"Special" Customer -- As In "Special Ed"...

"Special" (as in Special Ed) Customer from last night... (Keep in mind, taxi meter rates are not regulated by price here, they are only regulated by mileage increment, meaning we can only charge in 1/6 mile increments, but each company is free to set the price as they see fit. When your overall mile costs $0.50 and you run 3-4 unpaid miles for every paid mile, costing $2.00-$2.50 per paid mile, you can't make money charging $2.40 and $2.70 like you could when fuel was $1.00 per gallon.) Fare runs $21.00. Guy comes out with a $20 bill and says, "Well, I've got a $20, I take cabs all the time and it's never been over $16." To which I reply, "Well, sir, I'm going to be cool with you, and I'm not threatening or arguing with you. But you should know that if you don't pay a taxi fare in full, you are in violation of two felony charges, one on the state code, and the other on the city ordinance. It's called defrauding a business. I'm not going to call the cops on you for $1.20, but I want to make sure you know that, because some drivers will." When he tried to make a federal case of it, I told him that the two companies in Charlottesville are still running rates that are 17 years old, and that fuel has tripled since then. "Oh, I know you guys are struggling," he said. "Well, apparently you don't, or you wouldn't be trying to negotiate a metered price, sir," I said. I then pointed out that he didn't pay the same price for a beer at every bar he went to, either. "Yes, I do," he said, to which I replied, "Sir, I had my days of drinking. I know better. But to make my point, you're taking higher education to make better money, right?" He nods, not sure where I am going with this. "So if you were running your own business, would you want someone coming up on your job and telling you what THEY think you should be paid?" He said, "I guess not." "Neither do I, sir," I said. "Have a nice night."