Taxis are bastards

I've long suspected that the taxi's in Brisbane are corrupt. Not just in the usual way (ie. Money grabbing, keep-customer-waiting, Deny ever-receiving-booking, long-route-taking thieves) but in an even more deceiptful way.

I think they actually cheat one another. I'm sure that the different cab companies have found a way to listen in on one anothers radios. I've long suspected it but today I think I've discovered proof.

I was waiting at the bus stop and a taxi came along. He slowed right down and made invitation-type gestures at me. I suspect he'd been called to the stop by someone impatient of waiting for their bus. I shook my head and he drove off. Less than a minute later another taxi done the same thing. He "spotted" me and swerved across three lanes to pull up. I told him I was waiting for a bus rather than a taxi. He looked a little surprised, shrugged and drove away.

About 40 seconds later, take #3. Yet another taxi hooted as he went past. I didn't acknowledge him but he done a U-turn at the lights and came back. He stood at the other side of the street waving me over to him.

I conclude that either:
a) Someone was playing a prank, (by calling several taxi companies and saying a guy in a blue shirt was waiting at Stop 37 - unlikely at 10am on a weekday morning)

b) Someone had made a genuine call for a cab, and they'd radio'd the drivers and every cab company in Brisbane had heard it and tried to get the job.

I may do a combination of a + b just to see what happens.

While on the subject, why is it that there is such a variance between cab drivers? How come some speak no English, have no social skill and drive like loons while others chat away, act socially and even do favours? Just human nature I guess.

I've never forgiven the cabbie that charged me #10 to jump start my car though. I'd just arrived at the train station after a day away to discover I'd left my car lights on and the battery was flat. My fault, I know.

I asked a cabbie if he happened to have a set of jump leads. He did, we got my car started in under 2 mins and then the bastard charged me. He done more harm to his profession in that 2 minutes than has ever been done before. Tighter than a ducks arse. Bah.