Tow Truck Fail

Many of the church street churches have parking lots. amazing right? Well these churches think a lot of their lots. So every weekend night its common to see people getting towed every 15 mins. Well one night I happen to be following a tow truck hauling a big black truck, couldn't make out the model. Theres some thing to note about this truck. The front wheels were turned in such a way the it caused the front of the truck to stick way out to the left behind the tow truck. So, we're heading up the church hill, I got 2 people in the cab, and we watch this tow truck take a left turn and BAM! The front of the black truck hits a brand new Mustang parked there on the side of the street at a meter. As we roll by the front left of this Mustang has been completely crushed in. The tow truck guy is out of his truck, hopping up and down mad, literally. When I went back latter the tow truck had gone. The Mustang was still there, but no note or anything. Maybe they're hoping the guy will be too drunk to notice and or care.

How many Aggies does it take to....

It's around 3:15AM and I'm finally heading back to deposit my cab. I pull up in the bike lane next to a truck hauling a large iron grill. They were there for the week for a charity. Well the green light hits and I start across. I get to the other side when I hear an ungodly, bone racking noise from behind me. I turn and see the truck I was next to stopped in the intersection. Naturally, all things interesting this late at night grab my full attention; I have so little brain function left that I'm easily attracted to anything like a moth to a flame. The intersection is still green so I go back the way I came to see what the problem is. The grill had bounced off truck and the hitch was buried a good inch into the asphalt. As soon I realize this, every guy in a 100 foot radius does too and there is a mad rush get the grill back onto the truck and out of the intersection. Not a hard thing when theres a bunch of Aggies all ready to help. However. theres a problem with this grill, its still burning. Hot smoke is pouring out of every port that was jarred open. An iron grill isn't the pinnacle of engineering, and there for not air tight, snuffing out a fire just by shuttering it up takes a long time to work. While the support beam weren't hot, these guys still had to lean over and pick this thing up with out touching their faces to it. LOL. So as it turns out it takes 15 Aggies to reattach a trailer.

It's just a little rain...

I usually don't ride when there's a good chance of rain, not because I might get wet, but because no one will be out. Well last night I decided to give it a try anyway and let me tell you...wow. Last night sucked I got a record number of $17 at the end of the night. That's worse than the first night I worked. It's intresting to note, however, I got paid mostly by hugs. I got 15 hugs from girls, and one realy drunk guy. I can bet he didnt wake up nearly as early as I did. I got alot of group hugs too, one was named the "Bobby sandwich". It's like the rain brings out the cheap people; only half the rides I gave got tips, those people who don't want to break a $10 or whats worse those people who want to break a $10 and get $9 back. So, I spent most of the night chatting with my bouncer friends across various bars, "day-time" friends, bike cops, and regulars. I didn't even come away with a good story. Oh well, better luck tonight.

It's 2:23AM and it's game time!

It's last weekend and I'm coming from Paddock Lane, one of the EZ Riders was playing his guitar there for the first time ever and he was rocking the house. I pull up to the intersection of College Main and Church St., and I'm flagged down buy a group of 2 girls and a guy. They have $3 and want to go to the Factory 3 blocks away. I'm stopped at the intersection and cars are coming up behind me, but the group doesn't want me to move; "Wait don't leave!" they say. They're really excited and want to go, but they were waiting on another girl who apparently had the keys. Of course they have no idea were the other girl is; drunks can't even keep track of where themselves are. There are 4 cars behind me now, but none of them are honking; I love the patient drunks. Finally the group lets me pull forward into the blocked-off section of College Main and then they decide the don't need the 3rd girl. Gah. Not only do they want a ride they want to take a "scenic" route. Gah. They don't know it but that's not going to happen for $3 and 3 people. I go the back way to the Factory, starting down Church Ave., which believe it or not has churches on it. Well one of these churches has a basketball court, which has people playing on at all times of the night. Well the guy asks me to pull into the basketball court and make a circle. He yells something to the players about being able to kick their collective ass, and then I'm told to quickly leave, in the kind of voice drunk people use when they realize that last idea they had wasn't a good one. I pull out and go a ways, turn around to see if I'm being chased and do a double take. "Where the hell is he?!" The guy wasn't there. I'm highly sensitive to any movement in the rickshaw because it throws off my balance, its like this guy just floated off. "He went to play basketball." came the response. I'm like "WHAT?!", he just pissed those guys off and he went to play basketball with them? As a taxi driver I hold a certain amount of responsibility toward my fair, and making sure they aren't getting pummeled kinda counts. "Do I need to go back?" "No, he's fine keep going" said the girls. Well we get to the Factory and they discovered that the guy had the keys to get in. To make a longer story shorter I make the block. $3. When I get to the basketball court theres another pedicab there, with the guy in it! And of course when 2 or more pedicabs are near each other going the same direction that immediately triggers the fares shouting "Race!". Just what I want near the end of the night, a race. Well the other guy had a head start so he won. Oh well. The guy then stood in my way to tell me about his game. He scored a 3 pointer. The other EZ Rider was able to escape, lucky guy. Finally the guy shuts up and gets out of my way, still reveling in his victory. Both he and the girl gave me $3, at least it was more than I expected.

Who's really in your cab?

This past Thursday, I was cruising Northgate. It was around midnight, so it was pretty dead, though over all it was a pretty good for a Thursday; I picked up a 3 people in front a Traditions, a student housing complex just behind Northgate, they were headed to Daisy Duke's. They didn't need much convincing to get on (a nice change) and away we went. I was puffing along; there was the usual chatter behind me about how cool this was, how great an idea this was, etc. We get to Daisy Duke's and one of the guys hands me a wad of ones, not bad. The other guy was about to walk away with the girl but stop and says "you know what, here you go". He turns, pulls out his wallet and opens it. This guys got a badge inside, a silver 7 pointed star, stuck on the middle section of his tri-fold. Being a guy in his 20s he probably wasn't very important, but it makes you wonder who your average Joe Blow really is. Thanks for the extra $4.

Did I mention its free?

Yeah I know 4th post today, but I have some catching up to do. Since College Station isn't Austin and Northgate isn't 6th street, us pedicabs can't just sit around like a normal taxi waiting to be called upon. oh no. Here we are, still so new that I only get flagged down 3 times a night on average. Us pedicabs have to hunt people down to get fares. We pull up slow beside a group, pissing off the cars behind us, and ask if they would like a ride. If only it was that easy. We figured out early on that college students are broke and they don't like that have to pay for things. They see us and imediatly think to themselves "There's a jerk who wants to charge me money to take me a block". So we basicly work for tips and advetise free rides. Free is the weakest word I know. I'll ask someone if they want a ride and they'll say "no"; they don't want to pay. I'll ask someone if they wasnt a FREE ride and they'll say "no"; they don't want to pay. did you catch that? Most people hear the word 'ride' and tune out. It's always a double take if it happens, "Wait did you say free?" This is usualy followed by the following: "Free?" "Yes" "Free?" "Yes" "Really?" "Yes" "You won't charge us?" "No" "But free?" "Yes. Ride?" "Hell Yes". Its rediculous I know. I have to do this with every single person unless they've ride before. It doesn't matter where I drop the F-word; "would you like a free ride?" "would you like a ride for free?" "Do you guys like free stuff? how bout a ride?" nothing works well. "Did I mention its free?" I always have to stress that fact that its free like 10 times before someone gets it and gets in. Sadly this is one of the hardest parts of the job.

Being an EZ Rider....isn't

So the fleet got a new EZ Rider who soon found out that "EZ" is more irony than one man can take. Last night was his second night riding, and while he was beat, it was a significantly better than his first. I had always wondered what would happen if a non-bike crazed individual, one who doesn't normally ride 100 miles a week and isn't given to ridiculous feats of leg muscle, tried this job. Well I got to find out, and it wasn't pretty. I wouldn't say anything bad about him if it was still true, and he has since improved. In his first night, he managed to break two bikes and throw up ten times. Oh yes, it's true. This guy is a red blooded, all American male and he had his ... lunch handed to him. This puts things in a whole new perspective; my job is hard, hard work. But the new guy's second night was a complete success; no vomiting and no broken bike (he rode his own bike an old rigid GT with full XT). Props to him. And the next time Joe Blow says he can totally do my job, I'll have a story for him.

Greetings from Amsterdam

Last night I spotted a large group coming from the Warehouse/Factory area (badly named apartments a long block behind Northgate). Large groups usually don't all want a ride, luckily, and if they all can't go then no one will, but that's not always the case, besides one the of the guys was....glowing. As soon as I get close I am flagged down with strong European accents. It sounded a bit German and a bit Swedish. I was informed by the already inebriated glowing man that they were from Amsterdam and that it was his birthday. He was glowing because he was drenched in glowsticks, flashers, and other phosphorous filled goodies that easily added 10 lbs to his weight. And if a glowing guy wasn't enough he had a buddy dressed in liederhousen. Three of them got on and wanted to go to the V-bar so away we went. The whole way he was shouting to perfect strangers like they were old friends spreading his good news. He kept repeating something about having a cookie; or something equally ridiculous and/or baked. Finally his friend told him to shut up and that no one cared. "But its my birthday". saw that retort coming. There was quite a reception when we arrived at the V-bar. Probably more perfect strangers. What a guy from Amsterdam was doing in College Station on his birthday, I'll never know. At least the tip was good.

To the power of 7!!

So last weekend I set my personal record of having 7 people on the back of my cab. That's right 7 people. How you ask? I mean those cabs can only comfortably sit 3. Well anything is possible when your fair is skinny white girls. They were out celebrating a 21st birthday party, always a good reason to do crazy stuff, and were in desperate need to travel 1 block. Lucky I arrived in the nic'o'time to save them the 100 yard walk to Northgate. 7 girls @ 120 lbs average was pushing my abilities not to mention crushing the bearings in my cab's wheels. Sorry cab. And while the obvious conclusion reaches you that I have to have an enormous amount of strength to pedal over 800 lbs, which I do, it may escape you that an amazing ability to start, balance, and stop 800 lbs is also required. Too bad I only got $3.