# Is this London Taxi Driver story an Urban Legend? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 4, 2016, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028 "2016-09-04T16:46:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/1 "2016-09-04T16:46:55Z")
In the comments sections of many UK news sites, I often see a version of this story: London cab driver’s answer to a request from a Muslim to turn off the radio. (You just got to love the Brits.) A devout Arab Muslim entered a black cab in London. He curtly asked the cabbie to turn off the radio because as decreed by his religious teaching, he must not listen to music because in the time of the prophet there was no music, especially Western music which is the music of the infidel. The cab driver politely switched off the radio, stopped the cab and opened the door. The Arab Muslim asked him, “What are you doing?” The cabbie answered, “In the time of the prophet there were no taxis, so piss off and wait for a camel…” This screams urban legend to me, but I didn’t see anything on Snopes (although their new website is awful) and I couldn’t find anything by googling. Googling did show several other London cab driver vs Muslim stories which have been in circulation over the years. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/2 "2016-09-04T16:51:45Z")
I Googled the “punchline” and all that came up were either joke sites or less than reputable right-wing(based on the site name) sites. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/3 "2016-09-04T16:54:15Z")
I also can’t confirm that it actually happened. It seems to be a British joke or meme that’s been passed around for quite a while. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/4 "2016-09-04T16:55:53Z")
Sounds like an urban legend to me. From the [London Black Cab](http://www.londonblackcab.com/ourtaxis.htm) website: > [@](#): > > When may a driver refuse a fare? > > The driver is not obliged to stop when flagged down, but if he does he must accept the fare unless it is over 6 miles in distance or finishes beyond the boundaries of the licensing area. If the taxi is waiting on a rank or at a stand, he or she must take the fare (unless there is a reasonable reason not to - whatever reasonable may mean). IME a black cab wouldn’t have the radio on anyway ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/5 "2016-09-04T17:42:41Z")
It may be an urban legend in that specific case but I can easily believe the general idea happened at least once. A similar thing happened to a Lyft driver in the U.S. a few months ago. An insane SJW insisted that a driver take down a dashboard hula doll because it offended her “beliefs”. The driver refused and then left her beside the road. The video documentation was taken by the passenger and completely backfired because almost everyone took the driver’s side. It is easy to see why when you watch the video. > **[Hilarious: SJW Flips Out on Lyft Driver... Over Hawaiian Doll?](https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/sjw-flips-hawaiian-doll)** > > Ever see those ridiculous parodies of social justice warriors? They're actually pretty accurate. The following video is a testament to that. The lighting is a little rough, but a Lyft driver apparently had a Hawaiian doll in his car that a passenger... ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/6 "2016-09-04T18:18:13Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Sounds like an urban legend to me. From the [London Black Cab](http://www.londonblackcab.com/ourtaxis.htm) website: > > IME a black cab wouldn’t have the radio on anyway That makes sense, I’ve never been in a London cab, but I’ve been in cabs in Liverpool and Manchester and certainly don’t remember music playing. I have been in a cab in Las Vegas where the driver had some right wing radio talk station on, but I was too tired and hungover to say anything. ---
**Author:** ![ToughLife](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@ToughLife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToughLife)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/7 "2016-09-04T19:02:56Z")
I read the title as: Is this London Taxi Driver story an **Uber** Legend ? that would make sense 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/8 "2016-09-04T22:42:20Z")
I have a story. Back in the 70s I gave up smoking and like many ex smokers became hyper-sensitive to cigarette smoke. I phoned for a taxi one afternoon and after about a mile, the driver took out a fag. I asked him politely to wait until he had dropped me off and got a mouthful of abuse - he then stopped and ordered me to get out. The whole journey would have been around three miles and we must have covered two thirds of that. I walked the rest and considered that I was happy with the free ride. I was never able to comprehend why a working taxi driver would give up a fare to avoid delaying a smoke for a few minutes. I am not a Muslim. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/9 "2016-09-04T22:48:11Z")
I wouldn’t even call it an urban legend. It’s a straight joke with setup and punchline. I think in time we will recognize the phrase “a Muslim…” As equivalent to “an Irishman, Englishman, and Australian…” ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/10 "2016-09-04T22:52:26Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > I have a story. > > Back in the 70s I gave up smoking and like many ex smokers became hyper-sensitive to cigarette smoke. > > I phoned for a taxi one afternoon and after about a mile, the driver took out a fag. I asked him politely to wait until he had dropped me off and got a mouthful of abuse - he then stopped and ordered me to get out. > > The whole journey would have been around three miles and we must have covered two thirds of that. I walked the rest and considered that I was happy with the free ride. I was never able to comprehend why a working taxi driver would give up a fare to avoid delaying a smoke for a few minutes. > > I am not a Muslim. I thought the punchline would be that he was smoking a Camel. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/11 "2016-09-04T22:58:52Z")
Oops, posted too quickly. A punchline of “I told him to piss off and wait to smoke his Camel” would have been better. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/12 "2016-09-05T10:08:17Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Oops, posted too quickly. > > A punchline of “I told him to piss off and wait to smoke his Camel” would have been better. Was more likely to be a Woodbine…🙂 In fact I was so astonished that I was on the kerb and he was driving off before I could think of anything to say - let alone a witty quip. ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/13 "2016-09-05T11:45:31Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Was more likely to be a Woodbine…🙂 > > In fact I was so astonished that I was on the kerb and he was driving off before I could think of anything to say - let alone a witty quip. Le esprit du minaret? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/14 "2016-09-05T12:23:16Z")
The premise of the story is stupid anyway. It’s true that some devout Muslims don’t like to listen to music at some specific times, but it has nothing to do with “there wasn’t any music back then”. For one thing, there obviously _was_ (every damn culture has music) ; for another it’s just like the Jews and shabbos. The reason Jews don’t watch TV on shabbos isn’t that there wasn’t TV in the time of Moses, but that there is a time for frivolous entertainment and shabbos isn’t it. You’re supposed to use that time to pray, reflect, meditate and so forth. So, TLDR dumb islamophobic “joke” is dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/15 "2016-09-05T14:47:24Z")
A wounded American soldier was just released from convalescing in a London hospital. He had been seriously wounded in an IED attack, losing an ear, a leg, and both arms. Before being shipped back to the States, he decides to go sight-seeing. He whistles over a London Black Cab: the cabbie takes one look at the soldier, and says… " 'Ere, you look 'armess, 'op in!" ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/16 "2016-09-05T15:33:01Z")
Being bored I tried to see if I could see how old the joke is. I certainly has a familiar ring to it, and I suspected it is a variant on a reasonably well known template. Earliest I could come up with was 2012 - and set in Jamaica, not London, and told with a Jamaican accent. The music bit would make more sense in such a setting. As noted above - London Black Cabs don’t have the radio playing anyway. Seems we have a while before Multivac figures the source out. So nothing to worry about yet. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-london-taxi-driver-story-an-urban-legend/765028/17 "2016-09-05T19:19:15Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > it’s just like the Jews and shabbos. The reason Jews don’t watch TV on shabbos isn’t that there wasn’t TV in the time of Moses, but that there is a time for frivolous entertainment and shabbos isn’t it. You’re supposed to use that time to pray, reflect, meditate and so forth. I have to disagree. The reason we don’t watch tv on the sabbath is that it would violate the ban on doing work. Turning on anything electrical is forbidden (except of course when life is at stake). As far as reflect and mediating, yes during services. I’ve heard of no prohibition against frivolous entertainment. The sabbath is supposed to be a time of joy.