My First Day as a "Butterboy"
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08/09/06 - What a week, considering I have been calling over for virtually 4 years, every evening (well most evenings) I took the time this week to watch a bit of telly, although it did feel strange not having to do anything, I almost felt guilty, A friend phoned during the week who is a cabby and said that he would sort me a cab out. eventually he found a Fairway down Three Colts lane, It was a little more expensive that I might normally pay, but it was available, I decided to go with his advice and phoned them up and booked it from the Friday, I also made an appointment with the accountant at the same time as he was based nearby in Alfred Rd. Friday came and It was to the accountant first "Martin Cordell's". as living in East London this seemed fairly convenient for me. The first session is free, and they ask you to bring various documents with you, I was with them for approximately an hour and found them to be approachable and helpful, they gave me some basic advice as to how I approach the business, what not to do and when I am required to pay taxes. They ask you to come back after three months to see how you are getting on, ensuring you are keeping your records up to date and checking on if you are putting enough money away for the tax man. - all in all I found the experience ok and would recommend them. Then it was round to the cab firm to pick up my cab, you are required to take your duplicate bill and fill in some standard paperwork, I was then shown to my new cab, run through the basic controls and then left to get on with it. I have chosen a Fairway to start with as it is the cheapest around, as I want to establish what I need to do while working part time to earn enough money to cover my needs. The nerves are starting to cut in, I turn the "For Hire" light on and set off down the Whitechapel road, getting more and more nervous, I work my way along Leadenhall St onto Gracechurch St and Into Threadneedle St, and then it happens, a young girl sticks her hand out and a lump swells up in my throat. "Shell Mex house please" - I cannot believe it, she is only asking me a point I know! - It was a very hot day and there was a lot of traffic, but I explained to the girl as I drove that it was my first day out and my first fare, and tradition says that the first fare is free, she was very nice and congratulated me and wished me luck, one down. As I dropped off a man stepped straight into my cab, "40 Grosvenor Gdns please" Now I have been warned this that customers often give you a house number expecting you to know it, I asked if he new approximately where it was, and he said it was where the roads cross!!! I took a chance that if I hit it from Victoria St then I wouldn't be too far off, as it happens the customer jumped out as the crossing lights went red, paid at last! headed for the Mall, got flagged down - "Wallace Collection please" From then on it went Wellbeck St - St James Sq Loo Break Regent St - St Paul's Churchyard Ludgate Hill - Sainsbury's High Holborn - went to set down in Fetter Lane - forgot the centre reservation Ludgate Hill to Chiltern St By know I am feeling pretty fried, I have been out for a couple of hours and my brain is like mush. The pressure has been immense and I am not relaxed, so as the phone has been ringing I decide to take 10 and have a drink and make a couple of calls so I park up in Manchester St, while I am there a man approaches, "are you for hire" yes I respond, Ok I will just be a few minutes, so on goes the meter about 5 mins late the couple appear, "Avenue Rd please" The brain has gone where is it? Unbelievable-------- how can I not know this, a quick check on the trusty A-Z and the brain engages drive back through the park Outer circle - Argos, Edgware Rd (Harrowby St) Harrowby St to Cavendish Sq Cavendish sq to Crockfords Berkley sq to Gloucester Place (Hallam St) A few more that I didn't note as I was too busy Baker St to Wardour St Regent St to Selfridges Selfridges to Hallam St Fitzrovia Grange Hotel to Selfridges Selfridges to Cadogan Sq Eaton Sq to Henry's Henry's to River Cafe Fulham Palace Rd to Westbourne Park Rd Stopped for dinner around 8.30pm and met up with my old COP in the pizza place on the corner Charlotte and Googe (Good and Cheap) Pulled into Charlotte and three girls wanted to go to Clapham South, while on the way they asked if they could have a wee break, so we pull into a road just off Balham Hill with the meter running, now I am worried that they are not coming back. But back they come and its onto Northcote rd, and they are happy to show me a cut through. By now I am really tired and phone the wife, saying that I will try and get a job heading out East, Cross Blackfriars and onto Cannon St, Two guys flag me down 'Sanderson Hotel please"!!!! After that I've had enough, head home dead tired but happy, I did not stop all day and found the public I met polite and helpful. Remember - take enough change, I didn't have enough one pound coins - also £5 notes, keep plenty, you will need them Locate as many toilets as you can, you will never know when you will be able to stop. I have been out a couple of months now, and the nerves have settled down, and everything is calmer. I have changed the cab to a cheaper Fairway (a better version) and have been enjoying myself I have had some good jobs Victoria Stn to Heathrow Christmas 06 has just gone and I have had a chance to take a breather and reflect on the last few months. Christmas as you may expect has been a good 2-3 weeks so you can put in the hours and do well during that period, but the last few months have shown that I can earn a level of money that suits my needs, pay the rent and have enough left over. On the whole the public have been very good, polite and happy just to get where they need quickly. Occasionally I do a duff route and sometimes I get questioned over the route I am taking - you will find that people who use a cab regularly will go a certain route, but sometimes if you ask them what route they normally take, you will question the route that other cab drivers have taken. As long as you know where you are going (sounds obvious) but have the plan in your head so if you get questioned, you can answer quickly "I am heading for...." and usually the customer is happy. I have had some journey's home where I have been told "It normally costs X" what can you do - the fare is on the meter and unless you have been going miles wide, that's it but I'm sure people just try it on. One of the hardest thing that I had over the first couple of months is estimating fares - until you have done a few journeys and have an idea of traffic conditions, estimates are really difficult to give - I have tended to go high with my price so If the journey comes under - they are happy. A thing you are not taught at the PCO is that the knowledge of London in a cab is vastly different than on a bike, and that there are some roads and junctions you stay away from even though they are in your head. Cambridge Circus is a classic example of this where the stretch from Holborn to Charing cross rd is often very slow and the "Practical Knowledge" has to kick in, find a quicker, but slightly wider route to get you where you need to be, road closures often play havoc with your chosen route. There is a certain cabby etiquette that you should try and adhere to, and in general most cabbies seem to stick to this, but I have seen instances where cabbies consider it a free for all. In Canary Wharf on South Colonade / Cabot sq cab rank there is a front and waiting (rear) rank, when the front one empties, the back rank moves forward, but the cabbies on the rear rank are supposed to ask customers to go to the front rank, sometimes this happens - others it does not. Towards Christmas it did seem that everyone was a little stressed out including cabbies, Again in Canary Wharf, around 6pm most of the ranks were full, and some cabs were parked up along the street, as I have moved along South Colonade, someone stuck their arm out, I've pulled over and I am about 40 meters from the back of a rank, all of a sudden a cabbie who had been parked up, pulled up next to me and started to abuse me, saying I had nicked his customer and where was my conscience. As far as I was concerned, he was parked up, and I could not see his light on! the customer got in slightly bemused and did suggest that he was glad he had not got in that cab. This was an exception though, and generally cabbies have been polite, and looking back I still feel I was in the right. I have also had my first person "Sick" in the back of the cab, a young lad got in at Liverpool street and asked for Muswell hill, You can often smell if people have been drinking, and he smelt fine. approx 10 mins into the journey I could see that he was sleeping in the back and was rolling around a little, next thing I knew, I could smell something in the back - he had been sick all down himself and on the seat and floor. I had to stop two further times on the journey as he hurled on the roadside. On arrival at his destination, he paid an extra £40 and I had to go home. I had to clean the cab out and in the morning the back of the cab still stank, But this was the day I had arranged to take the cab back and swap garages, so I drove to the garage with the windows open and got rid of the cab as soon as possible (after spraying plenty of air freshener around). I do keep the "twat nav" in the cab and often see cabbies with them on all the time, the only use I have found for it is when you get a suburb you do not know - ask them their postcode - especially if they have had a drink, the customer can sit back (or sleep) you know the general direction you need to go, but when they wake up and they are outside their house, the customer is more than happy, and you can get back quickly. There is still a lot I don't know - how do I put the extra's on at new years eve? - there is stuff the garages think you know, they assume you are an experienced driver. I have been out following Christmas, and although not mad, it was busy enough, I have been advised not to work new years eve as it is hard work with all the closed roads, I will be out again the first week in January. I am renting a cab and have found this to work for me, I have taken a cheap Fairway and found a little garage off Three Colts lane, but have broken down three times so far, the worse one was on a Friday night in Great Marlborough St, and sitting there for an hour while the breakdown service turned up was a little frustrating (and expensive, not earning) What about points remember all those worthless points we spent years learning, thinking I will never be asked them - Well they do crop up. Hotels and stations are of course quite common and remembering all the entrances and set downs can be a bit nerve racking. During the day the trade is different, quite often you will be asked to go to a specific house number on a street, now you know the way in and out of a street and the side roads, but when asked a house number on a one way street, and you are trying to keep to the shortest route - that's a challenge, but I have found that if you talk to the customer, In general they are quite happy to help, although I did have a customer who wanted an address on Eaton Square, and was not going to help me by staying on the phone all the time. While a bit of the gloss has gone off the job now that I have done four months, I am still enjoying it, i have not become one of those cabbies who constantly moan about the state of the trade (although the first week in Jan has been very quiet) I have not become one of those cabbies who spend their day / night in the back of a parked up cab, or in a restaurant during the early evening, I can understand how someone who gets their badge suddenly finds that this was not the job that they imagined - Sitting in a cab in a traffic jam, with no one in the back of your cab not being able to earn money is no fun. I will update this page on occasions.