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Original poster

Most memorable taxi ride?

82 replies

pigeonorstatue · 01/08/2021 08:57

A friend and I were talking last night about how some of our most emotional times have been spent in a taxi with a stranger!

Trips to hospital, getting out after a break-up, excitement on the way to an airport!

What's been your most memorable taxi ride and why?

OP posts:
ActonSquirrel · 01/08/2021 13:52

I had just been sacked by an abusive firm and they gave me 5 minutes to clear my desk and ordered me a taxi.

The driver was lovely. A Brazilian man who had moved here. His wife was expecting a baby and they were a religious family.

I told him what had just happened and he chatted to me all the way home. He said I would be OK and that God would be watching over me. I'm not religious but his kindness is something I never forgot.

barnanabas · 01/08/2021 14:55

Central America. Late at night, fresh (not fresh at all!) off the plane. Taxi suddenly veered off the main road and into a kind of shanty town. A couple of men got in the back with us. DH was terrified; I felt very calm - I think it was a freeze response. Eventually, driver explained it was his brothers and he was giving them a ride into town too.

Drive to hospital in labour with my first child. I'd resisted going in for quite a while, as I didn't want to be one of the first-time mums who goes in too early and gets sent home. We decided to go after the football finished (we lived next to a PL stadium). Match went to extra time, and by the time it finished I was ready to go NOW. But we couldn't get a minicab to come and pick us up. Eventually we had to walk down the main road, with all the hospital bags, battling with all the football fans to flag down a black cab. Very nice driver made me sit on a bin bag, but waved our money away.

DufferMum · 01/08/2021 15:12

I travelled from Maidenhead to Heathrow with a slaughterhouse worker turned taxi driver. He was very graphic and I have never been so scared in my life!

DufferMum · 01/08/2021 15:15

Oooh, yes there was a taxi ride in Glasgow where the driver started some beef with people who knew in another car who had cut him up. I thought he was going to start a fight and DP was going get dragged in as a passenger in the car

mamakoukla · 01/08/2021 15:21

I took a wrong turning and was walking through a dodgy part of the city, lost. Saw an empty taxi and was whisked home. So grateful as was feeling unsafe, late at night. Gave him a tip equal to the fare.

The taxi driver who took us to the children’s hospital and didn’t charge for the wait time and drove us back. So kind.

BIoodyStupidJohnson · 01/08/2021 15:21

Got in a Lyft, got out with a date. Gorgeous Mexican-American guy in LA. It was all very short-term but we had a lot of fun for six days.

Milomonster · 01/08/2021 15:26

1996 - My taxi driver was psychic and started telling me details about my life he couldn’t possibly have known.

LeanneBrownsLonelyBraincell · 01/08/2021 16:07

I was in a European country trying to get to the airport however managed to get a train heading in totally the opposite direction.

Realised there's a strong chance the flight might be missed, got off train at a deserted station, found a taxi and told him to drive as fast as he could.

So he did. Scary speeds.

I felt like I was in a movie. And yes, we made the flight....

BikeRunSki · 01/08/2021 17:59

Probably the one where I was out with my friends in the next (large) village and we ran into one of my neighbours, celebrating the birth of his new (first) baby with his mates. He’d booked a taxi for the 1.5 miles home and offered to share it. Stupidly I accepted, as he launched himself at me once we’d got going. I am forever grateful to the taxi driver who worked out what was going on, stopped, and dragged him out. Then took me home.

QueefofSheena · 01/08/2021 18:07

The trip where the driver was Robin ‘my resistance is low Sarstedt, real name Clive. Sadly, he didn’t resist telling me all about his previous life as a ‘pop star’

SquirryTheSquirrel · 01/08/2021 18:09

I love that song, Queef !

memberofthewedding · 01/08/2021 18:09

Mine was back in the 1970s in Iran (while the Shah was still in power). I was with a group and thanks to going off by myself had missed the rendezvous time to go through the border crossing to Turkey with the group. There were no buses to the border from the city I was in so on the suggestion of the hotel clerk I hired a taxi to take me there. He assured me I could easily hire a taxi or pick up a bus on the Turkish side to get to the next meeting point.

I was only in my 20s at the time and quite nervous in case something went wrong. In fact I had missed the group crossing by several hours but the hotel employee was correct. There were plenty of taxis and coaches on the Turkish side waiting for passengers to take to the next city. The coach dropped me right at the door of my hotel and the rest of the group were surprised to see me!

Needless to say the taxi driver (who spoke quite good English) was very chatty and quite used to ferrying people backwards and forwards to the border crossing.

torquewench · 01/08/2021 18:31

The one where the driver turned right at a crossroads to go the wrong way along an unlit dual carriageway.

illuyankas · 01/08/2021 18:39

I was in Paris with my friend, the taxi had huge dog in it. Quite surprised but luckily we both loved dogs so it was ok. But it was very unexpected.

Also when we called taxi from the hotel in LA, the limo turned up. Looked like the driver was moonlighting as a taxi driver.

BertieBotts · 01/08/2021 18:49

@Milomonster

1996 - My taxi driver was psychic and started telling me details about my life he couldn’t possibly have known.
Would love to hear more about this!
Mrsfrumble · 01/08/2021 19:02

The 6am journey to Heathrow one March morning, with DH, 2yo DS and 5mo DD, on our way to catch a flight to the US to live for a few years. DH knew a few people in the city we were moving to, but I didn’t know a soul and was wondering if I’d lost my mind by agreeing to go. There had been a late snowfall and DH and I had stayed up until 2am doing last minute packing and cleaning. We were soooo tired and everything felt dreamlike and surreal.

Also took taxis in both labours; I remember sitting in traffic on the Euston Road on our way to UCH, breathing through contractions and sitting on a plastic bag as my waters hadn’t broken yet.

nocoolnamesleft · 01/08/2021 19:31

Technically a tourist minibus... In Egypt, travelling along the desert road from Cairo to Alexandria for a day trip. I was the only passenger. We broke down in the middle of nowhere. Next thing you know armed police had also pulled over, and insisted on guarding the minibus until it was fixed. I gather they did not want any bad publicity about stuff happening to tourists.

undecided2022 · 01/08/2021 20:35

One in a small country in west Africa offered to impregnate me as my husband was apparently taking too long.

I declined 🤣

Lj8893 · 01/08/2021 20:42

Quite a few!!

  1. In Brighton We got in the cab (black London cab style) and before even sitting down he zoomed off and I went flying and had awful whiplash for days.

  2. Coming home when I was a teen from a night out and our taxi driver was just brilliant, he was called Ray and he was gay so we said (in a nice way) he should call himself gay rays cabs.

  3. Getting kicked out and told I was being blacklisted from a taxi in Bournemouth because she expected me to give her directions and I said the whole point of me getting a cab was so I could give her the address and she would get me there safe and easy. Hmm

EishetChayil · 01/08/2021 20:43

In a Chinese city, got into a cab with lots of fairy lights and music blaring. Cab driver nodded his head to the music all the way to my destination. As he pulled up, he caught my eye in the rear-view mirror and said, in English:

"Disco taxi..... Oh yeah."

Lj8893 · 01/08/2021 20:52

Oh another one and I was off my head on magic mushrooms…..

In Amsterdam we got a ride in a moped powered tuk tuk and it was the funniest time of my life, we were in hysterics the entire journey. Even the driver was laughing with us!

MumofSpud · 01/08/2021 20:58

2 (USA based) spring to mind:

  1. getting a cab from airport to downtown LA - driver hadn't a clue (this was pre-internet /satnavs - so we had to use maps from our travel guide to direct him
  2. getting a cab (solo) in Washington- was a bit wary as there were many dodgy areas in the early 90s. Going through a crossroads a car crashed into a bus (only superficial dents) - we stopped and the cab driver got out to give his details / scream at the car driver who was at fault and locked me in the cab (in the middle of the junction!)
FogHornInTheAttic · 01/08/2021 21:02

Early noughties getting one home from a friend's house a few miles away.We were driving down dark country roads when the driver announced that he was going to switch off the radio system as he didn't want the office to know where he was as doing a private job after dropping me off.
I was totally panicking internally, convinced myself that he planned to hurt me or worse.Fucking idiot.

Jjacobb · 01/08/2021 21:17

In Turkey and realising that our airport transport wasn't going to turn up. We had to hire two taxis for the 45 minute journey. We have six dc so dh and three dc in one and me and others in the second. No seat belts.
The drivers raced each other all the way through mountain roads with forest on both sides. My driver spent most of the journey giving me a lesson in Turkish history and culture, which, if I hadn't been shitting myself would have been very interesting.
At one point he slammed on his brakes as we went round a bend because there was a herd of cows in the road. This is the mountain road with forest on both sides. Cows wtf.
We got our flight with minutes to spare and the dc thought it was the highlight of the holiday.

Pleasegotosleep01 · 01/08/2021 21:21

I was 19, away at uni for the first time living in zone 6 London. Went clubbing with a group of friends (though it was the end of freshers week so hardly knew them) and got separated. 2am - Had to walk from Kings Cross to Paddington and then discovered trains didn't run all night and I had a 5 hour wait for a train. No way near enough money left for a cab. And a black cab driver refused to let me stay in the station, drove me all the way home and refused to take a penny. Was so so grateful - still regret not taking his details so I could send a cheque on afterwards.