He is number 49 out of 90 cabs registered at Suva’s Howell Rd taxi base.

Eremasi Robinson, a taxidriver for the past three years — joined the taxi base a year ago.

He left his former employment as a transport manager, to operate his own taxi service and a better life.

“My taxi number is 49 and I’m a full-time taxidriver. I was the 49th taxi driver to join the taxi base within the past year now. Together we service the greater Suva area and special trips outside,” he said.

Mr Robinson said he paid $32 a week to the taxi base that helped him get customers.

The Howell Rd taxi-base received telephone calls from customers for pickup and alerted its drivers nearest to the location by radio transmission.

Mr Robinson says he can get five customer pickups a day and yield about $50 but peak hours toward the weekends yields more.

“Being a taxidriver, for the past three years, I can say, is much better than the work I used to do.

“I worked seven years in a transport company operating trucks and forklifts. I worked long hours and time was never mine, as I was transport manager working a busy schedule. In the taxi business, I operate at my own time and I earn enough income to put food on the table and pay the Bills. But running a taxi is not all that easy because it has its demands,” he said.

Mr Robinson says taxidrivers are always in competition with each other, traffic jams and rainy weather conditions make it difficult to work as well.

Then there are other risk such as criminals trying to get the better side of you.

Another factor, he said were drivers who tuned in to the same frequency (RT) devices and listened-in to conversations between taxidrivers and their base.

He said when taxidrivers arrived at the pick-up locations, their customers had left in a taxi falsely claimed to be associated with the base.

“The taxi business is also about friendly service, having a clean car and knowing your ethics as a public service vehicle driver (PSV).

“I believe in operating a good business and making my customers happy. Positive feedback from my customers about the service I provide tells me I’m doing the right thing.

“My customers call the taxi base requesting for ‘taxi 49’ for pick-up.”

He said a special run to Nausori or the west was supplement income for drivers and he manages his time to get enough rest. I could drop a passenger at the airport and get flagged by another on my way back.

“$200 for one special trip to the west, if I’m lucky, and urgent requests for pickups are properly considered so I don’t exhaust myself.

“We got our boundaries as taxidrivers but half of the calls for pickup come outside our boundary, and some of them don’t want to take any other taxi.

“One thing with driving a taxi is you don’t know where your next call will take you, that’s one thing good with us, some days I can go to Nadi or Lautoka.

“We operate two shifts, day and night at the base.”

Mr Robinson said customers were priority, whenever they were on break and a call from the RT requested pickup, he’d leave immediately for the job.

Among drivers, sharing the pickups is normal, He said driver corresponded with each and shared job openly particularly if two taxis were located in the same vicinity as the customer.

When drivers request jobs we know that they need the money. At the base we help each other.

The good thing about this base is we have very experienced drivers that know all the roads. So when you’re unsure, just ask. In regards to pickups, customers can be really detailed when they call for a taxi.

“Instruction such as; As you enter the street between 15 and 20 there’s a white driveway, go inside there are a couple of houses inside, go past the first one, the second

house has a step number three missing. Toot your horn and continue down the driveway to turn around, the customer will be waiting when you come back.

“It is vitally important to follow the instructions as per the customer’s request. And if the customer enjoys your service, they’ll keep calling for you for business. Using a taxi from a base is safer because items forgotten can always be located and returned.

“There was a female customer who forgot a parcel in the back seat of my taxi and I didn’t realised until the taxi base alerted me. I had just dropped her off at the bank.

“I collected the parcel and headed back, when I reached the bank I could tell she was in tears but when I presented her with her missing parcel everything changed. She thanked me and gave me $50.

Mr Robinson said the job of picking complete strangers was risky, being attentive was important, and he was happy with the path he had chosen.

Working at my own pace and time makes the work I do enjoyable and there are always regular customers that keep you going.

Mr Robinson was born in Wainibuka, Tailevu Province and inherited the name Robinson from a European man. The name Eremasi came from a relative in-law.

“But most people just call me 49 or sometimes David and I am married.”