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The taxi driver seems gloomy. Salim stares at his face in the mirror as he speaks, watching the ifrit’s dark lips. “They believe that we grant wishes.

The taxi driver seems gloomy. Salim stares at his face in the mirror as he speaks, watching the ifrit’s dark lips. “They believe that we grant wishes. Why do they believe that? I sleep in one stinking room in Brooklyn. I drive this taxi for any stinking freak who has the money to ride in it, and for some who don’t. I drive them where they need to go, and sometimes they tip me. Sometimes they pay me.” His lower lip began to tremble. The ifrit seemed on edge. “One of them shat on the backseat once. I had to clean it before I could take the cab back. How could he do that? I had to clean the wet shit from the seat. Is that right?"

peterwwillis 8y ago
Welcome to driving taxis. People have been dealing with the exact same problems for about 400 years, since at least the hire coaches of London. Charles Dickens interviews a cab driver (1860): http://www.taxi-library.org/dickens.htm http://www.taxi-library.org/dickens.htm It sucks that taxi drivers are getting screwed by the system they bought into, but if they can get out from under their debt and get into Uber or Lyft, that might protect them from some of these problems. But obviously the "getting out from under the debt" part is pretty difficult.
- cestith 8y ago
  Dumping one's life savings undiversified into any bubble can be disastrous. Many people found this out about tech stocks, about homes, about highly leveraged derivative securities, and many other bubbles. To a smaller extent people have found losses in bubbles around everything from Beanie Babies to gas and oil. Getting out from under the debt of the investment has been hard after many a bubble for many a person. That's what the taxi industry in New York was. Uber and Lyft burst that bubble.
- mundo 8y ago
  > if they can get out from under their debt and get into Uber or Lyft, that might protect them from some of these problems They've lost their career due to new technology, and the solution is to drive cars for a company trying to create self-driving cars?
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]

peterwwillis 8y ago

Welcome to driving taxis. People have been dealing with the exact same problems for about 400 years, since at least the hire coaches of London. Charles Dickens interviews a cab driver (1860): http://www.taxi-library.org/dickens.htm http://www.taxi-library.org/dickens.htm It sucks that taxi drivers are getting screwed by the system they bought into, but if they can get out from under their debt and get into Uber or Lyft, that might protect them from some of these problems. But obviously the "getting out from under the debt" part is pretty difficult.

cestith 8y ago
Dumping one's life savings undiversified into any bubble can be disastrous. Many people found this out about tech stocks, about homes, about highly leveraged derivative securities, and many other bubbles. To a smaller extent people have found losses in bubbles around everything from Beanie Babies to gas and oil. Getting out from under the debt of the investment has been hard after many a bubble for many a person. That's what the taxi industry in New York was. Uber and Lyft burst that bubble.
mundo 8y ago
> if they can get out from under their debt and get into Uber or Lyft, that might protect them from some of these problems They've lost their career due to new technology, and the solution is to drive cars for a company trying to create self-driving cars?
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]