I take the cab to work quite frequently, and the first thing I ask when I get in the car is for the driver to turn off the music / radio that they almost universally have playing behind the backseat. It is usually some FM channel that is playing some scratchy music.
All drivers have complied so far, and while most dont seem to mind, some have given me dirty looks and a shrug as if to say, “what a nutcase, does not like the music I like.”
One fellow argued with me, telling me if I was really polite, I wouldn’t be making such requests, and I shouldn’t be. I apologized and said he could continue playing his stereo, and he says I didnt really mean the apology. When I asked him if he had guidelines given by his company on such things, he did not answer, though he complied with my request and sulked all the way to my dropoff.
The reason I always make this request is I use the ride to read or sometimes just get some quiet time. But apparently some drivers live on loud music these days and cannot survive without their stereo for any length of time. Or maybe these dudes are sleepy and overworked and need the music to stay awake and on the road.
So, do cab drivers all really need a vacation, or is it a real inconvenience for them to be cut off their beloved music / news / weather for the 25 minutes it takes to haul me to office? Do cab companies have guidelines or rules around such requests?
In Chicago, city regulations state that cab drivers are required to honor their passengers’ requests to turn down (or turn off) the radio. They might get grumpy about it, but it’s still the rule.
Here in NYC, it’s in writing in the cab that the passenger can absolutely request the music turned off. They call it the “Passengers Bill of Rights,” which I personally find a little dramatic, but whatever.
In reality, it’s extremely rare I will ask the driver to turn off the radio (I can’t remember a time asking to turn it off, I recall a few times asking to have the volume turned down). In the scheme of things, I am not in the cab for that long a time, and the driver is doing this all day - dealing with the hassles of traffic. If the radio is making his workday more pleasant, it’s not that big a deal to me.
I don’t think it has really ever occured to me to request the music be turned down/off in a cab. I’ve been in some where I wish I could have requested Febreeze, but that’s beside the point.
I don’t ride in cabs often since I don’t travel on business anymore, but how is this not analogous to music playing over the PA in a store or restaurant?
The request is not rude as long as it is phrased politely. Get yourself a set of earbuds or headphones, put them on, block out the world and save yourself a lot of grief.
I don’t take cabs often, but what bothers me about them isn’t the music so much as the fact that some of them think it’s okay and legal to talk on their cell phones while driving.
No, and I’ll tell you why. Many years ago I drove a taxi and at that time business was not very good. I drove from 5PM to 5AM, spent 12 hours a day 6 days a week in the car and I was lucky to make 2 dollars an hour. Now you might be a pleasant customer, but you would not believe the bullshit that I have had to put up with the rest of the night. I could probably write a book of the things I saw. We drove garbage cars, bald tires, little or no heat, faulty brakes etc… People trying to get out of paying you, threatening violence, throwing up, pulling knives, passing out, falling down, having babies, jesus I could go on and on. So if someone got in the car and asked me turn the music down or put up my window, it was generally NO. I have to be there for twelve hours you have ten minutes max, there was always the option of walking. At the time the rate was three dollars anywhere in town and I got 35% of that, not a job for the weak of heart for that kind of money. Oh how I wanted to show up at their work and act the way they did at my workplace, the only thing stopping me was I would be thrown in jail. I did this off and on for 13 years, and as bad as it sounds it was truly one of my favorite jobs of all time. I learned more about life in those years than most people do in a lifetime. To make things worse, or better, we were bootleggers. Most of the guys I worked with are still there all these years later and we are all still like family. When people talk about soldiers being brothers and having each others back, this was the only place that I have worked in my life that I have felt this way. It was so tight that drivers from rival companies would stop and help if you were in trouble, be it a flat tire or a brawl. Good Times!!!
So yeah, keep that in mind the next time you encounter a cranky driver.
Of course it’s OK to tell a cabbie to turn off the music, or turn it down, or roll the windows up/down, turn the heat/ac on of off, or to take the specific route you request.
As far as I’m concerned, blatant refusal to do any of these upon my polite request results in me getting out. Around here, there’s another cab right behind this one.
Also, in all the years I’ve been using cabs, none of the above has ever been an issue. Once, a driver took the wrong ramp onto LSD, going the wrong way, and had to go to the next exit to turn around. I simply told him to turn the meter off until we were back to the original spot, no big deal in the long run.
Me: Please switch off the radio.
Driver: No. Been through hell last night.
Me: Please switch on the AC.
Driver: No. This clunker drinks gas like water with that thing on (points to AC).
Me: Why is the ride bone jarring?
Driver: Blew the tires last night.
Me: Why are we weaving in and out at high speed?
Driver: Brakes aint what they used to be.
Me: Please down the windows.
Driver: No, you might throw up.
Me: Please open the windows.
Driver: No, you might jump out before you pay me.
Me: Why is this car stinking?
Driver: I’ll ask Jeff, the garbage-hauler.
Me: Take this route over that one.
Driver: Is that a threat?
Me: Had a good weekend?
Driver: Yep, bootlegged stuff, got into a brawl, my fellow cabbies threw a few punches on my behalf. Fun stuff. Felt like I was in the army or something.
I thought cabbies had an attitude… wrong, they were just dealing with life.
Yeah, seriously. I’ve never asked a cabbie to turn down his music, but I would expect him (or her) to honor my polite request if asked. I don’t give a shit what kind of day you’ve had–nobody cares what kind of day I’ve had when I’m working–just shut up and do a professional job.
