Career of 31 years full of surprises

Bill on the eve of his retirement from Gisborne Taxis.

AN ATTACK by a youth wielding a scissor blade 20 years ago nearly proved fatal for Gisborne taxi driver Bill Shaw but it did not put the him off his choice of career.

“I was attacked in broad daylight by a young chap who was in the back seat of my vehicle,” says one of Gisborne’s longest-serving taxi drivers who retired last month at the age of 71.

“I drove him out in the country and he asked me to wait and take him back to town. When we were near Gray’s Bush he suddenly produced a scissor blade and stabbed me in the side of the head,” says Bill pointing to the scar in front of his ear.

“I was travelling at about 100km an hour at the time and crashed into a plum tree.

“There was blood everywhere and my face was a mess — but he just got out of the car and walked away. The police caught him later and arrested him.

“Someone called an ambulance and I was carted off to hospital where I needed 150 stitches to the gash in the side of my head. I was off work for about three weeks but it didn’t put me off driving taxis. I was keen to get back to work although I never did night shifts after that.”

Born, raised and educated in Gisborne, Bill has carried thousands of passengers all over the district in his 31 years as a taxi driver but that was the only unpleasant experience he ever had.

“I liked the taxi work because I enjoyed the driving, I met lots of people and I was my own boss.

“I was out and about every day, not desk-bound like a lot of people.”

He had his regulars, people who would request him as their driver.

“I got to know them quite well but I always maintained a professional relationship.”

He learned a lot about human behaviour over the years and could tell when customers had something troubling them.

“Taxi drivers are a bit like hairdressers, good listeners. People often tell us very personal things,” he says.

“But what is said in the car stays in the car, was my motto.

“They get in the car depressed and get out of the car happy, having got the problem off their chests, I suppose.

“It’s best never to challenge what they say — just be a good listener. You often play a counsellor role. One chap said his wife had just left him. He was very upset so I said ‘I think you should go back and talk to her’ so he did.

“If people don’t reply when I say ‘good morning’ or ‘hello’, you know they don’t want to talk so I leave them in peace.”

Favourite conversation topicsThe weather and the economy were the favourite topics of conversations, he says.

In addition to his Gisborne Taxis job, Bill also worked for Internal Affairs for 15 years, driving politicians around the district.

“I had to look smart and wear a tie and a long-sleeved shirt,” he says.

“I picked up lots of high-profile politicians from the airport. They would make their phone calls and then we’d have a chat and a laugh. I used to give them a bit of advice about the economy,” he says.

Bill didn’t object to the term driver but nowadays, with photo IDs in the cars, most customers call him Bill.

He’s done some long trips to Napier and around the East Coast in his time, and prides himself on the fact he has never run out of petrol.

Taxi drivers go out in all weather, he says.

The worst conditions he ever drove in was during Cyclone Bola.

“I had to go to Ngatapa to drop off a sheepdog in a cage. The farmer met me at the gate because he said I’d never get up the drive. The water had gone down but the debris on the road meant the half-hour trip took two and a half hours. The driving conditions were atrocious.”

Bill’s first car was a Holden Kingswood fitted with a big LPG tank. He drove many a bridal party in that car and others.

“Weddings were lots of fun. I would take all the taxi gear off the car, put white silk covers and a rose on the back seat and a bride doll and ribbons on the front.”

Following his fatherBill followed in his father’s tyre tracks.

“Dad was a taxi driver too. He drove a big old Chevrolet in the 1950s and 60s and did lots of weddings and funerals.

“He often transported coffins to the Napier crematorium because Gisborne didn’t have a hearse back then. He used to take the rear seat out of his Buick and could fit four coffins in the back.”

There have been many changes over the years, especially the approval process, he says.

“Back when I started in 1984, there was no palaver of sitting exams.

“To be accepted, you applied to Napier Central office for a taxi driver’s licence.

“You had to stand up in court in front of a Transport Department judge and a police officer who asked questions about your driving record and whether you had had any convictions for drink driving or violence.

“If your record was clean, you got your taxi driver’s licence and cab authority sticker and away you went,” he says.

“The job is what you put into it. You need to be patient and tolerant and have good people skills.

“I miss the work but my wife Janet and I are planning a trip to Australia as a retirement treat.”

Apart from that, Bill enjoys gardening and playing snooker.

• Graeme Nepia, promotions manager for Gisborne Taxis, says the company is 60 years old this year. It came into being in 1955 when three taxi companies merged to form a co-operative. There are 12 shareholder-drivers who are self-employed and own their own vehicles, and a total staff of 30.

The company has been running 24/7 since 1955 — including public holidays, says Graeme.

“We also drive about 30 special needs children to school every day, many of whom are in wheelchairs.

“We have three mobile vans with lifts for carrying the elderly and disabled and their wheelchairs.

“All the money earned by the taxi business is spent in Gisborne so it goes back into the local economy.

“It’s all about providing a good service to the community — getting people to their destination quickly and safely.”