So my thanks to you. Look before we wrap it up, you got anything else you wanna add?
2 (46m 29s):
Not just be nice to your cabbie. Try not to spew Toronto to spew pay what the meter says. Don't try and haggle. Yep. Ah, so my tagline goes a lot of haggle, like all 23 bucks. And I said, I'll, I'll, I'll give you 20. And you're like, once it's on the meter, that has to be accounted for that's in the system it's logged in. So if I let you off three 50, that three 50 comes out of my pocket.
0 (46m 49s):
So bean iced tea, cabby, dine, spew don't haggle. Any other tips? Be ready when you call a cab? Yes. Well, have you spoken to him about these? My beloved. Cause you've heard of her LMS. Haven't you? Do you want the LME fees? No. Amy has this wonderful thing called the LMF. It's the last minute fuckery it. Oh, wait. You're ready? Yep. You're in the car. It's gallon. I've just got to check that the toast is not on. You just need to find out if my shoes are placed together, it's the cat. Okay. So we sit there 15 minutes in the car.
2 (47m 19s):
So the exact same thing in the taxi, they call a cab. You pull up out the front, won't be a sec. Make me toast, nearly cooked or just finished this smoke or just got, find me shoes. And you're like, well, I'll give, I'll give you four minutes, Mike. And then I've got a guy because there's a dude, a block away. Who's ready to go to give me money. Now I can, I can sit here and politely wait and be the super nice guy on a quiet day. You will like, I'm not going to lose nothing by giving you a couple of minutes. But realistically, if you call a cab, be ready to go. Yep. You pay the fair from a to B. That's the deal. That's the contract. You ring me up. I'll come and get ya. I'll take you where you want to go. You pay me what you me, but you know, it's, don't make a mess be on time.
2 (48m 0s):
That's just rules for life.
0 (48m 2s):
I like it. That's cool. Thank you brother. It's been fun. I hope you've enjoyed yourself. My closure. And thanks for listening to people. We appreciate the heaps. We'll catch up with you next week on no humble opinion.
1 (48m 14s):
<inaudible>.