Page 1 of So sick of the "racist" card I nearly smashed the f**k outta this one!

This is a rant.

Last night we`re pretty busy.
We have a contract with a local establishment that has now gotten huge because everyone from everywhere in the city now head there because of our reputation for turning up pretty quick and having reasonable prices to get people home.
Especially when it hits that 2.45 to 3.30 AM point when every hackney in the city seems to be "not going that way" when asked.

Anywhoo, it`s about 3.35 AM and we were having a bit of a wait for customers to get their cars for once, up to 35 minutes.
I turn up for the job on my screen, our Marshall goes to find customer.

Guy comes to window and tries to get me to take him, "Sorry mate, on a job. See the marshall when he gets back you`ll get added to the list"
A girl comes up, same situation and response.
Another guy comes to the window, biggish coloured lad, same response.

He comes back again and offers a double fare for a local, again, "Sorry, I`ve got a pickup but tell the lad coming to the car, he`ll get you sorted"

Marshall comes back, my hire has disappeared and not told him (regular last night!) so I tell him to shout the big guy over and I`ll sort him out cos he`s chucked a bid at me.
Next thing there`s another FOUR black guys and a girl coming to the car... I obviously did the "WTF is this, supposed to be just yourself...?"
We sort out they`re all going together and that`s fine (I drive a zafira) They now also change the destination to 3 times the original distance, but it would still normally be under his bid so I said ok (under it by about 50p!)

Start heading off, this big guy starts mumbling crap to his pals then starts getting a bit loud.. I put it down to just high spirits n drink til I hear that "I am not paying one penny"
I anchored the car and said WTF you talking about. He thinks I`ve knocked him back twice then the MARSHALL has OK`d him to go!

His pal in the front, great wee guy calms it down and we set off again. This happens another twice before we get close to the destination and as we are VERY close (few hundred yards) I hear the "Why not just say it to my f**king face then... why he not just say  N.. I.... G.... G.....A"
I almost lost it and almsot dragged him out of the car. NEVER stopped the car so quickly in my life, seat belt off, 360 degree spin in the seat and top of my voice with a "You fu**ing accusing me of being a RACIST now you f**king prick?"
Every time I spoke to him he did the same retreat into yourself like you cant hear the other person and talk ****, normally put down to drink but this time I blew my stack.
He couldn`t get it through his head he was NOT the next hire and it was ME who got him moved up the list due to asking politely and offering a higher amount!

His pal in the front, again, calms me down a bit. I get them home and the one next to him gets out, he gets out and walks away with his mate in the front telling him he`s ****ing mental, and I go to move the seat for the last two to get out (young white girl and another coloured lad who hadn`t spoken to me much on the way)
They ask the fare, I tell them which was a tenner (his original bid regardless of the extra distance)
"Thats too much" he starts, "you stopped 3 times, we`re not paying for you stopping"
I tried to keep calm but the veins in my neck were starting... "Listen pal, you were supposed to be going local, it was supposed to be just the big mouthy lad, that`s what he offered for that... you now have SIX people to a destination 2 and a half times that distance for that same quote..."
"I normally pay between 6 and 8 pounds"
"Yep, and this is a people carrier so fare n a half would be 9 to 12 quid for that so a tenner is still valid"
"No it`s too dear"
"FFS" spoke to the girl "He`s not listening to me, can you explain why it`s higher due to the people carrier for me?"
"It`s ok" she said "I`ll sort it"
Then he pipes up "Now you insult me, I can understand English, why you insult me"
I lost it again... told him he might understand English but he didn`t understand what I was saying so rather than me (a stranger) explaining it I asked his friend to do it for me.
Can`t remember his next comment but my reply was "get the f**k out of the car before I ring for the cops"
He was still trying to avoid paying and the girl paid it, no fuss no hassle, straight up with a £20 note and a "can you give me change please?"

Meanwhile the wee guy from the front of the car was STILL trying to get through to these idiots what the situation was.
He was apologising profusely the whole shaking hand scenario etc.

I`ve been on some dodgy runs in my time, some where you watch your back and when you have 5 guys in the car you`re always aware of the 5 to 1 ratio if anything kicks off and generally keep a modicum of sense... as soon as this prick started the "because of my colour " **** I was so angry I didn`t even think about it.

They have also made sure that I will do what a lot of other drivers do when they have people in the car from other nationalities who begin speaking in their own dialect (this big guy was off on one in a foreign language at points so don`t know what was said there)
If there is *any* suspicion at all that they are talking about the driver etc. request they only speak English in the car.
If not, stop the car and tell them their journey is over.
Normally doesn`t bother me but this is the third time recently that I personally suspect young lads drunk speaking about me in the car and a few of the other guys have mentioned similar suspicions, a few of them with the same passengers.

I hope these idiots come down for a car again when I`m there cos they were refused entry to the establishment (I found out on my return... cheers guys, shoulda told me that BEFORE I set off) cos they`ll find out they have three choices:
Walk
Get a hackney (About £14 for the run they did)
Get a pirate (About £20 for the run they did)

Oh, there is one more... play that f**kin race card again and end up in a cell for the night! 

Soz, rant over but I kinda needed to get that out of my system cos it`s been niggling me all night ;)

Jimbo : oÞ

"Making Teenagers depressed is like shooting fish inna barrel"

This item was edited on Sunday, 5th September 2010, 14:55

Feel free mate.
I know what it`s like arguing with the steering wheel for the rest of the night.

Worst row I`ve had was with some rich (he said) prick who thought he ran the world and me with it.
Same reaction though, stop the car, turn round and give them a face to face row and they suddenly go very quiet.

Snaps

Every Third Car

Isn`t coloured considered a fairly antiquated term nowadays?

Quote:
Chris Gould says...
Isn`t coloured considered a fairly antiquated term nowadays?Didn`t want to say black, Negro or African/Niferian in case that offended someone else.

Jimbo : oÞ

"Making Teenagers depressed is like shooting fish inna barrel"

A tosser is a tosser, no matter what colour he is ;)

[Google have marked freeimagehosting.net as a hoster of malware, therefore this link has been removed]

Aye, what Mike says.

And yes, "coloured" is considered racist these days, time to get out of the 80s.

African, Afro-Carrabean, Nigerian, if thats what they are, are all fine. As is black, I`m amazed you thought calling a black person black would be considered racist! Surely you watch TV? :)


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This is why taxi-driving has never appealed to me. More power to those that have the strength to do it (doffs cap) but my extensive dealing with all aspects of the general public during my time at the hotel and in life in general, has told me I`d sure to hate to be in a cramped car with that random 0.5% of them

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I do not understand this MARSHALL system of cab driving, can you explain ? is it like a taxi rank pecking order ?

As for the race card, well it is used quite often by certain folks, unfortunately.

I remember an Indian Gentleman who followed a similar career to me in a company, but used the colour of his skin everytime he was refused a stepup in the office ranks, and demanded a re-interview promotion if he failed, as he thought he had been discriminated against, and more importantly worry the bosses into a corner, so he would pass.

Wheras I being white could not demand a re-interview and just accepted a fail. So it did not take long till I was way behind in promotion and salary compaired to him.

Quote:
bandicoot says...
I do not understand this MARSHALL system of cab driving, can you explain ?Yeah, it`s not a system of driving, it`s a contact who takes your name and destination and makes the phone call for you.
Then, when the car turns up they come and find you to make sure the car and customer match and no one "nicks" your taxi.

However, as loads walk away on their own sometime s a judgement call comes in and we crossover the odd one especially if they`ve waited a while or have decided to offer a decent bribe (for want of a better word ;) ) but only if the original hire isn`t there.
Where possible we still try to make 100% sure it`s still put through to the car taking them as is legally required (in reality it`s not always possible but we do our best to the extent we do a couple of hundred hires from this place on a Saturday night/Sunday morning)

Apologies to all on the coloured thing as I was unaware this was unacceptable these days, to me, it`s just another person until they start this scheitte!

Jimbo : oÞ

"Making Teenagers depressed is like shooting fish inna barrel"

*pulls up a chair, cracks open a beer and waits for Mercury In Glass to find this thread*

;)