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Hopefully I will be able to address some of the thoughts from the earlier post about cab driving.

Gerry: I don't advise the cab business to anyone, unless you need the money and don't have to many options. Cab driving is different in different places, but you will most certainly get an education, and there are no certificates, medals, and sometimes there is no way out. A cab friend of mine said it best when he said "Most don't survive it" meaning mentally. You have the real life physical danger and the living like unto a god with no one to answer to. Don't take that statement for granted for it takes alot to overcome. Because you can make good money, but yet not enough to really break free. Let me give you the situation in Atlantic City were you lease a cab from a owner for $250 a week which gives you 7 days with 12 hours each day to make money. You pay for your own gas which averages 12 a day. Then everything you make after that is yours to keep. If you put your hours in you can make that back in 2-3 days which leaves you with 4-5 days to make money for yourself which averages out to be about $400 to $500 dollars a week. You have the freedom to drive for anyone you want and get the best car because you are paying $250 a week to lease it, this makes you an independant driver. If you are a good driver you can pick from the best based on your reputaion with taking care of your car. Another way is to lease or buy a merchantile license an put you own cab on the street. It depends on the city, but mercantile licenses cost 25,000 dollars in Atlantic City. Driving in Atlantic City is a whole different animal than most places because of the Casino's. The American drivers are like real cowboys in the old west in their attitude and mannerisms and then you have drivers from all over the world driving and this can be a good experience if your open to it. The majority of foreign cab drivers are from Haiti, Vietnam, Bengledesh, Egypt, Pakistan and a few from every other country on the planet. The city has about 500 cab drivers. Driving in Atlantic City is unique in that most of the fare come from the casino doors, so every casino has a cabline where you get to know all 500 drivers (if you choose) in time. Most cities rely on radio dispatch which leads to a lonely isolated job, but in Atlantic City you have the option of both types of cab fares. Sometimes you get trips to Philadelphia ($85) and New York ($200)
, but if its raining you don't want to leave the city because you make more money in the city when it rains than you can make in an out of town trip. The tips are generally 1-3 dollars. I remember in the 80's I saved 3,000 dollars in 3 months and thats after paying all my bills at home. One week on the 4th of July a new casino opened up and I made $1,000 dollars that week. Just a note here that the new Mirage Casino is opening in a year or two here in Atlantic City. It the biggest project yet in Atlantic City.You can also get free food comps from your custumers when they leave town. They just hand you it because they aren't using them. One time Phillis Diller lost her purse in a friends cab and she gave him $100 dollars when he returned it, but as far as creativity you just have to remove obstacles and be open to all things and mix it with experimentation. I have a philosophy that goes like this "If your can image it then it exist, therefore all things exist." To enter this state of mind you say "What is beyond stillness and movement?" These are the eternal qualities and everything extends from this. Everything is Movement. Personality arises when you develope interest(fixation) in something. Acting is believing and believing is becoming.

You really should write your memoires.  I can see it now:  "Memoires of a Cab Driver."  Maybe they could make it into a movie.  They could call it "Taxi Driver."  Maybe we could get DeNiro to star...

Seriously though.  Interesting stuff.

All too true. Been out of it since 86. Don't desire to go back, can't say it wasen't....intresting.