Taxi.....Taxi......

Ok so its lashing rain, I’ve just missed the train and I’m left with no alternative but to hail down a taxi, important meeting in 20 minutes, destination 12 minutes away so I should have 8 minutes to spare. it’s the middle of a main route in Dublin, and I’m on high alert looking to flag down a taxi, 3 minutes later I’ve not seen any - typical I think, panic coinciding with rage as I reflect how there are 25,000 taxis in this county yet I cant get even one when I need it.
Finally, I see what looks to be a taxi but it’s the Gardai, I stop myself from beckoning them unless it was to ask them where all the illegal drivers were when I needed them since the deregulation of the taxi licence, however this not a debate I want to get into whilst  time is ticking and surely they’ve not suddenly started to put their foot down on this, I mean what had stopped them before or was I just very unlucky.

Then, I see a taxi, a real one I beckon and he just drives on, at this stage I start to wonder, lose fate in humanity and feel like a volcano about to erupt , then I see another taxi but its full, I look at my watch 10 minutes have passed so I’m officially late, how wonderful! Deep breaths need to be taken at this stage upon realisation that the damage has been done, I make a phone call to inform my people of my whereabouts whilst trying to remain calm.

Then, out of the blue I see a taxi I beckon it stops, amazing! Filled with the usual small talk at least I know he is a legit taxi driver not like the other night a non national who bragged  that he had only been driving a week and hadn’t a clue where he was going, he seemed to be more interested in my marital status than keeping his eye on said profession.
A taxi man will never make a millionaire in this day and age maybe once upon a time when taxis were not that common but not today he will spend half his shift sitting idle in a queue where he makes no money , then there’s the juice and the licence fee and all the illegal’s to contend  with no wonder most of them are fed up and cranky old men. Maybe if they cheered up they’d be worthy of a tip but then you don’t really get much change back off them either though do you.

Its always the same though, next time an icy blizzard hits an I’m shivering with  hypothermia, I can guarantee you  I will get pneumonia before I get a taxi or just a simple running late for a meeting I will be late before I get a taxi, its inevitable, then when I don’t want a taxi they will be everywhere thousands of them dying for my custom, this is typical of Dublin a city with more taxis and less policing than the Big Apple.