Yellow cabs CAN be gypsy cabs!

For those not familiar with some of New York City's lingo, there are Yellow-cabs and there are gypsy cabs. Gypsy cabs are generally unmarked towncars or crown vics that are usually licenses by TLC to be used as a local car-service or sometimes they are just registered as regular vehicles. They drive around the city and try to pick up people that are hailing yellowcabs. They offer them a flat rate, usually way too high. They have mild success, depending on the neighborhoods they work. But, as it turned out last night, yellowcabs can also be gypsy cabs! Well, that is, if you pick up a pack of gypsies, like I did on Central Park South.
This Memorial Day weekend the city was D-E-A-D. Everyone is out of town and business is very very slow. I decided to go work for a few hours anyway, just to make a few bucks. When business is slow, cabbies are more inclined to travel where they normally wouldn't like to and we "bend" a few rules, like how many people you can put in your cab. It's all based on the laws of supply and demand. When there are 100 people needing my cab, I break ZERO rules and waste no time on anyone because there is another fare waiting. However, when there are no people and 1,000 cabs trolling the city, then sure, 5 people to Queens? No problem. If you can fit then jump in. So here we are, a pack of gypsies asking me to please take them to Queens. Traditional palm-reader types who were not too accurate in figuring anything out about me but they were charming none-the-less. It, for some reason, was the most memorable ride of the night, seeing as how we talked about everything from the Russian Gypsies, god (or the lack thereof), religion, jokes, and even how big the front seat of my cab is (since I have the middle partition). I didn't get my palm read though, that's a shame. I think I should have gotten a complimentary palm reading!
Aside from that, it was a very slow night. I picked up a bunch of local calls with not all that much excitement. I did pick up a few very nice people and gave them my card, but unfortunately the rides were short so I didn't get to talk to them very long. I drove a very nice girl, an audio-engineer, to Brooklyn. She was very fun to talk to and I would have like to drive further to have a longer conversation with her. Too bad. Without the normal city traffic, actually, ALL the rides were too short. But you never know. Maybe they see my blog and decide to continue our conversations! That's the beauty of this site. So many times you meet interesting people and never see them again. Ever. Sometimes that's a good thing. A lot of times that's a good thing. But not always.
I have to mention that toward the end of my shift things were a little weird. I picked up a bunch of 17-18 year old girls looking for a bar that doesn't card, but of course I don't think you can find that in Manhattan any more, and they took the longest possible ride to Penn Station that I've ever seen. Very entertaining bunch though. Then when I decided to go home I was driving to Brooklyn and a girl hailed me. Mind you I already had my off duty light on. I stopped and asked her where she was going. She's says, "Brooklyn." Ok. We're already in Brooklyn you moron. Where exactly. She tells me, and it's not that far away so I let her in. Then she says, "You know, you're like not allowed to ask me that you know." Oh yes I am.

First of all, if I'm off duty I'm allowed to take people only in the direction I'm going in. (Taxi and Limousine Commission, driver rules, "§2-53 Accepting Passengers While Off-Duty: A driver who has illuminated the "Off Duty" light may not...accept a passenger unless that driver is returning the taxicab to his or her garage or home... and the passenger's destination is directly en route thereto..." (Source: http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/downloads/pdf/drivrules.pdf)

Second of all. Screw you. I'll ask you if I feel like it. Anyway, I tell her that I can do whatever I want. She doesn't like my answer at all. LOL. We go one block and she says that I need a different career and she doesn't want to ride with me. "Yup. That's about right. Just get out of the fucking car then." She irritated me from the second she got in my car and I have no idea why. She was just an unacceptable human. I hate ending my shift like that but then Metallica came on the radio so I pumped it up, opened the windows, locked the doors and enjoyed the ride home. Halfway there was a nice family needing a ride a few blocks, so I picked them up, had a nice chat and got a nice tip. Now that's how I like to end a shift. Happy people and some Metallica. I think I'll take tomorrow off and hope the city is busier this week.