I've been in more cabs in the past year than I've been my entire life. I guess that's what happens when one works the night shift.
Some of them have the unmistakable scent of a smoker. Others smell of stale perspiration or cheap air fresheners, or an amalgamation of the two. Then, there was one that smelt like a Starbucks.
Some drivers are chatty. Others like to sing-along to songs on the radio. Then, there are those who are completely silent, except when they snort/sniff/cough with regular frequency. I don't like to be trapped in one of those.
I also don't like those that have the info-adver-tainment panel in the backseat , just like I don't like the mobile televisions inside buses. The good news is that the ones in the cabs can be turned off. One chatty driver told me they were installed for free, but the installation took half a day. His grouse - the compensation for the lost time was a measly amount ($20? $50? I forget).
Sometimes, when the stand is empty, people go to the main road to hail one. This requires a walk along a dark street lined by big gated houses. One of these contains a dog that scares the shit out of unsuspecting passers-by in the night-time. It was at it again last night, and I still have no idea what it looks like.
Hailed a yellow cab the night before last. The driver turned down the music when I boarded - ah, a chatty one.
Mentioned it was Singapore Idol night. That set him off into a semi-monologue about the deplorable standards of local television offerings - the ones they used to churn out in the 80s were much better, he said, I can only rely on Hong Kong dramas now. I pointed out the popularity of the recent show involving people in kebayas. Apparently thhe ending wasn't good enough for him (where've I already heard that before?).
Another thing he's not a great fan of - passengers who won't talk to him. The arrogant ones - can't avoid them if I'm in a queue, he grumbles. But I'll avoid them if they're just flagging from the roadside, he added somewhat smugly. Just 5 seconds ago, he'd been grousing about how hard times are and the diminishing number of passengers.
Still, it appears more and more cabbies are on the roads. Last night featured a brand new blue cab. The driver, a balding white haired grandpa, hadn't even taken off the plastic covering the headrests. Gramps must be fairly new as well - he almost took a wrong turn, and following that, completely missed a turn altogether! Nights must indeed be dark if even grandpas are forced to ply the roads.
