Drivers cautious but remain on the job
Their ranks may have been decimated by three violent assaults in one day, but the nation’s corps of taxidrivers is not necessarily reacting to the incidents with one voice. Ann-Marie made the rounds of Belize City’s cab stands to get the view from behind the wheel.
Taxidriver #1
“Some day I could get caught, but so far I’ve been very lucky. That’s all I could say, just be careful.”
Taxidriver #2
“I don’t feel safe at all. I really need some protection even though you can’t cover everybody. You do have times when police would pass, when those boys would get out of hand and want to get funny.”
Taxidriver #3
“I’ve been driving taxi for about the last fifteen years or so and recently these things start to happen. I’d advise the taximen to be careful of how they are picking up the passengers, especially when you see a group of young boys maybe in threes or fours. Pass that five dollars because you don’t really need that because your life could be jeopardy.”
Taxidriver #4
“I scan the people that I take and I don’t work late at night.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“This happened 3:00 yesterday afternoon. Are you concerned about that?”
Taxidriver #4
“Yeah. But I’m saying that if it happened 3:00, something has ignited that.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“That there is something apart from just an ordinary robbery?”
Taxidriver #4
“Yeah, because seeing on the television, the statement was made saying that it’s because of the fact that probably the guys were being overcharged. I am saying that even if they are being overcharged, if they think they are being overcharged, those guys left the car, went inside and they didn’t have to come back.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“You don’t cut somebody throat because you’re being overcharged right?”
Taxidriver #4
“I don’t think you have to do that.”
Taxidriver #1
“Well most of the guys on the street know me. If they want to take a chance on me they will, so there’s nothing I could do about it. You just can’t be too over cautious, and just can’t get too careful either.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“You think they tend to strike at taximen who they don’t know?”
Taxidriver #1
“Maybe, because mostly the Africans, Haitians, whatever, some Hispanic guys, but they don’t really interfere with the so-called black cabdrivers.”
