It's been a weird couple of weeks. I am severely winding down at my job got no enthusiasm for it at all. Thankfully they have found a replacement for me who starts on the 13th July. Starting to become a reality now not long to go.
Anyway have rented a cab for the week , got a week off, of Wimbledon amongst other things. Unfortunately I ordered a Fairway taxi, which is a good cab, before realising the weather was going to be hot. Fairway taxis are winter taxis end of. They have no air con and within a couple of hours you are sweating like hell, well I am anyway.
Decided to try my luck down at Wimbledon tennis as it is local to where I live. I sort of got myself organised by asking on the LTDF forum what's the protocol down there just to make sure I don't go upsetting some cabbie. Not that some of them need an excuse to moan but you know what I mean. Anyway got my tips and tricks and headed over there about 7.30pm. As I approached it was evident it was busy. Ranked up for 10 minutes realised it was going nowhere fast, and not being the most patient of men, I thought sod it I'll head into London. On the way to Southfields and beyond got hailed by a fella in a suit, thought it would be promising, and lo and behold he wants to go to Lords Cricket Ground VIA North Audley St. Now I know why Mr Thomas and Mr Dixon at the carriage asked the runs on appearances the did BECAUSE you get asked them in real life.
After dropping the fella ,in Ordnance Hill in the end, I was immediately hailed by 2 fellas, and their children, who'd just been to the cricket and they wanted to go to Crouch End. A quick funny (ish) story a good pal of mine has been a cabbie for about 2 years now and when I saw him a few weeks ago we got talking about cabbying etc and most striking thing he said, which is very poignant now, "after all that blood knowledge stuff I have never been to or anywhere near Crouch End in the 2 years I've been out". Can't wait to see him next week to tell him I've been there 3 bloody times now in just over a month.
I never got anywhere near the west end after that. Highlight job of the night Kings Cross Station to Kew and Raynes Park.
Back out tonight Saturday 27th June but it is a warm old night need to find pants with air conditioning :-)
Oh yeah whilst I remember one of the cabbies I talk with on Twitter is in process of sorting out a booking a taxi service on Twitter - - - www.twitter.com/tweetalondoncab - go and have a look.
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Got my wingman with me now
It's a funny way of putting it I know but my COP, call over partner from the knowledge, has finally passed his knowledge and got his badge to become a Licenced London Taxi Driver. So in a joking sort of way I said it to my wife he other night I got my wing man back , a la Top Gun, and she just looked at me like I was some sort of nut job.
BUT me and Graham have done the knowledge basically from the beginning and seen each other for like 4 to 5 days a week for 3 and a half years so I think I am perfectly justified in calling him my wing man, OK it is a bit mad but so what.
Friday 12th June we got ourselves a cab each, about 5.30pm, and off we went. I said to him "you go in front and hopefully you'll get a local job to give away for free and then you are off and running". Lo and behold we just get past Morden and there was a bus broken down on Morden Road and I spotted a likely passenger standing at the back. Sure enough up his arm went and I thought go on my son get in there. As he did my COP was indicating to go round the bus and subsequently never saw this fella put his hand up so I pulled in to pick him up. He only wanted to go to Wimbledon station so nice little job to start the night.
Immediately my phone rang and it was Graham asking me to apologise to my passenger and explain that he was looking in his mirror to pull out when he flagged him and he never saw him.
Anyway I'm rambling. Oh that's the point isn't it. T'was a eventful night anyway broke down about 9.30 near Sloane Square due to a faulty fuel cut off switch and RAC told me it would be at least an hour so I got into the back of the cab and got my head down. Thankfully he repaired the fault and had me back on the road in no time so I could get out there. Before that I had at least 5 of my fellow cabbies stop and ask if they could help out and I think that just goes to show the great camaraderie amongst us that they would do that for someone they don't know. Not many other walks of life you could imagine that happening.
Have decided to make the roadworks of London my mission at the moment. The ones you see all over Central London with no bugger working on them. Have posted a couple of such ones on the LTDF website, http://londontaxi.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=taxistreets&thread=1536&page=1#20836 , and will continue to do so in my one man crusade against this other blight to taxi drivers in London.
COUNTDOWN TO MY NEW JOB 44 DAYS
Don't forget you can follow me on twitter as well www.twitter.com/martcafc
BUT me and Graham have done the knowledge basically from the beginning and seen each other for like 4 to 5 days a week for 3 and a half years so I think I am perfectly justified in calling him my wing man, OK it is a bit mad but so what.
Friday 12th June we got ourselves a cab each, about 5.30pm, and off we went. I said to him "you go in front and hopefully you'll get a local job to give away for free and then you are off and running". Lo and behold we just get past Morden and there was a bus broken down on Morden Road and I spotted a likely passenger standing at the back. Sure enough up his arm went and I thought go on my son get in there. As he did my COP was indicating to go round the bus and subsequently never saw this fella put his hand up so I pulled in to pick him up. He only wanted to go to Wimbledon station so nice little job to start the night.
Immediately my phone rang and it was Graham asking me to apologise to my passenger and explain that he was looking in his mirror to pull out when he flagged him and he never saw him.
Anyway I'm rambling. Oh that's the point isn't it. T'was a eventful night anyway broke down about 9.30 near Sloane Square due to a faulty fuel cut off switch and RAC told me it would be at least an hour so I got into the back of the cab and got my head down. Thankfully he repaired the fault and had me back on the road in no time so I could get out there. Before that I had at least 5 of my fellow cabbies stop and ask if they could help out and I think that just goes to show the great camaraderie amongst us that they would do that for someone they don't know. Not many other walks of life you could imagine that happening.
Have decided to make the roadworks of London my mission at the moment. The ones you see all over Central London with no bugger working on them. Have posted a couple of such ones on the LTDF website, http://londontaxi.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=taxistreets&thread=1536&page=1#20836 , and will continue to do so in my one man crusade against this other blight to taxi drivers in London.
COUNTDOWN TO MY NEW JOB 44 DAYS
Don't forget you can follow me on twitter as well www.twitter.com/martcafc
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Well I have done it
As I have mentioned before I am still working as a Facilities Manager for a law firm in Holborn and was dipping my toe in the water of the Taxi trade.
Well having dipped my toe the water was warm and I liked it enough to hand in my notice to leave and become a full time Licensed London Taxi Driver. Got to say it was one of my most nerve wracking moments going but I did and now there's no turning back , even though my boss asked me to change my mind today.
My last day in the office will be the 31st July and then it will be onwards and upwards and freedom freedom freedom. Can't wait.
Never thought I'd see the day, especially not, when in August 2005 I sat outside Manor House tube station and looked at my work sheet and thought where is Green Lanes , how the hell am I going to remember these runs.
Well 12th June is my next foray out into the metropolis of London in a Taxi but this time I will be out there with my wing man Graham. Graham is my COP, call over partner, who I started the knowledge with in 2005. We'd never met before but had one thing in common and that was wanting to become a London cabbie. Graham is due up for his badge on Thursday and I am as excited for him as I was when I got mine so good luck to him.
Remember if it's a tout stay out.
Well having dipped my toe the water was warm and I liked it enough to hand in my notice to leave and become a full time Licensed London Taxi Driver. Got to say it was one of my most nerve wracking moments going but I did and now there's no turning back , even though my boss asked me to change my mind today.
My last day in the office will be the 31st July and then it will be onwards and upwards and freedom freedom freedom. Can't wait.
Never thought I'd see the day, especially not, when in August 2005 I sat outside Manor House tube station and looked at my work sheet and thought where is Green Lanes , how the hell am I going to remember these runs.
Well 12th June is my next foray out into the metropolis of London in a Taxi but this time I will be out there with my wing man Graham. Graham is my COP, call over partner, who I started the knowledge with in 2005. We'd never met before but had one thing in common and that was wanting to become a London cabbie. Graham is due up for his badge on Thursday and I am as excited for him as I was when I got mine so good luck to him.
Remember if it's a tout stay out.
Thursday, 4 June 2009
It's getting serious now
Well I finally got confirmation today that handing my notice in at my day job, 6 weeks early, is going to be ok and will have no silly business. Having a friend in HR works wonders sometimes. Intend the 31st July to be my last day.
So Monday 8th June is going to be the momentous day and one I thought I wouldn't get here after 3 and 1/2 yeas on the knowledge. I've already written my letter out and will just need to date it and go for it Monday. Having been at the company for 15 years it's going to be a weird few weeks.
Not been out in a cab since last Friday, obviously due to the above, but it was another very good night of work and very busy. Being pay day obviously helps in a big way but had a nice plethora of work and knew it was going to be a good day as within 5 minutes of starting work I picked up a job from Wood St in the City to City Airport. On the way my brother rang me and wanted to organise a night out I was having with him and my other brother and dad in celebration of passing the knowledge. As he works in Canary Wharf I said to him I'd pop by on the way back from Canary Wharf and we'd sort it then. As I got on the Wharf I was immediately hailed and asked to go to Picadilly Circus. Obviously turning jobs down to go and see my brother is not the done thing especially not a good one like that. More on the night out later but I called him, my brother, on the way to Piccadilly and sorted the details out.
Tried my luck at the usual haunts picked up a nice few jobs then fell foul of one of our shafting me. Ranked up at Zuma approx 9.30pm sat there for 10 minutes when a couple of cabs stopped by dropping punters off. The one in front then had 2 guys pop their head in the window, obviously asking for a cab, and expecting him to send them back to me was infuriated to see him get them in the back and was away before I could get down there. Hope they bilked you pal.
More later. Will post my events of Monday and the momentous handing in of my notice letter.
Don't forget to go to http://www.londontaxiforum.co.uk where cabbies get it off their chest.
Good luck and thanks for reading
So Monday 8th June is going to be the momentous day and one I thought I wouldn't get here after 3 and 1/2 yeas on the knowledge. I've already written my letter out and will just need to date it and go for it Monday. Having been at the company for 15 years it's going to be a weird few weeks.
Not been out in a cab since last Friday, obviously due to the above, but it was another very good night of work and very busy. Being pay day obviously helps in a big way but had a nice plethora of work and knew it was going to be a good day as within 5 minutes of starting work I picked up a job from Wood St in the City to City Airport. On the way my brother rang me and wanted to organise a night out I was having with him and my other brother and dad in celebration of passing the knowledge. As he works in Canary Wharf I said to him I'd pop by on the way back from Canary Wharf and we'd sort it then. As I got on the Wharf I was immediately hailed and asked to go to Picadilly Circus. Obviously turning jobs down to go and see my brother is not the done thing especially not a good one like that. More on the night out later but I called him, my brother, on the way to Piccadilly and sorted the details out.
Tried my luck at the usual haunts picked up a nice few jobs then fell foul of one of our shafting me. Ranked up at Zuma approx 9.30pm sat there for 10 minutes when a couple of cabs stopped by dropping punters off. The one in front then had 2 guys pop their head in the window, obviously asking for a cab, and expecting him to send them back to me was infuriated to see him get them in the back and was away before I could get down there. Hope they bilked you pal.
More later. Will post my events of Monday and the momentous handing in of my notice letter.
Don't forget to go to http://www.londontaxiforum.co.uk where cabbies get it off their chest.
Good luck and thanks for reading
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