A BIG YELLOW TAXI
“You never see how many taxis there really are until you begin driving one,” the white haired man said at the front of the small classroom with a green board on the front wall. I was one of five being trained to drive a Taxi in Orlando. I had driven taxis in Miami and Baltimore off and on for 25 years; it was the first time I was getting any training. The classmates were in their mid thirties and of different ethnicities. I was immediately told that facial hair and long braids were unacceptable because of the connection to Disney World. “Conform,” is the word that echoed in the room. I had no choice but to cut my hair and shave my face since I had made the choice to remain in school, and adaptability is the key to survival. “Then you will see taxis everywhere you go.”
We sat in the classroom for a couple of hours and were tested. Fortunately the classes were offered at different times so I could avoid conflict with classes at Full Sail and I could keep up my perfect attendance which was a priority in my book. Since I had been told that nobody liked me I kept to myself and practiced tai-chi every chance I got. Of course some thought it was a ritualistic pagan dance of sorts. There was no testing necessary to get into Full Sale whether in the Film/Video or Recording Engineer Programs, just the financial capability to pay or sign the papers that you would pay. After testing and shaving we were given a tour of Disney World Taxi Stands and shown how to work the on board computer for dispatched call work. Driving past the Epcot Center the Teacher said, “That’s Michael Eisner’s Golf Ball—he’s God down here. Disney World even has its own police Force. Neither the State nor the City of Orlando has any jurisdiction on Disney World property. It’s like its own little Country.”
I began driving on Weekends within a week. The one thing they never tell you is being a new driver for the company you will get the worst equipment and the least work if you rely on their “fair system” of dispatching. It is a good way to learn another city and its surrounding area if you have the nerve and are non-judgmental of your clientele. Working nights in Orlando and avoiding Disney World was my personal priority. The one thing I had learned from experience is you stay behind the wheel for the entire twelve hour shift unless you have to carry a bag or go to the bathroom or grab a cup of coffee and a snickers bar to keep you awake. I worked nights.