type a type b

I have this running list of "two types of people" with a regular passenger. For example, people that let their dogs sleep in their bed with them, and those that are horrifed at the mere suggestion. "I think they let the dog sleep on the bed with them" they'll say in hushed tones.

As passengers, I realized last night there are two types of direction givers. The micro-managers, and the bottom liners. The Micro managers will give directions to such a small degree, I often have to interupt and just ask the end address. "Well, you go down main street, take a left on North Mount Tabor, and take a left in the K-mart parking lot" "So you want to go to K-Mart" "Yes, the garden center it is on the left side of the building, it has its own entrance". The other has such an inflated sense of self, as well as innate trust in cabbies internal GPS system, they will just announce their desitination, no matter how obscure. "I want to go to Subdivision, generica" "you now, by McDonald's" "on New Circle Road" That particular road is a 20 mile circle around the urban part of the county, with no less than 5 McDonalds within sight of it.

Somne times people seem incapable of telling me their address. They start to give directions. "Take a left". or "Just go forward, I'll tell you where to go". I hate that. My second night I had a guy say he needed to "just go down south broadway". At the edge of town South Broadway changes name and becomes a destination name road. His true destination was not on the broadway part of the road at all, but outside the county line. That started my destinartion demand at the beginning of each call.

Some people treat cabs like their own personal calf path, or wandering jew. They'll say "I just need to go to Wallgreen's. There, they announce they want me to wait for them while the shop, then bring up where they want to get food, then a return trip home. Sometimes I stack calls up. This means, if someone calls me when I am on the way to Wallgreen's, I will assume it is a one way to Wallgreen's and estimate my new pick up time for the second call.

People in the town rarely know how to hail a cab. Some just say "hey" or "wait!". I am kind of a stinker abotu it. I do not need the money as bad as some drivers, so I only respond to visible waves, or "Taxi!", a whistle, or human speed bumps.