Latest posts by Kelly Dessaint

(Joe Manio/2003 S.F. Examiner)

There’s nothing like easy money

April 8, 2016 1:00 am
As ambassadors of The City, cab drivers are both purveyors of myth and concierges of vice. From the tourist attractions to the ripped backsides, we navigate the orthodox and the »
Cabs in SOMA - Taxi cab

Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine

April 1, 2016 1:00 am
Sometimes I really fucking hate driving a cab. If it’s not the backseat drivers, it’s the fares who act like they’re your long lost friends and then stiff you on »
(AP Photo/John McConnico)

A fool’s money is not long in his pockets

March 25, 2016 1:00 am
It’s only 10 p.m., but when the guy wearing a green suit covered in four leaf clovers with a matching bowtie stumbles into the passenger seat of my cab and »
If you can’t get a fare home safe, you’re not much of a cab driver. (Courtesy photo)

What’s in a passenger?

March 18, 2016 1:00 am
Not much is happening. Just a boring Thursday night. I pull up to the Cat Club and shoot the shit with Chucky, Liz and John, the stalwarts of the ad »
But part of being a cab driver is the ability to overcome obstacles, remain calm and get the job done — no matter what the night throws at you. (Courtesy photo)

Being resourceful just one part of a cab driver’s job

March 11, 2016 1:00 am
It’s all downhill to the National yard, I think, with relief, as I sputter away from my last drop at four in the morning. My cab, beloved 182, is in »
As the sun rises after a long night shift, San Francisco smiles upon its working stiffs. (Courtesy photo)

On the recitation of the waybill

March 4, 2016 1:00 am
The National barbecue is a cross between a hobo cookout and a bunch of pirates carousing after a night of pillaging and plundering. It takes place on Sunday mornings in »
Despite their expected resistance, even taxi drivers use ride-hail apps from time to time. (Courtesy photo)

One app to rule them all

February 26, 2016 1:00 am
Every other Thursday, before I start my shift at National, I head into The City several hours early to see my shrink in Laurel Heights. I usually take BART to »
Driving for a living in San Francisco is risky business, and it’s no easy task navigating the streets without cutting a few corners. (Courtesy photo)

A hard lesson learned in the fast lane

February 19, 2016 1:00 am
Well, they finally got me. After a solid year of driving a cab and, in the process, committing more than a few minor traffic infractions — as safely and skillfully »