OK, take another cab; I can’t stop smoking.
- Posted by Sara on August 21st, 2007 filed in Health and safety, Services, Transportation
Halfway through my cab ride, the driver took out a cigarette and prepared to light it. I warned that I would get out of the cab if he starts smoking. His response: “OK, take another cab. I can’t stop smoking. I get sick if I don’t smoke.”
While I understand that some firms, such as Cobalcescu, will fine smoking drivers if customers call in to complain, this drivers’s problem was obviously more serious than that. He couldn’t imagine giving up smoking. Steve posted earlier about the need for proven smoking cessation services. This cab driver truly needed such services. Maybe an opportunity for partnerships with taxi companies?
Written by Sara
August 22nd, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Maybe it would be much better to divide the cars through plexiglass and let the passenger take just the rear seats. Like the NY cabs. This would be a great business opportunity: to sell (and install) the separation devices to the taxi companies. Wich will have more success than the quitting idea because of the increased security for the driver and because heavy smokers just don´t quit on command. They mostly set back. Could be true especially for cab drivers who, besides the general addiction to suck on a cigarette, are stressed when driving, bored when waiting, discussing in groups while together. All this would make quitting much heavier than it already is.
August 24th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
[...] I don’t know how difficult is to quit smoking because I never smoked. However, I imagine that like all the other things that are addictive, smoking is difficult to “break-up with”. They say that the most important factor for “quit smoking” is to have a strong will…and I say that if your will is not strong enough you should look for solutions. I was surprised to read Sara’s blog post about the taxi driver. It is not only a bad example for good customer care but also a total lack of politeness in any type of human relationship. [...]
August 24th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
C, I fully agree that separation screens should go in… however, legislation probably has to come into place to make this a great business opportunity.
August 24th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
I usually watch for sign that signal the driver’s going to light a cigarette. The second they start rolling down the window, I ask them to roll it back up, blaming some cold-causing car draft phobia, which, to me, is a lot easier than telling them to put the cigarette out…I quess I’m just too nice for my own good, heh
*My first visit here, nice blog.
August 24th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
Sara, I don’t think the separation screens would work. NYC cabs are big American cars (but at least they will be hybrids in a couple of years). Bucharest cabs are, for the most part, compact cars. The driver might not want to block off the front seat from the back. The only alternative would be what I saw in Beijing… A plastic and wire cage around just the driver seat. I can’t think of anything less humane than sitting in that little cage in today’s heat, Beijing smog, etc.
Perhaps if the security situation in Bucharest were worse would drivers go for it.
May 6th, 2010 at 11:58 am
My dad have bronchitis due to Smoking, he has a hard time quitting smoking. .: