Number of years behind the wheel:
One year or less: 16
One to five years: 27
Six to ten years: 9
Ten to twenty years: 21
Twenty-plus years: 7
Have you ever been in an accident?
82: No/Not Telling
18: Yes
What should the city do to relieve traffic?
Enforce pedestrian laws: 27
Enforce double-parking laws: 25
Congestion pricing: 11
Eliminate bike and bus lanes: 2
Force businesses to make deliveries at night: 2
Allow taxis to use the bus lane: 1
“UPS, Post Office, and FedEx trucks are the worst; they don’t respect nothing.”
How do you feel about passengers hooking up in your cab?
35: Disgusting
“People think it’s a motel.”
5: Kinda hot
“What would New York be without a little voyeurism?”
50: Who cares so long as they’re clean?
“And give me a good tip.”
Have you ever been mugged?
No: 76
Yes: 20
The average tip:
5%: 8
10%: 12
15%: 10
20%: 19
25%: 3
30%: 2
Who are the best tippers?
“Older white women.”
“Englishmen, Jews, and Italians.”
“Waitresses and busboys.”
“The one percent.”
Salary:
Less than $25,000: 3
$25,000–$30,000: 10
$31,000–$40,000: 11
$41,000–$59,000: 7
$60,000–$79,000: 9
More than $80,000: 1
When passengers ask where you’re from …
I get annoyed: 15
I don’t mind: 74
Do you ever flick your lights off when you don’t want to pick up a certain fare?
No: 63
Yes: 12
“The people I don’t like taking drunk is the ladies. They start hitting on me, and it gets a little annoying.”
What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever seen?
Vomiting, fights, drugs: 6
“Kids slide down in the seat and start powdering their noses! And I say, ‘Hey, you said you wanted to go to the 71st Precinct, right?’ And they all perk up, ‘No, no! We’re so sorry! You want some?’ ”
Sex: 30
“You pick up a couple, and now you’re only seeing a guy staring at you with a mean look on his face, like you’re not supposed to be looking. Hello! You’re in my car, dude.”
Three-way hookups: 2
Nothing exciting: 4
“The day shift is boring. Folks just pick their nose.”
Do you start conversations?
42: Yes
24: No
31: Depends on my mood
How do you handle confrontation?
“With a smile.”
“Remain calm.”
“Get them out of the cab—Pleasantly.”
“I don’t let anyone mess with me.”
Do you take taxis yourself?
25: No
70: Yes
“But I can’t afford the fare.”
The worst thing you’ve ever done to a passenger:
“Curse him because he asked to go to Brooklyn.”
“Drive into a light pole.”
“Pass a black lady for a white lady a few feet away.”
The worst thing a passenger has ever done to you:
“Not paid.”
“Yelled at me for driving too slowly.”
“Called me a thief.”
“Spit on me.”
“Kicked the cab.”
“Peed in the cab.”
“Pulled out a Rambo knife and tried to kill me.”
How often do passengers vomit in the cab?
All the time:14
Occasionally: 34
Never: 11
“Today a U.K. lady did it outside on the sidewalk.”
Did they clean it up?
“I wish.”
“Never. I keep cleaning supplies in the trunk.”
The best neighborhoods for fares:
Midtown
Because of the tourists.
Lower East Side
Because of the tourists, the drunks, and the Brooklynites.
Financial district
Because of the tourists and suits.
Not every respondent answered every question.