Spread 1 of Aviv 05

I write this to you from a suburb of Paris. I landed in France about 12 hours ago and it is my first time ever in Europe. I will be sending out timely reports of my journey, but for this post I will focus attention on the meaningful codes behind the journal spread above from five years ago.

Sometimes I like to sit in awkward places, where I'm potentially in the way, but not really. Other times I like to sit where I can be absolutely sure that I'm not interfering in anyway. Stairwells, sidewalks, and other public passageways with unusually ample nook spaces make me daydream of setting up camp in those nooks, simply just to smile everlastingly at every jaded passerby, or to offer them an exchange of some sort, whether material or informational. Unless of course I'm asleep. Then again they're more than welcome to awaken me. That is the whole point of a twenty four hour, non-violent community foot soldier.

Toward the end of July 2005, I was at the height of lining up odd-job manual labor gigs, not only for myself, but for two friends of the family who were like night and day. Mauricio, our beloved humble oil muralist from El Salvador, and Mariusz, a miserable and arrogant acquaintance from Poland (via Canada) who wanted very badly to be Brazilian. Both were newcomers to our little oceanside town of Lake Worth, so I devoted lots of time and energy showing them the best spots, like thrift stores and roadside burrito joints, to frequent. The latter of them became competitive and ungrateful. Eventually the work dried up for all of us.

It was also around this time that I was studying hard for the exam that would allow me to trade in my resident alien green card for a naturalized blue citizen passport. At the same time I was helping both my parents to prepare for the same hurdle, and soon enough we all became United Statesians, if you will. Mind you, my mother and I were born (South) Americans.

Spread 2 of Primavera 05

Maps of area codes have always intrigued me with the way they reveal how lightly or heavily populated certain regions are, or at least the volume of requests for phone numbers. It's amazing how states as large as Montana and Wyoming have only one area code for the entire state, while the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and Miami each have around seven of them. Some would say that if art isn't about life, then it's worthless.... that art for art's sake is b.s.. I have no comment, since I'm able to empathize with both sides of that coin.

HEBREW TO ENGLISH TRANSLITERATION:

Ele she omdim b'pqaqei tnuah hem frayerim qi lo rokhvim b'ofanayim.

(Those who sit in traffic jams are suckers because they don't ride bicycles)

"Unlike other spiritual goals that we can reach individually, immortality can only be brought about when a critical mass has been achieved and transformation takes place throughout humankind." -KC

Spread of Early 09 Journal Cover

This book is about one individual's quest to become better than yesterday, by taking every brutal karmic blow as a hidden blessing and coming to terms with the idea that serving humanity is the only worthwhile pursuit.

The cover contains a list of my self-imposed, some somewhat frivolous, identities: taxi driver, anthropologist, vexillologist, geographer, cartographer, manual laborer, ethnomusicologist, bicyclist, alchemistic barterer, scrounger, scavenger, scalp-shearing barber, space consolidator, trilingual interpreter, collage journalist, perpetual optimist, quasi-kabbalistic altruist, scatological squatter, pseudo-percussionist, aspiring acordeonista, wide-eyed pilgrim, cumbiamberito, eco-urban tour guide, dormant pedagogue, voluntary communalist, pied piper of urgency, punk at heart, skanking leo, megaphonic martyr, athlete, etc.

ELECTRO AUTOSTOP

Back in 2005, my friend Elizabeth Dwoskin was interning for the Utne magazine. She published an article about hitchhikers who share their travels on the internet. I was one of the people she interviewed for the story.

ELECTRICIANS RIDE FREE

I gave my father a lift from home (Brooklyn) to his job site on Sixth and Spring at 6:30 one recent morning. He normally does not work in Manhattan, so he uses his truck and finds easy parking in the outer boroughs. But when the job site happens to be in the city, he tries not to hassle with driving and parking. However, he still has too lug all of his heavy tools on the subway, which is a pain, so I pick him up if I can.

I had begun my shift at 3:50 and I was hoping not to lose the momentum of business when the time came to go fetch him. My prayers were answered when, in the minutes leading up to the deadline, a fare appeared out of nowhere, asking to go to where else than Brooklyn. Thanks to being in the right place at the right time, my shift did not skip a beat.

Dad and I shared a lovely sunrise back over the bridge. I told him about two unlikely fares in a row that I had come across before dawn. Passengers from Haiti come along an average of once a month or so. That morning I was blessed with two separate ones within an hour. The first a woman crossing 34th from First to Eighth to catch an uptown A train. Her son was having a baby at the hospital and she expressed her disappointment and reluctance to be a grandmother just yet. Then I picked up a man my age who begged if we could put his bicycle in the trunk.

Little did he know that he had just hailed one of the only cabbies in town who is just itching to transport the commonly rejected, or at least unprofessionally and unkindly served patrons of the taxi world: pets, unusual cargo, bicycles, blacks, blacks with bicycles, the outer borough-bound, homosexuals, stranded tourists with flights to catch, people who speak no English, the emotionally unstable, physically disabled, elderly, improperly dressed, drugged (as long as they don't barf or piss in the cab), etc.

And later on that day I spotted an accident involving a taxicab and a brand new BMW on Park and 48th. As you can see below, I tried to get a good shot of them, but the incessant flow of traffic wouldn't allow it. I pulled up to a spot next to a one-lane deep construction barrier where I wasn't obstructing anyone and proceeded to walk back a few feet with camera in hand. All of a sudden a stern gruffness sounded off in the distance. "You can't leave it there!", barked a uniformed guard from in front of the JP Morgan headquarters. Right then I realized that I posed a perceived threat to homeland security. Oops. Back into the cab and I was off again.

Speaking of accidents involving taxicabs, a truly rare incident considering how many of them are always out in this city, here is a clear shot of one from above.....

CABBIE ESCAPES UNBURNED

A driver from my garage was sitting at a traffic light in Lower Manhattan when a drunk woman drove straight out from a side street, plowing her SUV into his cab. He blacked out, and the front ends of both cars ignited into blazes. A homeless man on the sidewalk ran over and pulled the cabdriver out of his burning vehicle. FDNY and EMTs did the rest. The woman was not injured, but she was promptly arrested-- first by her airbag, then by NYPD.

As you can see from the last picture, the cab's interior was so badly charred that if our good Samaritan hadn't acted immediately, my fellow hack might not be around today. According to witnesses, the front of the taxi became engulfed in flames within seconds. The cabbie's report stated that he saw the SUV approaching at full speed and he had no room to dodge it. All he could do was honk fervently, but to no avail. Drinking and driving is NOT okay, folks.

Fortunately, there is a nice ending to the story. When the cabdriver fully regained consciousness on the sidewalk, he realized that all the things he had brought with him for the shift were sitting in the cab, melting away. All he had on him was a wad of cash that he had luckily kept in his pocket. He insisted on giving all of it to the homeless man who saved his life. All sixty dollars, in singles, fives, and tens.

Visions of Identical Aluminum

Our state's license plate has changed once again. When I first started seeing these new yellow backgrounds, I always had to look twice, because I kept thinking it was an Alaskan plate. For a fraction of a second, several times a day, I would think to myself, "I'll be damned if there aren't a whole lot of people visiting from Alaska by car lately". Well, I'm damned. By now the fact that the two states have nearly identical plates doesn't phase me anymore.

It's now the other way around. I have to look twice when I see an Alaskan plate, which only happens perhaps once or twice a month. I guess New York City is the kind of place you'd expect to see just about every state's plates at least once. Not all of them are tourists though. Many southern plates belong to New Yorkers with relatives down there who provide them with an address so they can save money on their car insurance. Rumor has it.

CALLING ALL NY CABBIES

Pleased to announce that TLC Chairperson David Yassky will be joining us at the LaGuardia Airport Main Lot to meet with drivers. Please join us and speak directly with Chairman Yassky about issues that are most important to you. Think the lease is too high? Tired of losing 5% on all credit card transactions? Is the dispatcher requiring a bribe? Hotel doormen still a problem? What is your suggestion for stopping illegal pick ups?

We all know the issues. Let the head of the industry regulator know your solutions.

MEET & GREET WITH TLC CHAIRMAN DAVID YASSKY
Tuesday, July 20th
10:00am
LaGuardia Airport, Main Lot

Park in the lot and use your time fighting for driver power!

Warmly,
Bhairavi Desai, Executive Director
on behalf of Organizing Committee and Staff

Hercules Relapse

Although I haven't worked for a moving company since I started driving a cab, I do offer friends and family my assistance. A few weeks ago, on my day off from hacking, I helped a couple of friends move their belongings from Forest Hills to Bushwick. I subcontracted my old high school friend Adam Willson to assist us with the move. I drove the rental truck since I have experience driving for Hercules Movers. I need more exercise in my life since I sit and drive all day every day, so carrying boxes on and off of the truck was my pleasure. Plus, they fed us breakfast, served us endless coffee, and even paid us a handsome compensation. All this while hanging out with an old friend I hadn't seen for a while. Efficient space consolidation and utilization inside the truck was always my favorite aspect of the job. I kind of miss it sometimes.

Hackneyed Peepholes

#1+2. At 6:50 A.M. on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, the best deli- sandwich- maker stepped out from behind his counter to feed the pigeons scraps of yesterday's bagels. He lovingly tore each one into pieces and tossed them, spaced neatly apart, onto the sidewalk and street. His boss came outside from behind the register and scolded him for this, saying, "Allah is in charge of feeding the pigeons-- NOT YOU." After the boss stepped back inside I reassured the best deli- sandwich- maker on Bedford that what he was doing was superb and inspiring. We agreed: these are creatures and that all creatures must eat. What was I doing there? Waiting for a miracle fare back into Manhattan.

#3. Poor cabdriver. Seems to be an owner-operator. Someone must have slammed on their brakes in front of him. Driving through Times Square is an ironic experience. All the flashing lights are intended to make you look around and be dazzled, but not while you're driving.

#4. Outside the JFK taxi lot-- an emergency delivery of spare parts, fresh off the CARcass!

#5. An outdoor piano at McCarren Park quietly awaits the next passerby to play.

Europa on Shoestrings

.....is where we found the cheapest airfare to Europe this summer. We were originally going to stay in Iceland for a few days, before becoming continental, but concerns over post-volcanic particulate matter affecting the island's air quality changed our minds since Jenine is asthmatic.

ITINERARY OF TENTATIVE TENACITY:

7/25 at half past 9 pm: Jenine and I fly out of Boston aboard Iceland Air.

26th at half past 6 am: We land in Reykjavik for an hour layover.

1 pm: Arrive at Charles de Gaulle in Paris.

Regional rapid transit to La Vesinet (suburb where Vera lives).

Acclimate and meet Vera's beautiful family.

7/27 thru 8/1: Explore all of Paris and celebrate Jenine's 31st birthday.

My top points of interest in the city of lights: Belleville, Latin Quarter, and the 10th Arrondissement.

8/2 (my birthday): We hitch down through France toward Barcelona.

Depending on the rides we get: stops are possible in Marseille and Gerona.

Barcelona becomes our headquarters for the week, with a possible excursion to Madrid.

We have no current contacts in the Catalonian capital, so please help us out if you can.

I'm not worried about it because there are over 5000 couchsurf members out there.

8/9 at 8 pm: Our flight to Germany, with an 8 hour overnight layover in Stuttgart.

8/10 at 8 am: Arrive in Berlin. Settle into my friend Jeffrey's spare room and explore that city on borrowed bicycles. Visit friends Aaron and Corinna in town.

8/13: Hitch to Hamburg and visit a friend of Jenine's.

8/15: Arrive at the home of my Dutch relatives outside of Utrecht.

8/16 thru 20: Jenine attends Fab 6 Graduation and Conference.

Meanwhile, I explore Amsterdam mostly on my own that week.

8/21 thru 25: Jenine and I do the Netherlands and Belgium together.

She flies home from Schiphol airport and I remain in Europe for another month.

8/26: My solo hypersonic auto-stop journey thru 11 extra countries begins.

8/27: Explore central and east London on foot and a tight shoestring.

8/28: Thumb my way east to Prague.

8/29: Explore the Czech capital. Catch overnight train to Krakow (Poland).

8/30: Explore my maternal grandfather's hometown.

8/31: Meander through Slovakia to visit friends in Vienna (if they're in town).

9/1: Make my way to Budapest and spend the night there.

9/2: Enter Romania. Either travel to the northern hometown(s) of my paternal grandparents....

9/3: or head to Bucharest via Transylvania.

9/4: Explore the Romanian capital thoroughly.

9/5: Catch a bus to Bulgaria. 9/6: Explore Sofia.

9/7: Catch a bus to Turkey. 9/8-9: Explore Istanbul.

9/10: Catch a bus to Greece. 9/11: Explore Thessaloniki.

9/12: Catch a bus to Athens. 9/13-14: Explore the Greek capital.

9/15: Hitch to the Adriatic coast (Igoumenitsa).

9/16 : Ferry across to Brindisi (Italy).

9/17: Thumb it to Napoli. 9/18: Explore Napoli.

9/19: Hitch to Roma. 9/20-22: Explore the Italian capital.

9/23: Fly Aer Lingus to NYC via Dublin.

I can shorten and/or elongate these flexible dates (and route) based on my experience as it unfolds. I know this schedule seems too rushed, but it's my first time ever to Europe and for me it's mostly a geographical marathon to put together the ethno-cartographic puzzle pieces of my anthropologic mind. Future trips will be more concentrated on specific regions and cities. Not so spread out and hurried. IF YOU KNOW ANYONE I SHOULD STAY WITH OR MEET ALONG THIS EXTENSIVE ROUTE, OR ANY POINTS OF INTEREST I SHOULD VISIT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT.

IMMEDIATE RELATIVES

#1. My sister has returned from a 10 day pilgrimage to Canaan.

#2. My father and I often jog to McCarren Park and we do play ball.

#3. He has become prolific with his vibrant works of art.

The two aforementioned are two of my dearest people.

They help stabilize the otherwise chaotic atmosphere

under the ceiling we currently share in northwestern Brooklyn.

LONG LIVE THE TAXICAB!

The centennial anniversary of the metered NYC taxicab was celebrated in 2007. The Empire State Building was lit yellow in commemoration.

Shirts with the design below printed on them were handed out at.... Taxi 07: A DESIGN TRUST PROJECT EXHIBIT (NY Int'l. Auto Show)

In the following commercial, a Mexican taxicab plays an important role in world cup soccer:

Xeno and Vexillophilia

#1 The flag of the nomadic Berber peoples of northern Africa. Their cultural (not to mention genetic) specificity has long been downplayed by Arab nations. #2. This flag is banned in Turkey, Syria, and Iran. It is the banner of the unrecognized Kurdish nation.

#3 The map is probably banned too.

CAN'T MAKE IT THERE. YOU PERHAPS?

BECOMING ONE WITH ALL

As Abraham Maslow (and more recently Adam Willson) suggested,

let's focus on that uppermost violet section of the humanist hierarchy.

Actualization of one's full potential, peak experiences, spontaneity, creative problem-solving,

lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts, playfulness, meaningfulness, purpose, authenticity, community,

autonomy, openness, morale, accuracy, fulfillment .... even transcendence.

The pinnacle actually has nothing to do with the self.

It has to do with helping others become self-actualized.

An endless, paradoxical cycle of light and lovingkindness.

Becoming one with all people and all things. I can't wait!

(It ain't hocus-pocus. It's inside your mind)

THE RISKS WE TAKE

LEASING A HUNK OF YELLOW JUNK THAT RUNS VIRTUALLY NON-STOP 24 HOURS A DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR, THROUGH A POTHOLE-RIDDLED GAUNTLET OF AGGRO MANIACS, ONLY SOME OF WHOM OCCASIONALLY LOOK UP FROM TEXTING, IS A BIG RISK TO BE TAKING. WE MUSTN'T FORGET THE INCOME- ELIMINATING POLICE TRAPS AND HUNDREDS OF OTHER ROCKS BEING THROWN AT YOU, PLUS UNSTABLE GAS PRICES AND PSYCHOPATHIC PASSENGERS. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, MY CAB OVERHEATS MINUTES AFTER I TURN ON THE AIR CONDITIONING. IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN, FOLKS. AT LEAST WE GET A BREAK FROM SLIPPERY, INVISIBLE BLACK ICE. I GIVE A PROUD SALUTE TO ALL CABBIES FOR THEIR INTEGRITY AND RESILIENCE ON THIS THE DAY AFTER "TAXI APPRECIATION DAY."

TAXI ROOF CONES IN TOKYO

50 DIFFERENT TAXI TOPS IN A CITY OF 36,669,000 PEOPLE

THE CITY I WAS BORN IN

I only lived there for the very first month of my life,

yet for some reason it contains a large chunk of my heart,

tucked away inside an Andean valley of everlasting springtime,

on the northernmost reaches of the world's longest continental mountain range.

A short bus ride away from the axis of world-renowned coffee cultivation.

Just 60 miles east of the Pacific and 80 miles south of the Caribbean.

Colombia's 2nd metropolis and the world's 91st urban agglomeration.

An historical hub of oxen and mule path networks for cocoa farms.

Now the industrial capital of Colombia and orchid capital of the world.

Home of South America's first kidney transplant.

Affability and diligence are the qualities of its people.

Oh, and did I mention that it is Fernando Botero's home town?

He's the self-proclaimed "most Colombian of Colombian artists."

Famous for situational portraiture of proportionally exaggerated figures.

Did you guess which city yet?

I LIKE THE DESIGN

LOGO BY VENANTIUS PINTO

Cartography of Football and Limited Recognition

Map of the most successful countries in World Cup history. 205 countries entered the 2010 qualification competition. The Philippines and Brunei had their late entries rejected. 848 games were played during 27 months and only 32 teams remain. Laos was the only member nation not to register at all.

With a miniscule exception, there virtually aren't any countries that are not members of FIFA, unless of course you count the ones whose autonomies enjoy limited recognition, if by anyone at all, such as Abkhazia, Northern Cyprus, South Ossetia, Somaliland, Transnistria, Western Sahara, and Nagorno-Karabakh. Kosovo recently became the world's newest country, but no football team yet. In yet another category are countries that don't exist in the eyes of a select few. Palestine and Israel don't recognize each other, but both are FIFA contenders. Taiwan and China don't recognize each other, but both are FIFA contenders. Then you have national identities that didn't even make it on the "ambiguation" map below, such as Tibet, Kurdistan, Kashmir, and the Basque community.

Red: No recognition by any state

Pink: Recognized by UN non-members onlyOrange: UN non-members recognized by at least one UN memberGreen: UN member states, not recognized by at least one other state

FREE CONCERTS IN NYC

Summer Stage at Central Park (near E72 and Fifth) is hosting several fantastic upcoming shows:

On Saturday, June 26th, from 3 to 6 PM, three eclectic international bands will play. I'm excited about Omar Souleyman, who has been on the frontline of the dance-folk-pop scene in Syria since 1994. Tinariwen, the pied pipers of social conscience in the southern Sahara, will also be performing. Toubab Krewe, a fusion band from North Carolina, will blend West African music with rock.

On July 3rd, Istanbulive II will go down. Five hours of Turkey's most contemporary sounds, starting at 2 PM. Not quite as traditional as I would've liked, but an intriguing language to hear in song nonetheless. On July 11th, Jimmy Cliff, one of Jamaica's reggae legends, but more importantly (and on the same day): Victor Deme. He's from Burkina Faso and his voice, guitar, and humility are profound!

On August 22nd at 3 PM, The Specials will be playing at that same stage in Central Park. In case you're not two-toned and rude, this British band helped revive Jamaican Ska music in the late 70s and early 80s. Speaking of the 80s, Public Enemy will be on stage August 15th. And on September 26th is the Black Sea Roma Festival. I love 'Gypsy' music!

In addition to Central Park, there are free concerts occurring at several other parks:

Brand Nubian will perform at Crotona Park in the Bronx on June 23rd at 7 PM.

Brooklyn Bandshell in Prospect Park:

July 2nd, at 730 PM, The Fab 5 and Uzalo

July 9th, at 7 PM, Ozomatli/ Fidel Nadal/ Toy Selectah

The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival on August 28th at 3 PM at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, and the 29th at Tompkins Square Park in the Village.

There are many more performances, but these are the once I've highlighted, according to my tastes.

Yellow Author Fever

1. LIFELONG SCIENTIST AND UNIVERSITY PROF DRIVES A CAB AND BLOGS.

2. FIFTEEN YEAR VET OF MONTREAL'S TAXI FORCE IS A SERIOUS AUTHOR TOO.

Where's your book, Gil? That's what some of my relatives and friends ask me. Well, I don't feel like I have enough book-worthy material typed out yet. Volumes of it are certainly written, sketched, and drawn out on my extensive collection of artsy journals, which I've maintained since my mid-teens.

Obviously, only the last three years contain taxicab accounts, while the rest are from hitch-hiking around North America, attending college, and short stints in a smorgasbord of jobs. The thing is that it's just as important to me to publish text and illustration on taxi life as it is to do so for the three other most important themes of my life: budget travel, sustainable living, and altruistic spirituality.

I'm trying to find a way to sew these all together into a quilt that might eventually produce that book, or at least a solid, unwavering sense of personal happiness to carry with me wherever I go. All I really want is to maximize the meaningfulness of as many lives as possible, starting of course with my own. I want to have lofty goals (like a book), but only if they truly serve a deeper purpose than just massaging my own ego. That is perhaps where my hesitation lies, if not feelings of inexperience and unreadiness. Or maybe it's those feelings that are the true ego.

My life has enough direction on its plate right now. I'm saving up madly in preparation for my lightly-packed and open-ended adventure to Europe and the Mediterranean, which is set to begin in late July and carry on for about two months. Upon returning to New York in mid to late September, I will make the official, long-awaited move out of 'the nest'. Ideally, I want to find a communal loft space somewhere nearby in Brooklyn that I can share with like minds, to keep my rent low, while residing in one of the little make-shift rooms. Even more ideal would be to find a set-up like that in Jackson Heights, my favorite neighborhood, due to its diversity. I don't know what comes after that, but it's bound to be exciting.

Among Thousands of Cabbies....

April 29, 2010	J. Singh	STRUCK WITH METAL RODand told to "go back to your country"
April 23, 2010	A. Abdallah	CAR JACKED and ASSAULTED suffering a fractured nose
March 28, 2010	Mohammed Chowdhury	SLASHED Across Neck And Beaten In Head And Face
October 31, 2009	Ndiaye Serigne	ASSAULTED By Four Masked Passengers
August 7, 2008	Enois Malbranche	BLINDED In the Right Eye after Being Shot Point Blank
March 18, 2008	Neeru Singh	CHOKED By Passenger Through Partition Window. Called Racial Slurs and Harassed
February 25, 2008	Zakir Howlader	CHOKED, Kicked, Punched, Spat On By Rider Exiting Cab.
December 25, 2007	Gurmail Singh	BEATEN WITH IRON ROD Repeatedly In The Head - Required 16 Stitches - When Parking Car At End Of Shift.
November , 2007	Mohammed Elwaleed	KILLED. Mowed Down By Motorist While Checking Car For Damages After Collision
October 2, 2005	Shajedur Rahman	REMAINS IN COMA. Assaulted On The Job By Private Car Motorists
March 29th, 2005	Mamnun Ul Haq	STABBED In Back With 10-Inch Hunting Knife, Grazed On Both Sides.

I personally haven't had anything as bad as these drivers happen to me. Little things have occurred, some of which could have escalated to an unknown degree had I not countered them with profuse apologies and non-combativeness. I was once spat on by an angry pedestrian who yanked my passengers' door open and leaned over their sitting bodies to get a clear shot at me through the partition. All this simply because I wasn't being conducive to her sporadic jaywalk, which was highly unaware of its surroundings.

I was once watched intently and incessantly by a passenger with a ceaselessly evil giggle who was sticking his face in the partition so I could feel his corrosive breath, while engaging in what I perceived to be masturbation for the duration of the 5 minute ride. It was the one time I almost closed shut the partition for its intended purpose, but I didn't want to stir up anything more ultimately time-consuming or risk not being paid the fare. I felt like I had my head millimeters away from a lunatic and that my life was threatened. He was grunting a lot and making the cab sway from side to side. He then paid and walked out into the darkness like nothing had happened.

I don't remember any other incidents off the top of my head, but I'm sure there were several more. That is why the NY Taxi Workers Alliance is working so hard to push our state government to make the assault of a cabdriver a felony, just as with bus drivers and train operators. We are all transit workers who are responsible for the lives of others, and we work hard to ensure that passengers are ferried safely. These jobs are challenging enough without people attacking us physically.

Staggering the Shifts

Why don't they stagger the shifts so that not all taxicabs are off-duty between 4 and 5 P.M.? That is one of the most common questions I get as a hack. My guess is perhaps only slightly better than yours. I've heard it has to do with ensuring that no shift gets the short end of the stick. Each of the two 12 hour shifts needs one uninterrupted chunk of rush hour in order to make do. It seems that in order to make things even, whoever created the universal shift change decided to interrupt the afternoon rush of just about anyone and everyone. If I were in charge, I'd stagger the shifts and create different leasing prices to adjust to that shift's attractiveness.

I personally maintain a schedule that is staggered from the rest of my fellow drivers. I often go into the garage by 2 A.M., sometimes as early as 1:00. The dispatcher hands me whichever cab happens to be available at that time, and I return it exactly 12 hours later. That means I'm back in the garage by 1 or 2 in the afternoon, hence making the taxi available to any night driver that wishes to begin that early, which in turn lessens the distress that the city feels at the height or the homebound rush.

I don't get any discount on my daily lease for getting my butt out of bed so early or for taking that fiscal risk of being out on the streets at the quietest hours, gambling with my gas tank and cruising time, trying to eek out a miracle or three. I don't mind though. I love the rush I get from this challenge. To me it's like a very hard and serious, but rewarding game of world cup soccer, in which very few points are often scored, but they mean everything.

There are indeed a few advantages for me as a cabdriver in staggering my shift. I don't have to wait in a heavy pool of hacks at the garage to be assigned a cab. I don't have to wait in line at the end of my shift to collect the cash from my credit transactions. I don't have to use the air conditioning in my cab because by the time it gets real hot midday I'm turning it in. I don't have to stress in afternoon traffic jams about trying to get the cab back on time. I get several hours of quiet, congestion-free traffic flow at the start of my shift. In essence, my shift is what you could call a hybrid of both night and day shifts. I really love it.

EDUCATING THE PASSENGER

Whenever the fare goes over $25.00 and the passenger pays with credit card, a signature is automatically required. If I don't bring back a signed receipt for every one of those premium fares, the cashier at my taxi garage does not cash me out. Since the great majority of rides remain under that amount, many people have absolutely no awareness of the signature requirement. The result is that half of those times, my passengers blare out something like this:

"I have never heard of this before, having to sign a receipt, are you sure?"

"sign it? this is the first time I have EVER been asked to do that. how come now?"

"...is this a new thing?"

DEAR RIDING PUBLIC: YOU'VE BEEN ADVISED! ANYTHING OVER $25 REQUIRES A SIGNATURE AND NO, IT IS NOT SOME GIMMICK CLEVERLY INVENTED BY THE CABDRIVER FOR SOME SURREPTITIOUS PURPOSE.

Also, please please please stop freaking out when the driver asks you to swipe your card again.... and perhaps again, and again. The fear of being charged multiple times for each and every swipe is irrational. Once a single transaction goes through successfully, the meter automatically clears itself. There is absolutely no possible way for your card to be charged more than once for the same total fare amount. Sometimes the machine outright declines the transaction, for a number of reasons.

If you have no other functional cards, it is required of you to pay cash. That is when many people fall under the assumption that the driver is trying to collect cash on top of the already "charged" card. It is very simple to clarify this misunderstanding. Just ask for your receipt and make sure that it is the receipt that was the very last one to print out before being handed to you. You'll hear and see it printing. You'll hear and see the driver ripping it off and handing it to you. If the bottom of the receipt says something like....

CARD TYPE: VISA

XXXXXXXXX2633

AUTH: 021108

....then the card was charged and it was charged ONLY ONCE!

If none of that is present on the receipt, then it was a CASH PAYMENT ONLY!

One last thing: You cannot pay for some of the fare amount on card and some on cash. You must pay the full amount due with either one or the other. Tipping is a separate issue. You can tip in cash after applying zero tip on the screen. Or not tip at all. And if you are one of those people who are perpetually afraid of cabdrivers ripping you off, please do me a favor and read about yourself here.