After my shift I went out for a breathe of fresh air and to kill time. I was waiting for 9:30 PM to meet a friend of mine to hand over my baby Pod and to meet another friend to discuss my future plans. I still had an hour or two so I took the bus. The traffic was not that dreadful but the trip was longer than normal and I just arrived in time. My friend was still at home so I went to Grilla, there was a live band performing so it was a good thing that I went on ahead to survey the area if it was a good place for small talks. Exhausted from the road trip and stress of going back and forth from one place to another, I told her that I might not last 30 minutes with her friend regarding any topic. She bought me a hot drink (I’m trying my best to stay away from coffee) and talked about our frustrations like we always do.

When her friend arrived I was half asleep and I know for a fact that everything we will discuss regarding future planning will go to waste, so it is better to reschedule the meeting. We patched up the meeting and I left them.  I was standing along EDSA waiting for a cab and noticed that these drivers are acting a bit different. It looks as if they were screening their passengers and if they don’t like the way they look, they just pass you by. When I go to that part of the city I don’t dress up that much. I want to be as simple as possible, this way I will not attract muggers or snatchers. Maybe I was under-dressed a little haha. But the thing is, as a taxi rider for the past 5 years this has been one of the most frustrating season. I know these drivers are just being careful and so are we as passengers but can’t they tell the difference anymore? As much as possible I’d rather wait another 20 minutes for a company taxi than an ordinary taxi but last night was very aggravating. Passengers are getting choosy because they also get mugged by drivers, it maybe by their meter or they get mugged literally. Drivers often stay away from passengers with big bags, backpacks and especially clutch bags because they too get mugged or worst… killed.

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Tags: Cabs, drivers, Philippine Taxi Cabs