Driving a taxi and SA

[tactilame]

So, I've been seeing these cab-driving horror stories in the news lately, and they've got me thinking: if you drove a cab, what would your approach be in preparing for how to defend yourself?

4 Arrested for Cab Driver Attack | NBC 10 Philadelphia

Obviously this man isn't of legal age to carry, but I'm just using this story as an example for the scenario; what would YOU do if you were the driver and were legally carrying?

It seems to me like driving a taxi is one of the worst professions when it comes to situational awareness, simply because a majority of the people you encounter will be BEHIND you the entire time, and by the nature of your job you would be distracted by driving, paying attention to lights, other cars, directions, et cetera.

It seems to me like a big part of the job in terms of safety would be preemptive, that is, deciding very carefully who you allow to get in the back of your cab. Even that, though, obviously isn't foolproof, and it certainly wouldn't help you make more money.

If it were me, and I could afford it, assuming the company allowed it, I would install a cage like they have in police cruisers, with a small unlocking door between the driver and passenger side for monetary transactions, and I'd never let passengers I don't know ride in the front/keep front doors locked at all times etc. That'd at least help deter knife attacks. I'd definitely keep OC spray handy as well. But what other precautions could you take?

I've never been a cab driver, and I don't ever plan on becoming one, but after hearing so many horror stories my curiosity has spiked. What would y'all do?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[WHEC724]

There are some things that I just wouldn't do...

Run through the projects in a white hood...

Spit on a cop...

Taunt a grisly bear in the wild...

Pick a fight with Chuck Norris...

Drive a cab.

[Hopyard]

Most legitimate cabs I've been in have some sort of cage and glass divider between the front and the back seat.
Philadelphia actually has a pretty good cab system. Much better than in NYC.'
Major benefits_ fixed price for trip from airport to Center City; you get to choose meter or set price.
Lots of companies; keep a few numbers in your cell phone and they will pick you up quickly, especially when the
dispatchers recognize you as a regular.
You can still hail a cab from the street if that is convenient for you.
In my limited experience they've been polite and/or quiet.

One time when I was headed to the airport we got a flat; another cab from another company pulled over to protect our
lane, helped our driver change the tire, refused a tip from me.

There is a lot to not like about Philadelphia, but the cabs are OK--- and how those guys survive the job is beyond me.
You've got to brave. I'd wear a vest with a plate if I had to do that job.

[tactilame]

Most legitimate cabs I've been in have some sort of cage and glass divider between the front and the back seat.

I've seen this too, but I've also noted the little area where you exchange money is often always open or doesn't have a little closing door. It'd be very easy for someone to reach through there with a knife. I also wonder what the strength of that glass is.

On a more humorous note, I'd probably try to change the name on my ID paper facing the back seat so that it says Travis Bickle.

[archer51]

I won't deliver pizza, I won't work in a stop and rob and I won't drive a cab, so for me it is a non-issue.

[Hopyard]

I won't deliver pizza, I won't work in a stop and rob and I won't drive a cab, so for me it is a non-issue.

FWIW I had an uncle who drove a hack in NYC for about 40 years. I'm sure it was tough on him but he happened to like
a sort of freedom which came with that job. He couldn't handle something less challenging.

He was however an adventuresome sort who enlisted in the British Army at the outset of WWII--well before we got involved, and he probably knew how to handle himself exceptionally well. Now that I'm thinking of this I can't recall him ever telling a
war story; so I suspect he actually had a pretty rough time. The "really done it" types tend to keep quiet.

So, back on topic, given what I just wrote, I usually just assume the braggarts are full of it.

oops-- got lost and forgot which thread I was responding to. Tossed in something on the stolen valor issue running elsewhere.

[old grunt]

I'd drive a limo....but never a cab. If I did I might be strapped like Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver"

[sabis]

I'd wear a vest with a plate if I had to do that job.

[Stubborn]

I think if had to drive a cab...I'd drive from the back seat and make the "fares" sit up front, so I could keep an eye on them.
They'd be the ones getting shot in the back of the head instead of me.

[Secret Spuk]

I drove a gypsy cab in NYC for a few years as a second job. It did get a bit dicey at times. I shared the car with another driver. One night I got beat, and the fair-beat threatened me with a knife. I told the other driver about it and he said he'd leave the gun in the car for me... First time I carried an ilegal gun in NY.

After being sworn in as a Police Officer I always had a habit of checking on cab drivers safety... And I never looked under their seat.

At one point gypsy cab robberies and assaults became epidemic. The NYPD came up with a plan to outfit a small yellow light next to the license plate. This was called the distress signal. If a radio car spotted one of them on we'd pull the car over and and remove the passengers for a pat down (stop&frisk). And check on the drivers welfare.

[Hopyard]

I drove a gypsy cab in NYC for a few years as a second job. It did get a bit dicey at times. I shared the car with another driver. One night I got beat, and the fair-beat threatened me with a knife. I told the other driver about it and he said he'd leave the gun in the car for me... First time I carried an ilegal gun in NY.

After being sworn in as a Police Officer I always had a habit of checking on cab drivers safety... And I never looked under their seat.

At one point gypsy cab robberies and assaults became epidemic. The NYPD came up with a plan to outfit a small yellow light next to the license plate. This was called the distress signal. If a radio car spotted one of them on we'd pull the car over and and remove the passengers for a pat down (stop&frisk). And check on the drivers welfare.

Very nice touch. Amazing what some street experience brings to life.

[MisterAvis]

It never get's old: Better to be judged by 12. I know a LOT of cabbies in the PRK. Many of them got smart. And I'm with them... not their sadist rulers.

[Secret Spuk]

Well... if any of you guys are cabbies.. A good tactic is to drive at high speed like a maniac to the nearest police station. They guy probably wont shoot you because he'll get crunched in the crash... and worst case you'll get pulled over by a cop... Either way you win.

[zonker1986]

long story, but I drove a cab in Denver for a year 5pm to 5am. Got 10 proposals of marriage.....2 from women, had guns pulled on me twice, drove into a gang shoot out, and had drug deals going down in my back seat on several occasions.
....Your only plan of survival is pray a lot, and plan on how to hit the breaks and bail out of the car. With your back to the potential bad guys, you have no chance.
....wha can I say? I was younger and much more bullet proof. I had fun. Would not do it again for anything.

[Superhouse 15]

I have met quite a few cab drivers in my many years of working in gun shops. I've always found that profession to be quite well armed.

I can recall a driver who came into the shop where I used to work. He had been shot in the head by a robber using a .25, and had survived with almost no damage. He was buying his first gun. A week or so later another cab driver from the same company shot the suspect with another .25. It had passed through the side window and hit the suspect, who was caught a mile or so away. That driver was buying a bigger gun than his .25. We had a lot of business from them since we treated them right.