TAXI-2: MORE INDECENT EXPOSURES

Continuing the uncensored account of what goes on between taxi drivers and their passengers.

WARNING: THIS BOOK'S CONTENTS MAY OFFEND SOME PEOPLE

CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.............................................................................xiv

FOREWORD............................................................................................xv

INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................1

1- SEX, MORE SEX, NO SEX AND MORE...................................................3

'I don't want a taxi – just sex'...............................................................6

'I don't want sex – just a taxi'...............................................................8

More of the same................................................................................8

Take the hint.......................................................................................11

Even more of the same?....................................................................12

And again?........................................................................................13

'I want a fuck not a taxi!'....................................................................14

Cops, drugs and no sex.....................................................................16

Another loser......................................................................................21

2- REGULARS....................................................................................23

Up-front..............................................................................................23

Timbukthree.......................................................................................24

Jacko revisited....................................................................................26

Overloading?......................................................................................28

One person's too many......................................................................30

No words needed...............................................................................34

Spider.................................................................................................35

From Sydney - Fiona Ryell.................................................................38

3 - SOME OF THE BAD SIDE............................................................41

Laundering ill gotten or illegal wares...................................................41

Sydney's best dressed taxi driver......................................................43

A write-off - Bruce Walker..................................................................44

The animals we pick up - James Webb.............................................46

A born loser - William Stoppard..........................................................46

4 - ON THE EDGE............................................................................49

Dogs and other things.......................................................................49

Same again?.....................................................................................50

Other potential hazards.....................................................................54

Signs..................................................................................................55

North Head happenings....................................................................56

Back again..........................................................................................57

And over the cliff again.......................................................................61

Chalk on North Head.........................................................................62

Caught out...........................................................................................67

Slow...................................................................................................70

Woolwich Pier....................................................................................72

It's all heart.........................................................................................75

5 - PASSENGERS AT LOVE AND WAR.........................................79

Problem kids - Rodney Sommerich...................................................79

The unlucky husband - Russell Rowe................................................81

Tamarama blues - Russell Rowe.......................................................81

Vendettas - Frank Turtle.....................................................................82

Politics in the taxi...............................................................................84

Back seat driver..................................................................................87

Yuppie kids.........................................................................................90

Carlton rules - Ricky Eaton.................................................................91

My poor dad - Darren Ward................................................................92

Ripping off a passenger - Gilbert Hornsey..........................................93

Black and white girl - Des Burns.........................................................94

6 - THE OTHER BUSINESSES...........................................................97

Sydney's best equipped cab................................................................97

Perth's mobile hock shop..................................................................99

Sydney's mobile knock-shop.............................................................100

The mobile phone shop....................................................................101

Taxi driver's other businesses..........................................................106

The Dog and the Dog.......................................................................109

Those cabs that never come............................................................114

Head jobs or cabs?..........................................................................120

John Friedrich and the cabbies.......................................................124

The big win - Ian Jane......................................................................128

The scene at Fitzroy crossing..........................................................132

Hi tech hassles.................................................................................133

7 - BIG DOLLARS...........................................................................139

Where big the money is...................................................................139

Sin City.............................................................................................144

Shifting power bases.......................................................................146

More of the same.............................................................................148

A lousy cab service..........................................................................148

Defamation writs..............................................................................149

The aftermath...................................................................................153

Hidden truth?....................................................................................154

The Hydra........................................................................................155

Believing the papers?.......................................................................157

Online...............................................................................................160

8 - REGULATORS...........................................................................161

The taxi companies.........................................................................161

The police, collecting money from the taxi drivers...........................163

The police, other dealings................................................................168

The state transport authorities.........................................................187

Taping laws......................................................................................192

Whistleblowers................................................................................192

Cab Corruption................................................................................198

9 - UNREGULATED REGULATORS............................................201

Some corrupt Victorian officers who got caught out.........................201

Car stealing rackets and the RTA (Victoria), 1985-87......................203

Why Melbourne is the fare evasion capital of Australia....................208

Good incidents with police...............................................................214

The real dopes - Tom Scott..............................................................216

Another corrupt RTA officer who slipped through the net................218

Corruption in the DMT of New South Wales....................................219

Canberra - motor registry problems..................................................221

Alternatives to taxis - Fleaing...........................................................226

Tuesday, August 9th, 1988..............................................................234

Melbourne cup fiasco.......................................................................236

The Aviation men.............................................................................241

Why it is often hard to get a cab at Sydney's Mascot airport...........244

More of the same.............................................................................248

Laws and regulations........................................................................250

Are you kidding?..............................................................................252

Touting and heavy crims..................................................................253

Laws again........................................................................................257

A bit more.........................................................................................265

Cruising............................................................................................266

Cabbies who got dragged through the courts..................................267

Two laws?........................................................................................273

A common tale in Melbourne...........................................................274

10 - MONEY MAKING BIBLE – PART 1.....................................275

Overview...........................................................................................275

Preliminary notes.............................................................................277

The radio............................................................................................280

Working the street............................................................................288

11 - PART 2 - MULTIPLE HIRING................................................295

1. Number of fares...........................................................................296

2. Strictness.....................................................................................296

3. Speed of the trip..........................................................................296

4. Where the fares end up...............................................................297

Chance?...........................................................................................298

Walkers............................................................................................309

Snap points......................................................................................310

Route pick-ups.................................................................................312

Negative multiples............................................................................314

Organizing the multiple hiring once the fares are in the cab............315

Obstacles and more.........................................................................315

12 - OTHER SCAMS........................................................................319

Grabbing............................................................................................319

Dumping...........................................................................................321

The bottle-up....................................................................................323

Scanning..........................................................................................324

13 - MULTIPLE MAYHEM.............................................................327

The biggest detour made by a passenger when multiple hiring.......327

Love at first sight..............................................................................329

Two car Tom....................................................................................331

Two car Tom multiple hiring..............................................................332

Bus wars..........................................................................................334

Border wars......................................................................................342

The flat tyres....................................................................................343

14 - MORE MULTIPLE MAYHEM..............................................347

Reject fares......................................................................................347

Near death experiences..................................................................349

Learning the trade...........................................................................353

Town Hall rank again.......................................................................358

Pregnant Rob...................................................................................358

Are they good looking?....................................................................363

Positive negative multiple.................................................................365

The same script...............................................................................367

15 - OFF THE PLANET? – OVERSEAS TAXIS..........................369

General.............................................................................................369

United States of America, New York.................................................370

United States of America, Chicago...................................................378

United States of America, Los Angeles............................................380

United States of America, Miami.....................................................382

United States of America, Houston, Texas......................................384

United States of America, Washington, D.C. and elsewhere...........386

United States of America, Santa Cruz..............................................388

United States of America, Tulsa, Oklahoma....................................389

United States of America, Hawaii....................................................389

Mexico, Tijuana and elsewhere.......................................................391

Canada, Toronto..............................................................................394

Italy, Rome.......................................................................................395

Greece, Athens................................................................................395

West Germany, Munich and elsewhere...........................................396

Austria, Salzburg..............................................................................397

Russia, Moscow and elsewhere......................................................400

Poland, Warsaw................................................................................402

United Kingdom, London..................................................................403

Switzerland, and elsewhere.............................................................410

France, Paris................................................................................... 411

Holland, various places.....................................................................412

Spain, Madrid..................................................................................412

Japan, Tokyo...................................................................................414

South Korea, Seoul.........................................................................414

China, Beijing...................................................................................415

Taiwan, Taipei..................................................................................416

Singapore........................................................................................416

India, New Delhi and elsewhere.......................................................417

Thailand, Bangkok...........................................................................420

Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur................................................................426

Indonesia, Jakarta...........................................................................426

Hong Kong.......................................................................................426

Philippines, Manila...........................................................................430

Turkey, Istanbul................................................................................432

Libya................................................................................................432

Lebanon, Beirut................................................................................432

Egypt, Cairo.....................................................................................433

Iraq, Baghdad..................................................................................434

Kenya...............................................................................................436

Brazil, near Rio De Janeiro..............................................................438

Columbia, Bogota............................................................................438

Argentina, Buenos Aires..................................................................438

Fiji, Suva...........................................................................................439

16 - BACK TO EARTH..................................................................441

Dumb Thieves?................................................................................441

Wars?..............................................................................................442

The international cabbies brotherhood............................................444

Fightback..........................................................................................446

Other ways to get killed....................................................................448

For those thinking of driving cabs.....................................................450

17 - PREPARING THE TAXI BOOKS - SCANDALS..................451

The cops..........................................................................................455

For the doubters...............................................................................456

Soliciting..........................................................................................458

Managing disasters..........................................................................468

Cabals...............................................................................................469

A benefit?.........................................................................................472

Scandalizing the taxi game..............................................................473