Taxi driver banter
Jerome has taken enough cab rides to tell you that there are 3 types of cab drivers.
The first is the quiet, dutiful chauffeur who asks you where you’re headed, what road you want to take, and says thank you after you reach your destination. Silent but effective. Here’s a typical conversation:
“Where you going?”
“Er, Toa Payoh MRT station please.”
“Go by PIE or CTE?”
“Er, the one without the jam.”
“Both sure jam now one, but you can take this road then through that road, can miss ERP and jam one.”
“Roger. Let’s press on.”
“Thank you, $12.20 please, 20 cents no need la.”
“No la, need. You making a living, uncle.”
“It’s ok la young man.”
Mm… How nice. He calls me a young man. =P
The second is the interviewer who pries at your personal life and even go as much as ask how much you earn every month. Strangely, Jerome has been asked at least 4 times by different cab drivers to sign on when he boarded the vehicle in his uniform:
“Are you a regular?”
“Nope.”
“You intend to sign on?”
“Er, no?”
“Why not?”
“Er…”
“How much do you get as an NSF now?”
“Mm…”
“Sign on la, it’s not bad you know. My son is also in the Air Force!”
“Okay…”
Obviously Jerome is shy. (-_-)v
The third is an aspiring member of parliament who addresses the “Cab” with a tireless rant on how the government should not have lost a wanted man with 7 toilet rolls in 49 seconds. Or he will tell you that Bedok Reservoir is created after a bomb exploded and created a crater near his great grandaunt’s kampong where pigs were reared (this theory may actually have merit because, according to Wikipedia, the reservoir was originally a rock quarry! Goodness, what can you NOT find on Wikipedia man!!)
Yet sometimes, Jerome engages in hearty talks with cab drivers, esp. those who share their life stories with him. Interesting fellas whom Jerome has chatted with include graduates, teachers, a retired army major and a CDO NSman.
No doubt there has been recent flak on cab drivers, what with exorbitant 35% surcharges, the strange 1-day-old rule about illegal CBD stops, and insufficient change for a $50 note. However, Jerome thinks driving a cab all day is one tiring job. Imagine sitting down for 8hrs, negotiating heavy traffic, dealing with difficult passengers (“why you take long long way uncle?! I don’t want to pay you ah!”), and risking getting mugged by boisterous hooligans, or even molested by confused, and obviously desperate fellas.
Jerome pays his respect to these cab drivers, without whom many of us will be late, and without whom many of us will not know how Bedok Reservoir came about.
The first is the quiet, dutiful chauffeur who asks you where you’re headed, what road you want to take, and says thank you after you reach your destination. Silent but effective. Here’s a typical conversation:
“Where you going?”
“Er, Toa Payoh MRT station please.”
“Go by PIE or CTE?”
“Er, the one without the jam.”
“Both sure jam now one, but you can take this road then through that road, can miss ERP and jam one.”
“Roger. Let’s press on.”
“Thank you, $12.20 please, 20 cents no need la.”
“No la, need. You making a living, uncle.”
“It’s ok la young man.”
Mm… How nice. He calls me a young man. =P
The second is the interviewer who pries at your personal life and even go as much as ask how much you earn every month. Strangely, Jerome has been asked at least 4 times by different cab drivers to sign on when he boarded the vehicle in his uniform:
“Are you a regular?”
“Nope.”
“You intend to sign on?”
“Er, no?”
“Why not?”
“Er…”
“How much do you get as an NSF now?”
“Mm…”
“Sign on la, it’s not bad you know. My son is also in the Air Force!”
“Okay…”
Obviously Jerome is shy. (-_-)v
The third is an aspiring member of parliament who addresses the “Cab” with a tireless rant on how the government should not have lost a wanted man with 7 toilet rolls in 49 seconds. Or he will tell you that Bedok Reservoir is created after a bomb exploded and created a crater near his great grandaunt’s kampong where pigs were reared (this theory may actually have merit because, according to Wikipedia, the reservoir was originally a rock quarry! Goodness, what can you NOT find on Wikipedia man!!)
Yet sometimes, Jerome engages in hearty talks with cab drivers, esp. those who share their life stories with him. Interesting fellas whom Jerome has chatted with include graduates, teachers, a retired army major and a CDO NSman.
No doubt there has been recent flak on cab drivers, what with exorbitant 35% surcharges, the strange 1-day-old rule about illegal CBD stops, and insufficient change for a $50 note. However, Jerome thinks driving a cab all day is one tiring job. Imagine sitting down for 8hrs, negotiating heavy traffic, dealing with difficult passengers (“why you take long long way uncle?! I don’t want to pay you ah!”), and risking getting mugged by boisterous hooligans, or even molested by confused, and obviously desperate fellas.
Jerome pays his respect to these cab drivers, without whom many of us will be late, and without whom many of us will not know how Bedok Reservoir came about.
posted by Jerome at 9:00 PM
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