London, U.K.
The drivers of London’s black cabs learn their trade the hard way.
In order to get their famous green badge, the drivers have to complete
“The Knowledge”. Getting this qualification involves getting on
a moped and memorizing every street within six miles of Charing
Cross. Taxi drivers are regulated by the Metropolitan Police, and
discipline is very important. Exams are conducted with military
formality and “cabbies” are often extremely nervous beforehand.
Nevertheless, it’s worth it. Although the minimum fare is only £1.50,
the driver’s weekly wage can be up to £800, making London’s cabbies
possibly the best paid in the world.
Mexico City, Mexico
In Mexico, the quality of your taxi depends on financial status.
If you’ve got plenty of money, you can ride in a big air-conditioned
saloon. If not, you have to take the cheaper option- a Mexican-made
Volkswagen Beetle. Beetle cabs are not necessarily cheerful, despite
their bright yellow paint (all other Beetles there are dirty brown).
The fares are cheap, starting at sixty pence, but the drivers regard
cheating customers as quite normal so you may end up paying quite
a bit. Because prices in Mexico go up so quickly, the cab’s meter
is worthless as soon as it is installed, so cabbies do their own
mental calculations to work out the “correct” price. On average
they earn about £70 a week.
Mahajanga, Madagascar
In towns, the most popular taxi is “pousse-pousse”, a kind of rickshaw
pulled by teenaged boys. Madagascans speak French, but why call
a rickshaw a “push-push”? Well, when these boys are climbing up
a hill they shout out to passers-by to get behind the cart and pousse,
pousse! You only pay a minimum fare of five pence and since the
drivers only make £3.50 a week, you can understand why they ask
for the help.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s rickshaw “boys” - who are usually around the age of
60 - are a dying breed. This is because the city has decided to
stop using rickshaws. The last licence was issued in 1975. Nowadays,
£4 is the minimum fare for a rickshaw ride. In 1950 there were 8,000
rickshaw boys, but now there’re only 20, so it is not surprising
that they consider themselves an endangered species. They pay no
attention to traffic laws, red lights are always ignored, they often
go to wrong way down one-way streets and even pull their embarrassed
passengers down pedestrian subways – all this for £280 per week!
These days rickshaws are used chiefly by tourists.
Fez, Morocco
Most of Morocco’s “grand taxis” are Mercedes limousines, which cater
for long journeys between cities. For shorter trips most rely on
“tetits taxis”, which are mainly small European cars and are far
cheaper, with a minimum fare of £1.50. Drivers make about £45 per
week. Typical cars are the Fiat 124 and late-sixties Simca 1000
(which has an engine in the back rather than the front). These cars
are confined to the city limits. To stop them straying, the cars
are color-coded: red with a black roof signifies the city of Fez.
Surakarta, Indonesia
Indonesian bicycle rickshaws - called becaks- are unique in that
the passengers sit at the front. This can be terrifying because
the passengers take the impact of any head- on collisions Of course
with a minimum fare of only twenty pence, it can be said that you
get what you pay for.
The drivers, who earn about £5 per week, are reckless. Perhaps that’s
why the use of becaks is now forbidden in the capital, tourist-
conscious Jakarta.
Venice, Italy
Gondolas have been a feature of Venetian life since the 16th century
and working as a gondolier used to be a profession that you couldn’t
get into unless you knew somebody who was already a gondolier -
a relative, for example. Two years ago everything changed and now
it’s much more democratic. Training is difficult, since gondoliers
are tested not only on skill but also on their knowledge of Venetian
history, geography and culture. Of course with a weekly wage about
£450, it’s worth studying a bit. A journey in gondola will cost
you at least £28, so be prepared to pay.
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