The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-10
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN. Director.
Washington, D. C.
TERROR OF THE


They have decided to abandon their
bold, bad ways in favor of life of
virtue. Sir Galahad is their working
model this year instead of Captain
Kidd. Honesty. accuracy, courtesy
and quick service are the new slogans
of the new League of Independent
Taxi Chauffeurs which recently an
nounCed that it would exclude from
its membership and seek to have pun
ished any driver found guilty of the
piracy methods so much in vogue last
year.
While it might be pleasant to as
| sumo, Gentle Reader, that this sudden
| change of heart on the part of taxi
| drivers is a sign of improvement in
the human race, we cannot ignore the
fact that it is doubtless dictated by
expediency. Hard times have hit the
taxi business a particularly heavy
painful experience that all taxi chauf-
| feurs are robbers, will walk miles
rather than use a cab, while the rap
| idly decreasing number who do use
| them are most careful to see that they
are not cheated.
Last year, when the public's pock-
| etbook was considerably fatter, it
| could afford to be a bit careless in the
matter of taxi fares. but now at the
first suspicion of overcharge, it calls
a policeman or reports the matter to
the city license bureau.
!
| taxi drivers are heard every Friday
afternoon in the little court room at
| tached to the department of licenses
| at 81 Center street. They are nearly
always proved to be justified, in which
case the driver is ordered to refund
to the passenger the amount of over
! charge and is lucky if he does not
/ also have his license suspended.
a Typical Case.
| ri
bunal, for example. a young woman
| complained that she had been COM
PEELED to pay a taxi driver 50 for
| trip which should have cost but $3.50.
| She had hailed a cab on West Eighty
sixth street and asked the driver how
much it would cost her to drive to
Thirty-third street hotel. About 81"
| he replied. Whereupon the young wo-
man got into the cab. At the entrance
/ of the hotel, however, the driver in
sisted that owing to several delays in
| traffic the meter registered So. The
| passenger protested, but finally paid
the bill to avoid discussion that was
attracting attention.
| AS she was entering the hotel, the
| hotel starter thrust small piece of
cardboard into her hand.
while you were talking with the
| driver, 1 looked at the meter and it
registered $780," he said. Here is
| the number of the cab. If you will
report this to the license bureau it
will see that you get refund"
| 1t did. And inasmuch as this
was the second complaint registered
| against the same driver, he was de-
prived of his license.
The moral of this story is quite
plain. If you have reason to believe
| that you are being overcharged by
| New York taxi chauffeur, don't waste
| time in argument and recriminatiOn.
If policeman happens to be within
| hailing distance, tell your troubles to
him. If not, simply take the number
| of the cab and if possible the number
| of the driver, exhibited on his shield,
and seek the little court room in Cen
| ter street. Here you are apt to meet
your taxi robber face to face. In all
Likelihood he will protest his limo
cence, swear that he has never seen
you before and claim that he was i'll
in bed at home on the day you say he
| overcharged you. But if you are able
positively to Identify him, the odds are
all in your favor. For long experience
has taught the department of licenses
that people do not make the laborious
| trip to Center street unless they have
substantial grievances.
In accordance with rules laid down
| by the department, the driver of a
public hack must produce, upon de-
mand of its officials, a record of all
trips made by his vehicle during
period of sixty days prior to the de-
mand- Such a record may often be
called upon to prove an abb for the
driver himself or his passenger not
only in cases of this kind but in i'm
portant criminal cases. The driver
who fails to produce such a record
or who presents one of questionable
authenticity is not at all to be envied.
The department also has a list of
other rules with which the wise driver
will comply. It is specified, for in
stance, that he must be at least 81
years old, of sound physique, with
good eyesight, and not subject to epi-
lepsy, vertigo, heart trouble, or other
might render him unfit for the safe
operation of a public hack in crowded
traffic.
Qualifications of a Taxi Driver.
"He must be able to read and write
English" the rules continue, "have
progressed as far as first papers to-
ward naturalization. if alien born.
must be clean in dress and person and
not addicted to the use of intoxicating
liquors. He must present satisfactory
testimonials as to character and pre-
vious record. signed by reputable citi-
zens, and supply a detailed descrip-
| ton of his personal appearance, to-
! gether with fingerprints and photo
graph for the files of the department.
J This photograph must also be at
tached to the little red license book
which every driver carries, to be pro-
duced for Identification purposes at
any time, at the request OF either the
| passenger or officer of the law.
Every taxicab must carry taxi
meter, likewise a printed copy of the
| legal rates of fare. A higher rate
may not be demanded. For a driver
! to offer his services at a flat rate
on the excuse of meter-out-of-order'
| is against the law; the fact alone of
the meter not working properly auto
matically suspends his license until
! such time as the appliance is adjusted
and approved anew
ANY public hack displaying the
| 'ready-for- business signal must ac-
! cept any passenger who applies, to be
carried anywhere within the city linz
| its, whether it be just around the cor
/ 1nrni,at Of ST