Lost Taxi drivers

The_Conductor · 17-07-2008 09:05AM #1

Hi,

Just wondering what people's opinions are of new breed of taxi drivers who seem to be errr- locationally challenged? I got a taxi 2 weeks ago from the airport and the driver seriously had no idea of where Lucan village is, or how to get there. At 11.30pm at night after a bloody long day- the last thing you need to do is try to double guess whether she knows where she is going? (In all fairness junction 7 and junction 8 on the M50 were both closed- but a trip to Lucan village from the airport will not normally involve Firhouse, Tallaght, The Belgard Road, Clondalkin, Adamstown, and finally around by the N4 from the Leixlip slip down into the village. Talk about epic.

I mentioned it to a colleague in here- she said that her taxi on Thursday had no idea how to get to Rathmines from the airport- as in, no idea whatsoever. He got into a rage when his satnav wouldn't work and got lost somewhere in D7.

I was going to ring the Taxi Regulator to ask whether taxi drivers here need to do a test, similar to the one cabbies in London have to do- but after exploring the taxi-regulator's website for a few minutes (www.taxiregulator.ie) I simply gave up.

In future- I'm bringing the car with me to the airport.........

pvt.joker · 17-07-2008 09:07AM

regurarly happens me. Taxi driver doesnt know how to get to Whitehall / Collins Avenue from city centre. End up directing them the whole way . Shambles of a system

kaimera · 17-07-2008 09:10AM

Don't pay.

Captain Ginger · 17-07-2008 09:11AM

Now a days they seem to rely too much on their GPS units for directions, as a result when that doesn't work they're screwed.

Sherifu · 17-07-2008 09:12AM

Don't they all have GPS yet?

godtabh · 17-07-2008 09:12AM

smccarrick wrote: »

In all fairness junction 7 and junction 8 on the M50 were both closed- but a trip to Lucan village from the airport will not normally involve Firhouse, Tallaght, The Belgard Road, Clondalkin, Adamstown, and finally around by the N4 from the Leixlip slip down into the village. Talk about epic.

QUOTE]

Thats brillant. Hope you didnt pay for that (I dont think you have to arent them meant to bring you on the most direct route?).

I was coming home from the airport to Leixlip not so long ago and had the same problem.

Taxi man didnt know where Leixlp was. Or Lucan. He know where the M50 was so at least he had that going for him

17-07-2008 09:16AM

I've noticed there's quite a few young taxi drivers around these days. There was one time the guy had a look at a map he had in his car to find out where we were going, had a look when the lights were red (and then stopped the meter when we were nearing the area to have another look). So I didn't mind him not knowing where we were going. Much prefer them asking you directions or asking you what would be the best way to go rather than them assuming one way which mightn't be quickest.

gabgab · 17-07-2008 09:18AM

Yeh its nonsense, if you go to London and look at the dudes legging it around on Honda fiddies with clipboards, its people doing the knowledge,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knowledge#The_Knowledge

These guys take it very seriously because thats what people expect. I had a row with a fella one night when I was 16 and drunkish,

He insisted I pay him the fare on the meter, I argued that he is meant to know where he is going not me, and we spent 15 minutes fluting around....... Hilarious craic when my dad came out to see what was going on, a drunken teenager having a fairly coherent conversation and putting some solid points together as to why I should'nt, the taxi man agreed, clearly down to my ability to reason and nothing to do with my massive dad looking well pissed at being woken up by this nonsense,

mikemac · 17-07-2008 09:20AM

smccarrick wrote: »

but a trip to Lucan village from the airport will not normally involve Firhouse, Tallaght, The Belgard Road, Clondalkin, Adamstown, and finally around by the N4 from the Leixlip slip down into the village. Talk about epic.
..

That’s quite a detour, I’d hate to know the figure on the meter at the end of the trip.

Maybe an advanced test could be introduced like The Knowledgein London.
I’m seeing loads of posts from “old-skool” drivers in Commuting forum stating that the new drivers are only in it for the easy weekend fares and they have little or no knowledge and zero standards.

A driver who passes this test can use a sticker and be proud of it.
But instead we have “I was at the Park Protest 2006!!” car stickers

stovelid · 17-07-2008 10:25AM

It's happened a few times now, so I usually suggest the route in a casual way.

If he did take me on a magical mystery tour, I wouldn't pay any more than the normal fare.

elmyra · 17-07-2008 10:49AM

Got a taxi from Rathmines over to Dundrum a few weeks ago. Got it off the rank across from the Spar beside the AIB ATM. It was about 10pm but very, very cautious driver took about ten minutes to nudge out into non-existant traffic and drove to Dundrum at, no joke, 20mph the whole way. I wonder can you say anything if it costs you more just cos they're a crap driver? It was distinctly odd.

JimiTime · 17-07-2008 11:01AM

My wife had friends over from London. I got woken up at 2AM by her asking to direct a taximan to clondalkin (she doesn't drive, and her sense of direction is awful:) ). I did it obviously, but ffs!

Last year i got into a Taxi at Parliament st and told him to take me to Ballyfermot. He said, 'Sorry mate, I'm going Raheny direction'. I promptly told him he wasn't driving a bus, and the fact that he had his light on and accepted me in his cab, he can take me where I tell him, thats how taxi's work afterall:). Needless to say, it was an awkward silence journey all the way:o There are defo 'some' real chancers in the taxi game. Don't understand why they don't have to do a knowledge test

Disco Stu · 17-07-2008 11:01AM

Only time I ended up in a taxi where the driver was lost, (had tried to take a shortcut through some housing estates at the top of blackrock and got totally lost!) he was sound about it, switched off the meter and just asked me how much i'd normally pay for the trip....

Occasionally get them trying to screw me coming from the airport cause i'm scottish and they think i'm a tourist and they start trying to go all over the place....

zAbbo · 17-07-2008 11:02AM

Got a taxi from Westmoreland St, to Spencer Dock, and the driver had no idea where he was going, it's a 10min journey! and it's right along the quays.

I only get in taxi's with pure bred dubs now, fair enough they might be racist but at least they know the roads.

zAbbo · 17-07-2008 11:07AM

Sherifu wrote: »

Don't they all have GPS yet?

Yeah they do, but even then some of them can't use them.

I remember getting a taxi from a hotel out in Stillorgan, I just asked the driver to take me to the nearest DART, he look a bit blank, and then asked me where it was!!!

I mean cmon now!

azezil · 17-07-2008 11:14AM

Disco Stu wrote: »

Only time I ended up in a taxi where the driver was lost, (had tried to take a shortcut through some housing estates at the top of blackrock and got totally lost!) he was sound about it, switched off the meter and just asked me how much i'd normally pay for the trip....(

lol, that same thing happened to me, I wasn't long living in Blackrock and didn't know how to direct him, eventually I told him I'd just get out, I knew I was close enough, I'd figure it out myself.

Other taxi's I've taken since then haven't even known how to get from the city center to Blackrock!! :eek:

dee8839 · 17-07-2008 11:19AM

The one crazy incident that comes to mind for me is when my two housemates and I, wearing heels that were killing us, decided to get a taxi from Stevens Green just near Kildare St up to Dakota on South William St (don't judge us). The taxi man brought us down to Fitzwilliam St and then proceeded to insist that this was, in fact, South William St. He was Eastern European and I'm fairly sure it was his first day. When we finally managed to convince him (by directing him to look at the street sign) that he was in fact completely wrong, he sheepishly followed our directions to the correct street and refused to accept any payment, which was sound.

LouOB · 17-07-2008 11:23AM

My dad - who is a LONG time taxi driver 20yrs+ was attacked by another taxi driver
He took a taxi home, as he usually does on Wednesday night after poker session(and drink). He got a 'non-national' of a dark skinned variety(i.e. black, trying to be diplomatic here) taxi driver who brought him to the wrong estate. My dad was trying to tell him the way but wouldnt listen.
My dad gave him money and left the car. Taxi driver punched my dad to the ground and kicked him in the ribs - was brisued for months. He never got the plate number - as dad was more than likely drunk.
Now this 'taxi' driver did this to a 50+yr old man
What would he of done to a 20+yr old guy/girl
Sickening

zuutroy · 17-07-2008 11:24AM

I drove a taxi for a week just to see what it was like. Hadn't a flippin clue where I was going south of the Liffey...The worst was bringing a group to Marley park from down...Didn't have a clue!...Still they were polite enough about by ignorance, and I got them there in time for the gig!

Wertz · 17-07-2008 11:42AM

pvt.joker wrote: »

regurarly happens me. Taxi driver doesnt know how to get to Whitehall / Collins Avenue from city centre. End up directing them the whole way . Shambles of a system

lol what? A blind cripple could find their way to Whitehall from the CC.

Allow me to throw the cat amongst the pigeons here and suggest that some of these drivers may not be of Irish extraction?
As for a "the knowledge" test for Dublin cabbies? I doubt such a thing exists...why down the country even a PSV licence is seemingly optional for some of these guys...

JimiTime · 17-07-2008 11:53AM

Wertz wrote: »

Allow me to throw the cat amongst the pigeons here and suggest that some of these drivers may not be of Irish extraction?

TBH, any bad taxi experience I've had has been with the locals.

thefinalstage · 17-07-2008 11:58AM

LouOB wrote: »

My dad - who is a LONG time taxi driver 20yrs+ was attacked by another taxi driver
He took a taxi home, as he usually does on Wednesday night after poker session(and drink). He got a 'non-national' of a dark skinned variety(i.e. black, trying to be diplomatic here) taxi driver who brought him to the wrong estate. My dad was trying to tell him the way but wouldnt listen.
My dad gave him money and left the car. Taxi driver punched my dad to the ground and kicked him in the ribs - was brisued for months. He never got the plate number - as dad was more than likely drunk.
Now this 'taxi' driver did this to a 50+yr old man
What would he of done to a 20+yr old guy/girl
Sickening

Remember the car type narrow down the numbers a few calls to a few people...He gave your dad a beating for paying him?

markpb · 17-07-2008 12:04PM

JimiTime wrote: »

TBH, any bad taxi experience I've had has been with the locals.

The "foreigners" don't know where they're going and a lot of the "locals" know but take you some other way

Almost every "local" taxi driver I get insists they know the estate I live in (near Swords road) but they all go out through Fairview and Malahide Road to get there, almost double the distance. Every taxi driver now gets exact directions for every step of the trip.

L1011 · 17-07-2008 12:24PM

I've found the Irish non-Dub drivers know Dublin the best. Dubs know their own little home patch, thats about it.

My mother, from Terenure, couldn't find her way around any bit of Dublin she's not lived in. Rest of the family with Donegal blood know the city inside out

arybvtcw0eolkf · 17-07-2008 12:27PM

MYOB wrote: »

My mother, from Terenure, couldn't find her way around any bit of Dublin she's not lived in. Rest of the family with Donegal blood know the city inside out

Is your mother a taxi man?. :eek:

L1011 · 17-07-2008 12:34PM

...not that I know of, but it might explain the clapped out Rover 400 thats been appearing outside the house every evening

mikemac · 17-07-2008 01:40PM

MYOB wrote: »

I've found the Irish non-Dub drivers know Dublin the best. Dubs know their own little home patch, thats about it.

QFT

I’m shocked about how badly many Dubs know their own city.
Whereas people from outside Dublin who moved there made an effort to learn the areas and the facilities around. You could say they were forced to learn as they needed to know the good and dodgy places to rent and how transport worked in each area and how best to get to work/college.
Many Dubs know the city centre and their own small part of the city and that’s about it. Pure laziness or lack of interest means they don't expand on that

LouOB · 17-07-2008 01:54PM

thelastangryman wrote: »

Remember the car type narrow down the numbers a few calls to a few people...He gave your dad a beating for paying him?

yep

Terry · 17-07-2008 02:11PM

I got directions from a taxi driver yesterday. He was polite too and was going to le us go ahead of him at the junction.

How a taxi driver doesn't know the way from the airport to Lucan is beyond me though.

The_Conductor · 17-07-2008 02:33PM

Terry wrote: »

I got directions from a taxi driver yesterday. He was polite too and was going to le us go ahead of him at the junction.

How a taxi driver doesn't know the way from the airport to Lucan is beyond me though.

Tell me about it- she nearly went catatonic when the GPS started giving trouble at the Blanch slip (then again it is in a dip?) and pressed something on it that killed it and then after the toll kept going (the junction was closed- so I assumed that she intended to double back- but no, she just kept going........)

She made it very very clear that she didn't want to talk at the outset- and I was slightly worried about where she was going. Eventually I insisted on talking- which is when the detour back again via Firhouse started (why the hell she couldn't have gone back to Junction 7 and up the N4 like any sane person is beyond me).

dade · 17-07-2008 03:11PM

i got one on the Malahide road near donnecarney church on new years ever, told him i was heading to swords. now instead of turning onto Collins ave he continues straight up the Malahide rd toward coolock. so i ask him why he didn't head out alone Collins ave and up the motorway, eh replies in a rather spaced out tone "the motorway" he turns at the goblet so being from coolock i figure he'll head up to Northside sc and out that way. but No he figures its a good idea to head down Skelly's lane and toward the Beaumont road, so i asked what he was playing and and he said "you said you wanted to go the motorway" and i said "yeah when it was the most direct route to take ya plank" and just got him to pull over that he wasn't getting paid.

Lost Taxi drivers

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