Are People Just Stuck On "Stupid" In This Town?

The incident in last night's blog made me think of another idiot that DID directly affect me.First in line (we run a rotation -- first car in, first car out) at the airport, this woman comes out with her husband and wants to go to a hotel about 4-5 miles away.

Now, my meter rate is $3.90 per mile after about a mile, but because of the fact that a driver usually waits 3-6 hours at the airport here for a fare, we are allowed to charge a minimum flat-rate on short trips that are less than the minimum. This is to insure that our time is made worthwhile. The rates are not regulated, as discussed earlier, and neither is the minimum.

So when I told her that my minimum was $20.00 (at the time, it is now $25.00), she sprang this crap of "Well, this is the last plane, and some fare is better than no fare." What the hell has this being the last plane got to do with anything? I've still been sitting here for 5 hours!!!

I just looked at her and said, "Lady, is that what your employer tells you if they short your paycheck?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly that, ma'am. This is my paycheck, and you are trying to short my paycheck."Her husband just wanted to go, so they got in the car, after one last "This is highway robbery," from her.

Now, I would like to point out that at no point did I tell this lady or her husband that they HAD to take MY cab. I actually had a rather nice conversation with the husband on the way to the hotel, and when we got there, guess what......They only PARKED at the hotel, they weren't actually staying there. They parked at the hotel to avoid paying parking fees at the local airport (which have been documented to be lower than most other airports).

So basically, this woman was trying to get out of paying parking fees and trying to get out of paying a cab driver. You can't have it both ways, lady. There's no such thing as a free lunch, or a free ride. Get over it, life is hard.

I might also add that I loaded their bags from my taxi into their car. That's what you get in my taxi. Granted, you pay me more, but you're getting service for your money. The husband actually tipped me a few bucks over the minimum charge, which in my case wasn't necessary, (I make money on the fare, where other drivers are relying on tips) but always appreciated.

But I stick to my guns. Beam me up, Scotty. There's no intelligent life here.