Taxi Drivers and Cell Phones

Got into a cab tonight, yes, this was stupid because its a waste of money in Toronto, however I didn't feel at all tempted to wander the streets alone in the dark tonight.

In doing so, I have discovered that I have a new pet peeve. The second I got into the cab, he got on his cell phone, and proceeded to have a conversation with someone who was obviously depressed right in front of me. This makes me think back to most of the cab rides I have taken in the last year or so. From what I can recall, at least 92% of the cab rides have been spent listening to them talk to their family and friends, and I have decided that this really bothers me.

When I am sitting on the street car, for example, if my phone rings, I almost never answer it - this is because Im not interested in sharing my life with everyone who has ears perked, looking for something more interesting to pay attention to.

My cab driver tonight was talking to someone whose wife just left him, and lost everything just recently. The man was obviously wrecked over the situation, because all the cab driver kept saying was 'Don't kill yourself'. I understand that people need to talk when they go through something tough - of course I do because I need to talk through things too - but why in the world would you want to have THAT conversation when there is an unsuspecting girl in the back seat? I feel for the person on the other end of the phone. Some things are private, and that's the end of it. I do not want to share my life with strangers that I meet on the street - why in the world would these people think that it's any different for anyone else?

JP