In Retrospect, A Perspective: Is Driving A Cab Averaging 5000 Miles Per Month Reasonable Or Sane

Too Many Miles

My rationale for additional blog missives is a winding down of an experience encompassing over 36 years of my life, from the ages 33 to 69.  While yes, many of my taxi years were only part-time or confined to long weekends, taxi still dominated my psyche, with most identifying me as a cabbie and little else, which explains why it remains intact in my overall consciousness.  

Am I glad I gave so much time to taxi?  No, not at all, viewing it as a regrettable waste of my time and life.  And how does driving over 5000 miles per month in sometimes heavy and irritating Seattle and King County traffic making any sense whatsoever?  

For comparison, by hopping on I-90, you can drive its full length of 3,000, 030.2 miles taking you all the way to Boston.  Coming back, another 2000 miles driving west will have you entering the great state of Montana.  Folks, that's the equivalent of what I did every month for years on end.  At least on I-90 it is a straight shot, with no stop signs.  In Seattle it was up and down the hills in often dense traffic while avoiding even denser drivers.   

It was an insane experience.  Add the too often dumbbell passengers and there you have the ultimate deranged world that is taxi.  While yes, the money was good but if I had been wiser and gotten the required papers, getting my MA and PHD, as a licensed Clinical Psychologist I would have been charging $100-200.00 per hour.  

As a cabbie, I have sometimes averaged $100.00 an hour and, brothers and sisters, it adds up quickly.  Instead, I could have sat in a cozy office, books and artwork on the walls, Mozart wafting through the air, making real money while at the same time actually assisting people who required serious interventions.  

Instead, I very efficiently plied the streets, getting folks on time to their flights when it seemed to be an impossibility.  30% of everything I made came by way of tips.   People liked my driving, impressed with my skills.  But was it a complete waste of my time and talent?  Undeniably, it was.