Owning and operating a cab is a job I will do until the day I die. It is certainly not for everyone, but I love driving, meeting new people, and having the autonomy to run my own business as I see fit. Sure it has it’s fair share of risks and of course I’ve had my fair share of harrowing experiences.
I’ve also made plenty of rookie mistakes over the years and have learned from them.
One of the Mine would be to ALWAYS keep the number of a towing company or roadside assistance business with you whenever you drive. If you own a taxi business, apart from investing in the basic equipment for your taxi business, you should also make sure your drivers know who to call in case they need a towing service.
Taxi cabs are used more frequently than other cars. They roam the roads all day and sometimes all night long too. With their expected extended use, proper maintenance should also be done on them to prevent them from having problems.
However, some car problems, accidents, and emergencies arise without warning and for that, even taxis need help. Let me share with you my story about how a towing service saved my day.
A Snowy Day In Memphis
I had recently relocated to Minneapolis, MN this past year during the COVID crisis to be closer to family and friends, and while I love my new city, the food, and the wonderful diversity of people, there is much more snow and cold than my previous home in Memphis, TN.
As it turns out snow is one of the worst enemies of cars and I met my match one faithful day just a few weeks into my new routine. I’ve just dropped off a passenger and as I was going back and keeping my eyes peeled for another one, I found myself stuck on the snow.
I didn’t know how I got stuck. I just realized I was stuck and can’t move the car. As an inexperienced driver, I had the urge to push the cab by stepping on the gas pedal. Unfortunately, it didn’t move. I might have gotten myself more stuck than before because of what I just did.
I know I should have brought a shovel, but I didn’t and there is no use in cursing myself because of that now. I’ve tried various techniques. Maybe as a beginner, I was doing them wrong that’s why I didn’t get myself unstuck. I tried rocking the car and the braking. I even let some of the air out of my tires out. However that all didn’t help.
Towing Saved The Day
Freezing cold, I of course wanted to get unstuck as quickly as possible.
First I had called the “hotline” on my credit card, as I understood there was roadside protection offered through Visa. Unfortunately, it took my 20 minutes to reach someone who could help and they referred me to another number where a gentlemen on the phone said that a truck would be there in 2 hours.
Well for me, 2 hours is too long to be offline, especially in minus-degree weather! Cab drivers are tough but sometimes, we could be victims of people who prey on people in vulnerable situations.
Luckily, I saved the contact number of a local towing company a good friend in the auto repair business gave me recently. I gave them a call and in 35 minutes they arrived as promised.
The friendly driver “Roman” took another 15 minutes to safely winch my cab out of the rut and I was on my way again.
It was a quick and painless experience and all and all, I had only lost just over an hour of service time and it only cost me a reasonable $90 for the trouble.
How Else Can Towing Service Save Your Day?
Well, that’s my story on how the towing service saved my day. Yet there are other ways on how towing services can save your day too. They’d also be helpful when you get stuck in the mud, or when your car suddenly stalls on the road without you knowing the exact reason why.
Have you ever run out of gas in the middle of the road, got locked out of your car, had a flat tire, or an overheated engine? Towing services can help with those as well. Furthermore, they also help greatly in case you go through an accident. They clear up the road quickly to lessen the risk of other vehicles getting involved in the accident.