Taxi 112

[skyring]

Taxi 112,
originally uploaded by skyring.

Say hello to the happiest cabbie in Canberra! I've been promoted and I'm now driving the nicest cab in town. Taxi 112 is almost new, a fair dinkum limousine, and the flagship of the fleet.

I'm wearing Silver Service uniform now - a more formal set of colours, with a white shirt and tie. I'm expected to display the highest standards and to give my passengers the very best personal service.

I shall do my utmost to live up to the mark set. In such a gleaming silver limousine I feel very special indeed, as do my passengers, so if my first shift is any guide, I'll be laughing all the way.

45 000 kilometres on the dial, a very young taxi indeed. Taxi 165 was just on 300 000, and I've driven cabs with over 750 000 kilometres under their wheels. This car is a Ford Fairlane Ghia, the "big brother" of the Ford Falcons I've been driving until now. It's a little longer, mostly in the shape of rear legroom and headroom, and has a bigger boot. Even with an LPG cylinder taking up a large chunk of the room, I'll still be able to fit in a full load of luggage.

Leather seats, which means it doesn't have a set of tacky seat covers. Power windows all round, powered seats in the front. Automatic climate control - I just dial in a temperature and the car adjusts itself to meet the target.

6-disk CD player, which gives me a selection of music for all tastes. i'll have to work out an optimum load, but for my first shift I was able to chop and change a little bit. Norah Jones, Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Saint Germain. All my favorites.

And didn't the passengers like it! One fellow even felt moved to present me with a cigar as a memento of the trip. I promptly passed it on to the next passenger, but it was a very nice gesture on his part.

All sorts of bells and whistles. Literally. I spent a fair amount of time reading the manual, and though I won't say that I know how to run all the bits and pieces, i think I've got a handle on the main features.

Not a mark, not a scratch, not so much as a scuff on the car. And that's the way it will stay.

At the moment, I'm sharing the driving with the owner. I got off to a late start on a slow night, but I should be able to do a lot better tonight. One big source of income is the Silver Service booking fee, from those passengers who want a guaranteed car wating at the nominated time. I only got one of those jobs on my first night, a lady who had to be collected from the airport. And yes, I had to write her surname on a card and hold it up in the airport terminal.

And loving it! 'Scuse me now while I go get some well-earned sleep, but I just had to share my excitement with my friends!

Comments

[reggiesgirl2.livejournal.com]

Wow, the car sounds gorgeous! That must be so nice to drive people around in. :)

[skyring.livejournal.com]

It is gorgeous! And the uniform suits me.

Honestly, if you have to earn a buck, there are few more pleasant ways to do it - driving around Canberra playing jazz at night.

[tzurriz.livejournal.com]

ohhhh, pretty!

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Look who's talking!

The colour scheme might me a bit bland, but if I wore a uniform in the colours of Froebe Fibers, people would talk...

[antof9.livejournal.com]

Ok wasn't it just last night I read about how fabulous your LAST cab was?! Wow, are you fickle! Hopefully no one will let #112 in on how quickly and willingly you might throw her off for her successor, or her feelings will be hurt :)

It is prettty, and you look awful snazzy in your more-formal duds.

Sleep well!

[skyring.livejournal.com]

My next cab's a Mustang.

Pete, eye on the future and a trophy cab

[whytraven.livejournal.com]

We rented a convertible Mustang in Vegas once, and roamed the desert with baseball caps flying into the void.

They're nice, but not actually that comfortable. They, and Corvettes, still remain my dream "silly" cars. :)

[madame-urushiol.livejournal.com]

I'm expected to display the highest standards and to give my passengers the very best personal service.

Well, they certainly picked the right fellow for that! You look smashing in your new gear, and the limo's a honey! Cheers, Pete!

[martisman.livejournal.com]

Well I'm calling for a Silver Service limo right now...handsome couple!

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Next to you, mate, I'm shadows of bland. You ever become a taxi driver if this doctor thing doesn't pan out, you'll have the sheilas lining up waiting for your cab and a moonlight ride.

I didn't know your smile could get BIGGER!

[whimzykat.livejournal.com]

Congrats! you're so suited to this!


RE: "I had to write her surname on a card and hold it up in the airport terminal."

Thanks, that was my question....

Silver Service taxis

[tqd.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love it when I manage to hail one of those taxis. So wonderfully plush and civilised. Last one I caught even had a nice selection of glossy magazines in the magazine pouches for us passengers!!

And I was heading into the city the other week in a standard taxi on a very very wet and miserable night, and saw a Silver Service taxi driver escort a business woman from an office block across the road to the waiting taxi with an umbrella. Now *that's* service!

In Sydney, the uniforms aren't as snazzy as yours. You look positively chauffeur like. :)

Re: Silver Service taxis

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Umbrella and magazines. I'll get right onto it. Maybe I should include airsick bags?

Actually, I already have airsick bags, snaffled from Qantas and Cathay Pacific...

[texaswren.livejournal.com]

Wow, that was a fast promotion! I can see that your company recognizes an employee who takes pride in his work!! Congratulations!!! I thinking it was well deserved!

OT, I have a little granddaughter who is completey giddy at the idea of eating Australian cookies and is going to drive me insane until we go get her for the weekend!!! You may have created another TimTam monster!! ;-)

[skyring.livejournal.com]

I'll replenish the supply next time I swing by...

What I live for from my customers are smiles. If they are happy when they get out of the cab, then I'm happy too.

[whytraven.livejournal.com]

Oh, well done! Whee!

Speaking of name cards...there was a guy with a dead-pan face at SFO, holding up a card for "Nutter". I smirked, quietly, to myself.

[skyring.livejournal.com]

So nice that someone arranged a ride for you...

[runs away, giggling]

[whytraven.livejournal.com]

No, mine would read "Fruitcake", or "Raven, Queen of the Desert"

Vrumm. ;)

[fancyhorse.livejournal.com]

Wonderful, Congratulations! Your promotion is well deserved, I'm sure!

[katisha50.livejournal.com]

Splendid car, splendid driver, splendid bear! Hope you all have great times together.

[wombles.livejournal.com]

We have 1 or 2 silver service cars here, and it's always great when you get off the train and the only cab sitting here is a silver one :)

[holmesfan.livejournal.com]

So glad you explained what you are now up to and with photo to prove it.

When I read that you were going down a different track and with a new uniform I wondered if you were becoming a prison officer - the clients could sure do with some of your smiles around them.

I rejoice for your swift elevation and will be watching to see if you write about or attract a noticeably different clientèle.
Good luck.

[semioticghosts.livejournal.com]

Congrats! Shiny new wheels, too. And now you have to explain about "dinkum" ...

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Dinkum? You know. The full quid. Ridgey-didge.

[semioticghosts.livejournal.com]

Now you're teasing!Is it a combination of shiny-swanky-wow?

The dinkum truth

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Flash as a rat with a gold tooth? No, of course not.

Dinkum means true, honest, real.