Q & A: Melissa Plaut, Cab Driver
After a layoff from a comfortable, but mind-numbing, ad agency job, Melissa Plaut, a copywriter and editor, basically gave up on making a living through words. Instead, she decided to embark on a long series of adventures instead of slogging through a career path until retirement. The first one was to become a cab driver, which Plaut, 32, did in 2004. About a year later, she began blogging about her experiences, but just for her friends. Due to the blogs unexpected popularity, it ultimately led to a Random House book deal. The result is Hack: How I Stopped Worrying About What to Do With My Life and Started Driving a Yellow Cab, out now.
Has your driving outside of work changed at all? Now I drive every car as if it were a cab. I cant undo that sense of urgency and madness. You need to make a certain amount of money in a certain amount of time. Im also a terrible backseat driver now.
What surprised you about the job when you started? I went online and found the TLC [Taxi & Limousine Commission] and saw the list of things I needed to do to get licensed. None of it involved a driving test. In terms of what happened when I actually got in the cab, I thought it would be a little bit more dangerous than it is. Its dangerous, dont get me wrong, but its not as bad as I had feared and maybe most people assume it to be. You know theres so much money in the city now that there are fewer people actually robbing us.
Ever had any accidents or criminals in your cab? There are people who beat the fare, or try to beat the fare. I chased some kids. Ive had a couple fender benders. Ive had very many close calls that couldve been very severe accidents. Thats just from being on the street so much. And Ive never been held up or anything (knock on wood). I escaped this summer unscathed, with the guy who was going around pointing a gun at everybodys head.
And how long do you think youll be doing this? I have no idea. I dont want to drive a cab for the rest of my life, but I may feel like a cab driver for the rest of my life.
There was a long period of time when you were driving around without health insurance. Were you terrified? I wasnt scared. I just prayed that nothing happenedand that if it did happen that it wasnt my fault, and somebody elses insurance could cover the bill.
What are some of the crazier things that have happened in your cab? Theyre not like somebody had a baby or there was a knife fight in the backseat, or anything. A guy got in and wouldnt tell me where to go, and just gave me money to just drive until the money ran out, and then ended up having me take him to a strip club and wanted me to come in with him. He gave me another 20, and I just left him there. People do have sexual relations. I dont know if anybodys had full intercourse in my cab. I dont think its happened, but then again, I cant say Im sure about that.
Is that uncomfortable for you? Its a little awkward, but I dont want to say anything. Really, the best I can hope for is that they tip well and dont make a mess.
How well do you know the other cabbies? I made a bunch of friends at my garage. And obviously not just anybody, but I have a little crew, a little clique or whatever; guys that just treat me like one of the fellas. And far as I can tell, nobody holds back in front of me. In the beginning they may have, but they know me well enough to know I can handle anything if they can handle it.
So what are the cabbies with their phone attachments stuck in their ears talking about? Theyre talking about you.
Really? Yeah. Most of them. Theyre talking about either if youre interesting, or if youre doing something interesting, shitty, stupid, annoying. Theyre also talking about where theyre going, which is also where youre going. You know, This guy just got in. Were going to Williamsburg. Theyre talking about traffic as well.
I always thought they were talking to friends from outside work. Theyre talking to other cab drivers. The only people who are willing to talk on the phone with you for that long are the other people who are that bored for their 12-hour shiftisolated and frustrated. Theyre like, traffic on the 59th Street Bridge. Dont go, use the lower level. Im going to goddamn LaGuardia, its 5:30, I hate this guy. I hope he tips me. Its on and on. Whatever youre doing, theyre talking about it.
How about you? I dont like to because I get so distracted. And I find my tips are better because I dont do it. If a cabbie calls me and hes like, Theres traffic, dont do this, or something, I will take that call for a second. I will also just talk to them, but in-between fares. And Ill be like, Aw, this stupid guy just got out, and he took me all the way out here, and he didnt even tip me, and he was, you know, jerking off the whole way there.