Paradise Driver: SINCE IT WAS FRIDAY

Saturday, October 28, 2006

SINCE IT WAS FRIDAY

I HAD THE PHONE

As soon as I logged on, the owner transferred the phone to me. The only scheduled pickup was an 8:30p from the Kea Lani to OGG. I was also the only cab available, anywhere, and was "first up" in Wailea. About 5 minutes later, I get a call from some people at the Maui Oceanfront Inn (MOF) inquiring about the cab they had scheduled for 7:00p. Dropped call #1. I roll on it. Two minutes after that, the valet desk at The Grand calls, wanting to know where the cab was for the 7:00p pickup to OGG. Dropped call #2. Cab #27 had cleared in Kihei and was returning to Wailea. I told him to "beat feet" to The Grand. He finally made the pickup at 7:30p. The passengers were not "happy campers". Luckily for #27, this was being billed to a master account at The Grand, which includes an automatic 15% gratuity for the driver.

It is extremely frustrating to be "blindsided", twice, at the beginning of the shift.

The first couple of hours stayed very busy and I had to decline about 8 calls, since every cab at my disposal was tied up on runs and I was backlogged about 30-45 minutes.

About 10:00p, the rush ended and became just the routine of a Friday night. #05 had called off and myself, with #15, #25 and #27, trudged through the tedium of the night. Bar close was the usual Keystone Kop dog and pony show and then the phone never rang again until 4:20a. (one exception below)

That call was from MPD. They were requesting a cab in the middle of Kihei, on the highway, near Safeway. Some people needing to go to Kahului. I started to roll on it when the little bulb went on above my head. Flor, one of my dayshift reliefs, picks his van up at the far north end of Kihei but usually doesn't check-in until he reaches Wailea. I called him on the phone and, sure enough, he was just 1/2 mile from where the police had the people's vehicle stopped. I gave him the run. He had driven less than 2 miles when they demanded to be let out. They paid Flor and started walking back to their SUV. He radioed me and I called the non-emergency number for MPD and told them what had happened. They relayed this to the patrol officers. It must have been interesting when MPD stopped the vehicle again, after having given all the occupants a very big break. Can you spell S-T-U-P-I-D?

Speaking of stupid. During the bar close rush, I get a call from a guy in Mau'i Meadows who want to go to The Shops At Wailea. I dispatch #27. A short while later, #27 advises that there is no such address. I remembered how many calls back this was on the phone and do a call-back. I confirmed the address and then told the man that there was no such house number. The number he had given me was 679. After a brief discussion, he insisted that he was at 978. Whoa! Thats another mile further up into the hills. I told him to forget it. He was wasting our time and gas and sent #27 on to another call in Wailea. 45 minutes later the guy calls back and wants to know when his cab is going to arrive. I ask him for the pickup address and he tells me 679 again. I gently and kindly (Yeah, right!) informed him that no cab was coming and that I was the only cab on the southside at that time of the morning and he was probably going to have to walk the 4 niles to The Shops. Unlike Brian, over at The Blank Top Chronicles, who chews stupid callers up with the finesse of a scalpel, my response is more sledgehammer and chainsaw. I know that the use of rude, coarse and vulgar language is the sign of a limited vocabulary but I have found that it is the only thing that penetrates what few brain cells that most drunks have left functioning in their pea-sized cranial cavity.

Turned the phone and reservations over to Flor and then hung around until a second cab came on duty.

Overall, an average Friday, moneywise.

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This morning's sunrise at Mauna Kea: