Here at CC we’re no strangers to the world of taxi drivers. Both Kevin Martin and Paul had their share of driving large yellow cars, ferrying people every which way. They know all about what happens inside the world of cab drivers. I’ve never driven a cab and, with what you’re about to read, I probably never will. I value my life.
Before my family had more than one car, mother and I were forced to use public transport while my dad used the car for his job. When I was on school holiday she’d take me to her office where I’d be allowed to muck about and get in the middle of other people’s jobs for eight hours, or until someone gave me a PC or a book.
When it was time to leave we’d have to get a cab to get us closer to home. Usually the process went like this: walk until you find a taxi stand, sit on a bench for forty minutes while you have a smelly man on your left and a long-sufferring woman with a crying baby to your right. Proceed to slide very slowly across the bench while a man stuffs people in groups of five in every cab that arrives (not counting the driver), get in the cab, and then proceed to question the existence of benevolence in the universe as the 1983 Corolla without a single working dial but with Reggaeton blasting at a million decibels through a tinny sound system takes you through the gridlocked city streets.
Observant readers will have noticed that I used the phrase “closer to home”. That’s because we used “Collective” taxis, which go from point to point rather than taking you exactly where you want to go. Direct Taxis—for people that didn’t want to stuff themselves with other four random strangers, and want to be dropped off exactly where they want to go—are also available and considerably more expensive. How much more expensive? Well it depends on where you’re going, who you are, and who your driver is.
You see, unlike the U.S or Europe where you have boring things like a taximeter and universal fees, Honduran taxis rely on the haggle system. You hail the cab and you discuss with the driver how much he’ll charge you to get you where you’re going; if you reach an agreement you get in. While this is happening I’m stuck behind, swearing, promising I’ll vote for anyone who makes it legal to just ram them to the shoulder. Or at least I would, but we’ll get to that in a bit. If you happen to hail an airport cab, the cab driver WILL charge you $25 regardless of your destination. Your best bet would be to go to a mall and take one of the cabs that they provide, as they’re a mix of a point (fixed rates, you can only get them at one place) and direct (you don’t share it with other people, it actually gets you where you want to go)
Regulation is spotty at best; taxi owners don’t deal in actual cabs, rather, they deal in cab numbers. The state puts out a certain amount of numbers for each area (four digits for the bigger urban areas usually) and it’s up to the buyers to decide on what to put it on. The only regulations are that the taxi must be white (with a stripe on certain areas) and that the numbers must be of a certain colors on a rectangle on a certain color. Apart from that, everything goes.
Utopian? Nah. number hoarding is widespread. It also means that most taxis are the cheapest things you can get on the market are very old and cheap. Up until parts became hard to find the Datsun 210 was a favorite. But like everything in Tegucigalpa, the taxi driver world has been taken over by the gospel of Toyota.
It used to be around 10 years ago that the average cab was either a 210 or an E70 corolla, but time has passed and nowadays chances are that your cab will be a well-worn E90 or E100 Corolla. That’s not to say there isn’t variety, as there’s still a compilation of ‘80s and ‘90s Japanese metal roaming the streets. One particular point owner, perhaps in the hope to shed the image of collective cabs being the rejects of post-apocalyptic movies, decided to spruce up his fleet with some art in metal by designo Pininfarina.
Unfortunately, that art in metal was the Hyundai Matrix, still orders of magnitude better than whatever he had before. It was on a Hyundai Matrix that we had our worst cab ride ever. There were a couple of nominations. The Hyundai Stellar that leaked exhaust fumes into the interior just after I had just read about the effects of having exhaust fumes leak into a cabin; the Corolla with half a turn of steering play; endless rides with horrible music or worse people. But the one that takes the cake was the one we had a couple of years ago. It was the middle of winter (which meant 22°C instead of 30) and we needed to go to pick up my sister from a friends and we had to hail a cab. Enter this Hyundai Matrix from hell.
At first it didn’t seem that bad at first, the car was clean and the driver seemed friendly while haggling. But once we went on the road, disaster. I would’ve never thought that a diesel Hyundai Matrix could be that fast. Common lore will tell you that the fastest car in the world is a rental car; common lore is dead wrong. We were driven on the ragged edge while this man transformed from a driver Jekyll to a Christian Hyde. I say Christian because while he attempted to kill us he’d also started playing what I can only call “Christian Salsa” and singing. Unfortunately I was far too distracted with my own communications with the lord to notice how well was he singing. We made it to our destination, paid the driver and left. The cab driver moved on to the next victim fare. How bad was it? We purchased a second car not too long afterwards.
Another very popular cab, as you’ve been able to see throughout this article is the Isuzu I-Mark. The GM J-cars were not particularly popular here when badged through normal GM brands, but stick a clattery diesel engine and an Isuzu badge, and it’ll live to this day as a cab with more than a quarter million miles on it. Although I have to mention my mother did have a Chevrolet Chevette that is still going as a cab to this very day.
Go outside of the city and you won’t find many normal taxis, instead there’s an ever-growing number of tuk-tuks or “Mototaxis” as they’re called around here, having never been to India, I can only speculate that they’re as terrifying there as they are here.
I mentioned at the beginning of the article that I would never be a cab driver. Why? Well, there’s this little problem with being a cab driver here: You will positively get murdered. Between 2012 and 2013 there were 153 taxi drivers murdered in Honduras; crime is the scythe that destroys all that’s good around here and it causes nothing but grief and fear. It’s not like it’s not known either, this year a congressman shot a cab driver execution style. Due process is still being followed. 32 passengers were killed too. Think about that next time you get picked in a slightly dirty Crown Victoria.
For a long time, I jokingly threatened Mrs. Jason with becoming a part-time cab driver. As her father drove a cab briefly in the 1960s, she didn’t like this idea one bit. He kept his 0.38 revolver within reach, so that likely leveled the playing field to some small degree.
His thought process was well-founded. During a trip to Detroit, Mrs. Jason and I saw a cab driver that had been murdered while still sitting in his Caprice, just a few blocks from the Renaissance Center downtown.
What you describe does not sound pleasant in any way! 🙂
Having spent more than a few years as a cab driver, having a gun in the car would be about the worst thing one could do to prevent trouble. The best thing is to avoid picking up those who look like trouble makers or are too drunk. If you do get into an uncomfortable situation, descalation is the way to go. I can’t see much benefit in waving a gun around to a drunk crackhead who has lot less to lose than you do.
But we’re taught not to judge people by appearances; cops get in trouble nowadays for thinking like that. Anyway, we like to believe criminals look the part, but it ain’t always so.
This is not to say a handgun would be practical. Once one starts driving, self-defense is very problematic.
Political correctness does not apply at 3:00 am. If it looks and acts like bad news, then it’s bad news, and no, it has nothing to do with race, creed or religion. Being an idiot is universal. I’ve had moronic fares from a broad spectrum of society. By far the worst are rich white guys, followed closely by politicians.
I agree with what you say about avoidance or de-escalation. He was primarily on day shift, but did have some nights. The late 1960s was a totally different place than our current world.
On the flip side, saying he had a weapon nearby does not equate to waving it around.
Jean then-Lindamood wrote a column in Automobile Magazine about driving a cab in the early ’70s and being the first woman the taxi owner had hired. He supplied her with his very large German Shepherd as a condition of her getting any evening shifts…
My time spent driving a cab in the very warm and sunny winter of ’76 in San Diego sounds like a vacation compared to this. I drove the day shift, and I had a few semi-weirdos on occasion, but never felt the slightest bit unsafe. Our battered old Chevys probbaly weren’t in much better shape though 🙂
In the taxi business, there is a saying, “Nothing good happens after midnight.” I drove nights while an undergrad student and let me tell you, there were always weirdos, drunks and later druggies. There were more than a few times I felt scared, but over time I learned the best thing to do is:
1) Avoid trouble as much as possible.
2) NEVER rise to conflict. It only makes angry drunks more angry.
I drove a yellow taxi in NY City for a while in the very late 70s and early 80s, the night shift. Checker cabs, some had a partition, others didn`t. I usually got one without the “cage” and I liked it better because you could hear your customers. With a few exceptions, it was like taking a tour through Hell. The makers of the movie “Taxi Driver” got this part right. “You talkin` to me”? “Who else would it be? There`s only you and I in the cab”. However, the people I met at the garage were a great group and many were the hours we spent together hanging out and going to eat after the shift was over.Made some good friendships too.Thank God I never had a serious problem with any of my customers in those dark days of a declining,decaying NY.
Back in the late 60’s, we grabbed a cab at the train station in Torreon, Mexico. It was an ancient Studebaker with only a hint of the original seat covers remaining. It seemed like every intersection on the way to the hotel was a 4-way stop, and the driver would shut off the engine every single time. When it was his turn to go, he’d crank the starter, hit the gas, and drive to the next intersection. I don’t think he saved much gas by doing that, but I did wonder how many starters he went through.
I have never been to Honduras to sample their cabs but I have experience with taxis in Latin America.
Argentina: It can be a scary ride in to the city (BA) from Ezezia; you are well advised to take a “remise” when possible. That is sort of like a Town Car in New York – really a private black sedan point to point. Or there is a good bus service. I had one taxi ride (orange and black Ford Falcons or various Peugeots back in the ’90s) that was deeply concerning. It pulled off the expressway from the airport and stopped briefly at a “barrio” of crummy high rises not far from Ezezia. Don’t know why but I did make it to downtown BA though did not feel at all comfortable. At that time, when I got into the taxi some sort of police officer asked the me where I was going and I guess I learned why the inquiry was made on that disconcerting ride. BA may seem civil but there is crime and a lot of poverty/poor neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city.
Chile: A safe, sane, civilized country. Lots of old taxis and a big variety when I was there also in the ’90s. In the seaside town of Vina del Mar the first car in the queue at a taxi stop was a Lada. I would not get in a Russian car and passed on it. Next car was a ’68 or ’69 Olds Cutlass four door and it was fine.
Guatemala: I was alone with only a backpack; no luggage to carry really. Guatemala City is seemingly not as dangerous as Tegucigalpa but I did not want to use the taxis if I did not have to. I walked from the airport (“La Aurora”) to downtown and back upon departure. It was not too far – maybe 1.5 or 2 miles each way – and had no problem.
Interesting! “Colectivos” are also used here in Chile. I take them twice a week and it works fine. Mostly because the drivers don’t listen to reggaeton, but mostly to 70s and 80s romantic ballads that I like anyway. And also cars are much newer and well maintained. Most popular is the B13 Sunny/Sentra, called V16 here, which was sold until 2010, built in Mexico. The best is when I get a Nissan Tiida, those are roomy! The worst is the cramped Chevrolet Corsa Sedan.
I have a question. Are those old Japanese cars second hand imports, or where they sold new in Honduras? Specially he Isuzus, I wonder if the brand was so popular in the country back in the day.
The Isuzus are were all bought here, if I were to speculate they were the car of choice back then and then they filtered down to the cab world as they became worn down and replaced by corollas.
Thanks! Found the website of the Isuzu importer in Honduras, they’ve been selling them since he days of the Bellel, including the I-Mark.
http://www.casajaar.com/laempresa.html
I spent time in Calcutta India and most of the cab’s were the venerable Hindsustan Ambassador. Which was based off a 1950’s Morris Oxford. I saw a few with the hoods up and some had flat fours while others had of all things Isuzu engines. This one is a rare example not in taxi livery.
Are those Mercedes hubcaps??
Having never taken a taxi cab in any city in my life, this was quite informative and one of the most interesting ever on CC for me. And, to put my age into perspective, I’m only 5-6 yeas away from retirement. And where I live is only 3 and 1/2 hours away from Motor City (Detroit). My overall response comment to this well-written article is: Wow, just Wow! Thanks for sharing your experiences, Gerardo.
Thanks for an entertaining article about both the humorous and dangerous sides of taxicabs in Honduras! I do particularly like the I-marks…though most look like they’ve seen far better days!
My cab experience has been limited, mostly rides to and from the airport and train station over the years. Probably the most amusing was, when leaving the train station one night in 2012, the first cab in the queue was a stretch Lincoln Town Car limo from the early 90’s. Despite it being a stretch limo, and despite me being alone, the fare was the same as any other cab ride. Felt like a minor celebrity. Of course, the driver had trouble figuring out how to use his GPS (he said it was new) so I had to give him turn-by-turn directions through the partition… Still memorable though!
I was in Tegucigalpa over the summer, I swear thats the place where Corollas go to die. I didn’t have to take one as the mission trip I was on, had a driver and a van to take us around from the Clarion to out in the hinterlands.
I was sure glad that I didn’t have to drive in that chaos! those cab drivers are insane!
Gerardo, great article. Thank you! I remember taking a taxi in Warsaw, Poland from the university to the airport and the guy had a late 90s Mercedes E class. He was driving around 100-110 kms (60-65 mph) in some of the avenues!! I was quite nervous but then remembered that my father in law drove even faster in his Skoda felicia, so I remained calm.
Never had issues in Argentina because I always called a remise. Bolivia was another story.
In La Paz they always overcharged us if they heard us speaking English. After we noticed this, we spoke Spanish before entering the taxi and asked about price EVERY time. Once they said the magic number (6 bolivianos I think, this was in 2001) we took it and then woukd change back into English. In Santa Cruz de la Sierra, we hired a private taxi, a guy with a mid 80s Nissan Cedric diesel and with A/C, which was ideal for the summer.
A lot of the taxis there were the so called “transformers”, right hand drive Japanese cars imported by companies in Chile. Many were sold to bolivians. Once we took a taxi and although the steering wheel and pedals where moved tot he left, the instrument panel was still rigth hand side!!
Geraldo,
Your story brings back memories of my childhood in 1950’s Cuba. We also had the “collectivas” as you called them. The cabs were all Chevrolet, Ford, and some Plymouths from 1955 to 1957. I rode with my mother to a neighboring city on a monthly basis for my appointment with the orthodontist. The cabs would pack as many people as possible no a/c, blaring radios, people trying to talk over the radio, lots of sweat and smells. Ah the old days.
Those taxi rides rid me of ever wanting to own a “collector” mid fifties Chevy, Ford, or Plymouth.
Great write-up Gerardo! When in Bangalore in India a few years ago I used a few tuk-tuk taxis. They were terrifying – but even more terrifying were the city roads…! I remember reading the road accident reports in the papers, the tuk-tuk death toll was positively horrific…
In the mid/late 90s I spent a lot of time in Mexico on business. At the time you could easily get around Mexico City in the ubiquitous VW Beetle taxis, which were great fun. Unfortunately in subsequent years these became synonymous with hold-ups and worse…Wildest taxi ride for me was in 1998, in Santo Domingo, from the airport in a clapped out 1979 Impala with a Jacksonville dealer tag (oh, if that car could talk…). Even then, though, I noticed how Corollas, Sentras et al were starting to dominate…
On a visit to Tunisia in 1988 I actually quite enjoyed riding around in various Peugeot taxis dating back to the old 403, all of them troupers and in remarkably good condition.
Toyota does seem to rule now. Camrys seem to be the new taxis of choice in many North American cities, along with Priuses. I’m wondering if the new “NYC and London Standard” Nissan NV200 will start to dominate around the world…Of course, the Japanese makers always had dedicated taxi models, such as the JDM Toyota Crown taxis.
In a parallel universe, it would be fun to image a modern-day Checker that would’ve provided a little North American competition here….
I’ve never been in anything like a Tegucigalpa Taxi. Back in the early ’90’s my then- girlfriend (now my wife) and I went to Acapulco for a few weeks, and rode in a wide variety of taxis. Some were in better repair than others, but the drivers were always pleasant and we never had to wait long for one. We rode in everything from VW Bugs and vans to a late ’70’s Malibu and newer Nissans. We even rode in an old Datsun with a front seat that wasn’t quite bolted to the floor. Here in Toronto the old Panthers (mostly retired police cruisers) are being replaced by new Camrys and the occasional Buick Lacrosse and Chrysler 300’s and minivans. Impalas are pretty common as well. I had a part-time gig with my neighbor several years ago driving a limo. It was primarily corporate customers, and it was an interesting job. I met people from all over, and many of them had an interesting tale or two to share. The first car we drove was a ’97 Lincoln Town Car, replaced later by a 2006. The ’06 was an Executive L model, with a longer wheelbase and plenty of room in the back. It drove and handled quite well for a big car – the ’97 was kind of wallowy, while the ’06 felt much more controlled. While I prefer small to mid-sized cars for myself, it was a great place to spend a long day, and it was always comfortable.
Taxis ;
Oh , jeeze .
Back in the 1970’s all around So. Cal. were rinky dink Cab Co’s that used whatever undented piece of junk they found , painted in their livery colors .
I remember one guy still drove a ’56 Chevy Sedan until it was broadsided , two weeks later he showed up in a ’56 Chevy four door Station Wagon….
A buddy drove for aa San Gabriel Valley Cab Outfit that has mostly Checkers , very decrepit but as mentioned here before , nearly impossible to kill and he liked the grave yard shift , eat up more than a few drunks who gave him a hard time .
Checkers had an inverted release door handle on the right rear door , easy to reach by the Cabbie as he pulled to the curb .
My buddy would tumble drunks or gun toters right out into the street as he drove , didn’t want to get shot , no partitions back then .
Yellow Cab was just West of Down Town L.A. and was really bad , closed up shop in the middle of the night leaving hundreds of Cabs locked up .
In Guatemala there was the remains of a ’57 Chevy Sedan , all wrinkly , every inch of it and hand painted red white and blue with ” ALL AMERICAN TAXI ” written on the sides .
One time in Mexico I called for a Cab and an Old Guy showed up in his beat up blue Ford Maverick Coupe , I was carrying quite a bit of cash and wanted to get across the border A.S.A.P. so I wasn’t worried , my buddy with me at that moment , (a Mexican) was terrified and insisted I ride shotgun with a piece of pipe , I had a nice time chatting with the Old man , his regular Cab was broken down and he was grateful we’d ridden with him , he hardly charged us anything , like $10 and took us 5 miles into the U.S.A. where we’d left the truck parked and locked .
I’m enjoying the stories here .
-Nate