Ravi
Hailed in: Downtown Brooklyn
Hails from: India

One time I was driving and thought I saw my ex-brother-in-law, and I actually changed lanes to get away from him. Now, I could see in the mirror that it ended up not being him, and I’m not even 100 percent positive that he was trying to hail me, but I’d probably do that same thing again, lame as that sounds. It was a bad divorce, and her brother used to always give me shit about being a cab driver, so I think that if somehow he wound up in my backseat that would be terrible.

Taweel
Hailed in: Times Square
Hails from: Pakistan

I’m not sure I really have enemies. If there’s someone walking around out there who hates me, I don’t know about it. [What about a public figure you dislike?] You mean like Dick Cheney or Donald Trump? If someone hailed me and I pull over and it’s Dick Cheney, ugh. That man makes my skin crawl. I might refuse to let him in. I don’t know; I feel like he could easily get me fired. But if he couldn’t, yeah, I wouldn’t want him around. Donald Trump I might drive, but only because he’s so rich he might give a big tip. But now with the credit card machines, people generally tip the same amount, so who knows?

Collie
Hailed in: Lower East Side
Hails from: Brooklyn

I refuse people every day. If people are so drunk they can’t stand, I don’t let them in because I’ve cleaned up enough vomit. If someone helps them into the cab, OK, but I don’t want drunk guys. If a girl is drunk I might let her in just so she’s not out on the street alone and drunk. The other day, a guy got in, and he smelled horrible. He looked normal, but he just absolutely reeked, like he had shit himself. I kicked him out. He was pissed, but if you don’t do that, you have to smell it, and then the next people who get in might leave because of how bad it is.

Danny
Hailed in: Park Slope
Hails from: Crown Heights

I honestly don’t pay that much attention to what people look like when they get in, so no, unless they were holding a gun or covered in blood or something. Actually, if they’re covered in blood they may need to go to the hospital, so I should probably pick them up. [What about your worst enemy?] You mean, would I lock the doors and drive the cab off a bridge and jump to safety at the last minute? Yeah, probably.

Hailed in: Midtown West
Hails from:Sunset Park

Well how much did I win? [Let’s say $10 million after taxes and everything.] Ten mil, OK. Well first, pay off my credit card. My brother also has debt, from student loans, so I’d help him out. I feel like I should probably give something to everyone in my family, since none of us are rich. After that I’d want to move out of my neighborhood, so I’d probably want to buy some amazing apartment in Manhattan, maybe in the Village or one of those luxury apartments that are going up. [I’m not sure you’d have enough left over.] Maybe not. Well, I could afford a better place than I have now, at least. (more…)

Hailed in: Chelsea
Hails from: Austin

I don’t have an official bucket list, but skydiving is the first thing that comes to mind. Ugh, that’s lame. I bet everyone says skydiving. But yeah, I’d actually want to do it. But it’s more about being able to say you’ve done it than doing it, know what I mean? Like, the point is being brave enough to jump out of the plane, not what it feels like to fall. If you can actually jump, that’s amazing. [Maybe they push you out if you don’t jump.] I’d have a heart attack if they did that. I’d be dead before I hit the ground. (more…)

Hailed in: TriBeCa
Hails from: Michigan

I’m having a roommate horror story now. Will my last name be published? [No.] Good. Because my roommate is an asshole. Nothing too unusual: He eats my food; leaves his stuff everywhere; he’s always late with rent and utilities. I hate him. Luckily, I don’t see him much, since I work nights and he works days, so we don’t really cross paths. [How did you two come to live together?] Craigslist. That’s it, really. My old roommate moved out suddenly, so I needed to get someone right away, and this guy was the first guy who could do it. I can’t wait until I can afford to ditch the asshole. (more…)

Hailed in: Fort Greene
Hails from: Florida

Well, my big plan is to fix this. [Holds up an iPhone with a cracked screen.] I literally had this for an hour and a half before I dropped it, and because I just got it, I didn’t have a case. I don’t even remember what it’s like to use a phone that isn’t cracked; you have to touch it a different way because there are parts of the screen that don’t read your finger well. So that’s my plan. Anything else goes to credit cards and student loans. (more…)

Hailed in: Grand Army Plaza
Hails from: Philadelphia

Um, I think tourists think we take a lot more cabs and Ubers than we actually do. I get a lot of tourists who only want to go a couple blocks, and I think it’s because that’s how tourists think New Yorkers get around. [Maybe they don’t know how to use public transit.] Maybe. That’s probably it, and actually that’s probably a better answer: Everyone thinks the trains are really hard, but they’re not once you get used to them. They’re tons better than what other cities have. (more…)

Hailed in: Lower East Side
Hails from: Brooklyn

I got a hat and earmuffs, and I wear a lot of sweaters that cover my neck. I used to wear a ski mask, but one time I put it on in a 7-Eleven and everyone freaked because, obviously, a black man putting on a mask has to be getting ready to rob the place, right? (What happened?) There was a cop there, and he kind of tensed up and asked me what I was doing until he realized I was just leaving, like every other fucking person putting on their stuff to go outside.

Hailed in: Hell’s Kitchen
Hails from: Queens

It sounds crazy, but on really bad days I’ll get a paper and wrap pages around myself. I used to live on the streets, and that’s one of the first things you learn, to use newspaper. (How long did you do that?) Oh, just a month or two. I had dropped out of high school, wanted away from my parents, blah blah blah, teenager crap, but my friends kept kicking me out of their places; eventually I just gave up and went home. (Are some papers better than others?) Well, it has to be really cold to do this; it’s kind of a last-resort thing, so I’ll just grab whatever I can find. AM New York is free, so probably that.

Hailed in: Astoria
Hails from: Dominican Republic

I don’t know what to tell you except to wear a lot of clothes. A lot of clothes. I think it’s better to cover everything, rather than to have a lot of layers—like, I’d rather wear gloves and a coat rather than no gloves and two sweaters. My hands get so cold when I pump gas, even if I’m only outside for a minute. Every driver you see, everyone has their hands right on top of their heater while they drive, trying to heat up.

Hailed in: Fort Greene
Hails from: India

I don’t really have any advice. I eat a lot of heavy food during the winter, stews and curries, those help a lot more than sandwiches, even if you eat them cold. Also, drink a lot of hot tea. Some delis will let you fill up a thermos with hot water for free, and I do that even when I’m in the car all day. Keeps your blood from freezing.