I effing hate cabby's. Well, not all cabby's, but particularly ones that try to hustle me.
I've been a Washingtonian long enough to call myself one. And tonight, the cab I took home tried to hustle me. ME. A non-tourist, honest to goodness, flesh and blood, chocolate drop in the chocolate city. I don't think I have ever been so (semi-irrationally) angry before in my life.
At one point I notice the driver is about to miss one of the turns to get me home. I tell him, "You need to take a right,
here at the light." He said, "I prefer to take 1st." I say, "OK." I realize then, that he's trying to take 1st street in order to cross zones to charge me more. (In DC cabs aren't metered, but the city's divided into zones. Cabby's get more money the more zones they cross). What the cabby doesn't realize is that that he'll have to stay within one zone because of construction (foiling his plan). I know this, so I don't protest.We get to the "construction intersection of truth," and I notice that the cabby has turned on his left blinker. We both know he should have on his right blinker. You see, Mr. Cabby sees the construction, blocking his attempt to hustle me. And rather take the shortest route possible, he wants to drive around the construction 5 blocks to get a measly two extra dollars out of me.
I become livid. So much so, that in my outside voice I said, "TAKE THE RIGHT!!!" I say this while hitting the seat in front of me so hard my hand was stinging. He listens and makes the right. I pay him, even tipping him (albeit not much). And I slam the door.
As the cab driver pulls away, I realize I'm grinding my teeth. I couldn't understand why someone would think, for one second, that it is OK to take advantage of another human being. Not only that, but to be so obvious and simultaneously stupid about it.
What a douche monkey.
1 comment:
Cabbies are obnoxious, like pigeons. Just ask Kurt.
Though I do appreciate them when biking. They don't do the "improv shuffle" when we both hit four-way stop. I blow through the sign, then he blows through the sign. And all is well.
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