On Taxis and taxes……..

Well, ow it's been some time now that I haven't posted anything.  A combination of motivation and a lack of new observations.

Today's verbal diarrhea is not about my 'barefoot Daniel' kitchen prowesses, but more of an interesting phenomena.

In this country, at least the towns and cities I know, everybody is a taxi driver, except for the big 4x4 that clearly tells you 'I've got money…..  So, here's how it works.

The first thing that one learns is the 'technique' that you need to use to ensure you get a lift…… It all started, I guess, with ol' Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB (no, not KGB), also known as B-P (no, not BP…) or Lord Baden-Powell, who was a lieutenant-general of the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scouts…… (source: Wikipedia……).

Having been one of his countless followers during the early stages of my life, I learned the 'salute' which consisted of rising your hand up with the palm face out and the thumb holding the little finger.  Here, all you need to do is stand by the road side, looking anywhere but the road (like trying to spot an Andean Condor which, of course, you will never manage around here….), but the 'trick' is to put your hand down at an angle of between 35º and 40º, aligning this to a 'different head'…………  And it works !!

All of a sudden, 'cars' stop.  You tell the district number and the building number you go to.  Magic !!  The guys drop you off at the entrance (you don't even have to ask for such courtesy as it seems it's included in the price….).

As regards the 'cars', yes, these 'машина' (or automobile) are very old, dirty, and in poor maintenance conditions.  To add a bit of HSE (Health Safety and Environment) in order to make this story a bit more 'elegant', you have to be mentally and physically prepared to withstand the rattling and, more often than not, inhaling the fumes that find their way into the car from the (in)existing exhaust pipes…….

A special recognition goes to these brave drivers that, despite the fact that they are not very skilled in the art of 'defensive driving', added to the constant use of mobile phones and texting (and sometimes watching TV !!) while driving, manage to take you places in one piece….  Bravo, my Boy Scout salute !!

But, regardless of the above, and by no means am I trying to make fun of the people, I think that this is a marvelous system.  Although not regulated by the State (which may add to the fare due to registration, maintenance tests, and taxes…), this works extremely well.  You really do not need to have a car, you can go anywhere for the equivalent of some USD 1.3, day or night.  Drivers are mostly good humored and, so far (in my own experience) respectful.

The tax bit is important because, in countries where the income levels are low and the cost of living is not necessarily in line with the former, in my view, this equates, in a way, to a sort of 'distribution of wealth', or a 'subsidy'.  Live and let live………….  Well done !!

Should this sort of 'practice' be adopted in other cities of the world, there would be a much lower number of cars in the streets, less pollution, lower energy consumption (apologies to the Oil and Gas companies that keep providing my daily bread….), and availability of parking space !!

Something to to think about.