It is a well known fact that driving a taxi for a living has no timetable and some drivers work late into the night till the following morning just to provide for themselves and their family.
It is also important that passengers and the general public take notice of the adventures and relevance of Taxi drivers in society. Taxi drivers can wear the cloak of many personalities and become whoever we want them to become depending on what is happening to a passenger.
I will try to list some of the relevance as we move along not just for your reading pleasure but for the purpose of changing your disdainful perspective of these noble professionals.
AS A LISTENING THERAPIST
Taxi drivers encounter passengers with different emotional, psychological and one personal problem from the other. The driver is most at times forced to listen as the passenger vents out his or her frustrations. Some problems range from being jilted by a loved one, losing one’s job or any valuable. Some Taxi drivers are loquacious and will start offering solutions immediately to the passengers..Others just listen while others yet just show no concern as if to say they are minding their business.
AS A CONFIDANT
Some Taxi Drivers are held in confidence by the passengers trusting that their secrets are safe with the taxi driver. An elderly man cheating on his wife with a girl young enough to be her daughter, may lie to his wife that he is in a meeting at the office…and the Taxi driver automatically has no choice but to keep the lie to himself. You all know how some masons, tailors, painters, mechanics and electricians are when it comes to picking a Taxi to come fix something for you at home. Some of them know they are 45 minutes away from your location but will lie to you on the phone that they are just 10 minutes away. The Taxi will still have to keep this to himself. There are other secrets that we can expand on but this is just to tell you that Taxi Drivers are trying sha.
RISK OF STRANGERS…
A Taxi Driver can easily fall prey to unscrupulous people who pose as passengers. Some of these drivers work late at night and are exposed to armed robbers and other criminals. Some have lost their valuables and even their lives while innocently doing their job of picking the wrong passengers. Some passengers also carry on bizzar conversations that are scary, dark and spiritually damaging.
PROTECTION…
Due to the dangers they face, some Taxi Drivers I engaged for this article said they have decided to get spiritual protection against dangerous circumstances and people. I know a Taxi Driver who has grains of rice sprinkled on his dashboard. I asked him what that was for and he said it was a direction given him by a spiritualist that when he prays on the rice and sprinkles it in his Car, it will ward off attacks both physically and spiritually. Others also use leaves and herbs of different kinds in their Cars just to be protected. But permit me to ask that do attackers know about the rice or leaves when they finally attack???
I know you have more on the relevance of Taxi drivers and you can keep the conversation going… Send me more in the comment section.