Taxis. Taxi-drivers. I generally don't like them because they act as though they have the right to do anything they want, regardless of how much it inconveniences other road users. Of course, I say this from the point of view of someone who never uses taxis. I can't afford a cab.
However, last year I got to know (a little) a taxi-driver called Dzedek. He's Polish, and came to Australia about 20 years ago, I think. (Interesting aside: When he was staying at
Villawood Migrant Hostel after he arrived, a social worker-type advised him to spell his name
Jedek. "Australians won't be able to cope with
Dz sounding like
J", she said. So that's how he usually spells his name:
Jedek. I stick with the original.)
He used to work as an electrician, but finds taxi-driving suits him better. I got to know him because he was regularly waiting outside the
Shangri-La Hotel at about 04:15 when I ran past on my way to work. He would begin his shift at 04:00 and if he didn't have a booked fare, he wait at the cab rank for the wealthy
Shangri-La customers to emerge, looking for a taxi...to the airport most of the time, I guess. He would often be out of the cab, doing some exercises or just walking around. He's a lovely man and has forced me to re-think (or actually do
some thinking) about my judgmental and unjustified attitude towards taxi drivers.
[Taxis waiting, and obstructing the road...not Dzedek's cab though]However, he hasn't been there for about 2 months and I was worried that he might be sick.
But he's not sick; this morning I saw him!
He was driving
past the
Shangri-La as I was running past. We shook hands and exchanged greetings like old friends. It turned out that he's been just waiting elsewhere for customers or driving around seeking them out. Probably the economic downturn has meant there are less tourists catching taxis and staying at expensive hotels. He says he won't wait at the
Shangri-La if there's already two taxis in the rank, so he was on his way to cruise around
the Rocks, looking for potential clients on their way home.