American Cabbies Not A Rarity
If you're the type of person who still notices trivial things like race, then you might have also noticed that our citys cab drivers are a colorful mix of all nations under the sun. But more American natives have signed up to cart you around than you might think. One hundred and thirty countries have contributed their able bodies to our taxi force, and America is one of the five most common, the New York Sun reports. According to 2006 Taxi & Limousine Commission records, there are [2,300 American cabbies], and New York natives make up more than half of them.
From the Sun: Before the mid-1980s, the people who drove taxis were often off-duty police officers, college students, and artists who drove part-time to earn extra cash, according to the head of the Mutual League of Taxi Drivers, Vincent Sapone. An increase in crime in the 1980s drove away the profession people who had other options, a transportation consultant who studies taxi driver origins, Bruce Schaller, said.
Still, stereotypes persist. The Sun spoke with frequent-cab rider Tasheem Jones, who says her typical taxi driver is a "rude Arab guy." Rude Arab guy, rude American guy, were all people.
Photo courtesy of [Dan Phiffer on Flickr ]