|
TapTheForwardAssist posted:If folks are curious, I can write more later about transit in Liberia. One thing I really wish I'd debriefed folk on for a paper, or recorded for YouTube, is that people flag down private taxis, "shared cars" via hand signs. You see people by the roadside patting their heads, waving two fingers down, or whatever, and that indicates their destination, so a car with three passengers heading downtown will watch for more folks making the downtown signal to pick up. For reference a Toyota Corolla will commonly hold a driver and six adult passengers, which is a little unnervy during Ebola outbreaks. Baltimore City has an informal hack system. If you see someone wagging a finger out toward traffic kind of like they were hitchhiking with their index finger, they're looking for a hack taxi ride. From wikipedia: quote:In Baltimore, USA, supermarkets in working-class neighborhoods frequently have "courtesy drivers"[citation needed] who, although not employed by the supermarket, have shown identification to management and are allowed to wait in front of the store for fares. Unlike licensed cab drivers, these courtesy drivers will also help to carry groceries up to one's apartment.[19] "Hacking" in Baltimore has grown grass-roots style to a region-wide phenomenon, originating from "Hack Clubs", organizations usually operating in converted rowhouses where "hacks" made their cars available, distributed business cards with a central number, employed a "dispatcher", and hung around the rowhouse waiting in line for calls. This practice continues today, but hacking has evolved to the point where people nowadays just wag a finger toward the street, and wait for anyone to stop. This new way of getting around remains popular, despite being potentially dangerous, due to disillusionment with the city transit service, and the fact that licensed cabs seldom stop for fares in the most dangerous parts of town. There are plenty of willing drivers, and competition can be fierce. The fare is negotiated and paid upfront. Police maintain this is illegal, and sometimes enforce with $500 tickets, and a trip to the courthouse. However, hacking is so prevalent in certain parts of town that cops don't bother making traffic stops. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_taxicab_operation#In_working-class_neighborhoods
|
#
¿
Nov 7, 2016 19:03
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 10, 2024 10:00 |
|