Taxi drivers from all over the world celebrate their well-deserved professional holiday every year on 22 March. The number, when celebrating the Day of a taxi driver, was chosen not by chance, because on this day in the distant 1907 on the streets of the English capital for the first time there were cars with counters ("taximeters" - from the French word "tax" - a fee). Since that time, all cabmen began to be called taxi drivers, and their transport - a taxi.
History of the World Day of the taxi driver
Many consider the traditional color of the taxi yellow, although the first cars in London were red or green. Yellow cars are an initiative of the founder of Hertz Corporation John Hertz, who, taking old cars as payment for new ones, began to repaint them in yellow and use them as a taxi.
Of course, the bright color is much more noticeable on city streets, so over time, the tradition of painting cars for taxis in yellow was adopted by many companies around the world. In the end, this color has become a classic for a taxi.
Another recognizable symbol of individual urban transport - checkered. According to one of the versions, this pattern appeared in the 1920s on the machines of an American company, they borrowed it from race cars. This they wanted to emphasize the speed of movement.
In Russia, the first taxi appeared all in the same year 1907, but 10 years later because of the revolutionary events, the service for a time ceased to exist. And only in 1925 on June 21 the taxi service was again opened. And it is this date Moscow taxi drivers consider the birthday of a modern taxi, marking it on a par with the International Day of the taxi driver.
On the hard work of taxi drivers
Despite the opinion of the romanticism of the profession and the fearlessness of taxi drivers, their work is rather complicated and not without dangers. To be a good cab driver, you need not just to "spin the wheel", but also to own excellent driving skills, because in his hands in direct and figurative senses - responsibility for people in the cabin.
In addition, the driver should ideally know the area - all the streets and lanes, nearby the city of the territory. Fortunately, recently this moment was facilitated by devices called GPS-navigators. Although they are not always a panacea, they are not the right way to go that way. So the knowledge of the city is not abolished at all.
The complexity of the work is the lack of a consistent schedule. Because of the need to go out at different times of the day, to work during a very unregulated shift, there is a breakdown of the daily routine, which leads to problems with the health of the body.
Of course, one can not fail to mention such a shortage of the profession as the need to constantly communicate with a wide variety of people. Among customers often come across rudeness, rude, simply boring personality.
In a taxi, drunk people often sit down, who do not mind discussing their problems or expressing an opinion on a variety of things in an aggressive way. In such conditions, the taxi driver is obliged to remain calm and unperturbed,
At the same time, the silent and sullen taxi driver also will not cause positive emotions for clients. And that they once again wanted to apply to the taxi service, drivers should have such qualities as communicability, humor, the ability to support the conversation , and sometimes be psychologists and be able to support the person, encouraging him and the desire to share the recommendation and contacts of the company or a particular taxi driver with friends and friends.
Remember all this, sitting in the next taxi. Be polite and patient, do not spoil the mood of the driver, because this sometimes determines your own safety on the road.