It’s a job, not a hustling, ‘well-paid’ cabbie advises young drivers
For 59-year-old Red Hills Road taxi driver, Rudolph Morgan, operating a cab the last 21 years has been a very lucrative venture.
“It give mi everything,” Morgan, who described himself as a “well-paid man”, told OBSERVER ONLINE.
“A taxi work mek mi own mi car, and not only one car but three cars. It partially finish mi house, send all my four kids through high school – actually one have two year left in school. Feed mi whole family properly,” Morgan continued, noting that his children are 32, 23, 19 and 15 years old.
While acknowledging that he’s not the only breadwinner, as his wife also works, he expressed pride at being able to provide for his family. His happiness was evident on his face as he spoke about his dream house which he said was near completion.
“Mi cyaan complain, everybody have them little quarters. Right now mi a do the second floor, the only thing mi want fi the half side right now is a ton a steel and then it ready fi deck,” Morgan said, beaming with pride.
Still, the veteran cabbie said he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish any of this had he not set a goal for himself when he first entered the business.
“You see when you come a road you haffi have plans, you haffi have goals,” Morgan told OBSERVER ONLINE.
“So, I set my goals by throwing partner. I buy a ton a steel, mi throw partner; mi buy a load a sand, mi throw partner; mi buy a load a gravel, until me have all the materials. Then mi throw a next partner and mi collect a piece a money, mi call a tradesman,” he continued.
Advising other people looking to operate a taxi as a means to make a living, Morgan explained that the reason he was able to succeed was because he did not think about the work as “hustling”. As such, he cautioned young taxi drivers to exercise discipline when interacting with passengers.
“The thing about it with taxi work, most a di the youth dem, all them need fi learn a little discipline, ’cause we already been there and done that and know seh alongside some discipline we can all make wi self a man out of taxi work, because I will never look a nine-to-five [work].
“Them nah go can pay mi. Mi nuh consider my work as hustling, it’s a job, a service. A mi good, good job this,” the father of four said.
“Mi nuh grudge nuh guy inna them necktie a go work, because I’m sure you don’t work more than me. It’s a good paying job, it’s just that we have to have a little discipline,” he added.
