Struggle session taxi driver drivers#
Struggle session taxi driver driver#

In addition to fighting his profound loneliness and his apparent psychosis, Travis struggles to find and maintain a real identity in an environment which is increasingly problematic for him. Perhaps also like these western heroes, Travis is directionless in his life. He notes the unspecified origins of Travis as well as the character’s initial “disinterest” in getting involved with what he considers the venality and decay of New York City (352).

Struggle session taxi driver driver#

It is fascinating because we learn so much about different cultures,' said Tapang.Ĭhipping into the conversation, Gonzaga said the main reason she continues to drive taxis is because she loves her job.In his analysis of Taxi Driver as a revisionist western, Robert Ray places Taxi Driver’s protagonist Travis Bickle squarely in the mould of the solitary heroes of the western genre. 'We are always dropping families of tourists who come to Dubai from across the globe. One of the major benefits of being a taxi driver in Dubai is that you learn to become a tour guide, as well. For children under 4 year we have to sign an agreement with the parents and they need to be accompanied by a nanny,' she Gonzaga. 'We have a service called 'In Safe Hands', where we pick up and drop school going children.

Struggle session taxi driver drivers#

I pay entirely for their education,' said Tapang.īoth women said one of the reasons they love working as female taxi drivers is because they work closely with children. 'I am a widow and my university-going children live with my parents. She has left behind a job in sales and marketing to support her children in the Philippines. Tapang said that she has two children whose education she takes care of. I don't regret leaving the Philippines because I genuinely enjoy my job,' said Gonzaga. We are 10 children and she had to make a lot of sacrifices to take care of us. 'I've grown up seeing my mother struggle. She lost her father at the age of 9, and since her graduation has been taking care of her family. 'I completed my BSc in Mathematics and I used to be a teacher back home,' said Gonzaga. I love meeting people, hearing their stories while going from one part of town to the other,' said Tapang.īoth women left behind careers in the Philippines and came to Dubai looking for greener pastures. I want to get better at it,' said Tapang.

I believe that driving is one of my core skills. 'After that, I focused at becoming good at my job. The main reason for her confidence is because her first ever customer was very kind to her. Tapang said she earned Dh500 on top of her daily target on the first day of her work. They undergo a special induction session and training, and have to write three sets of examinations before they can start driving. There are 100 Ladies and Families taxis in the DTC fleet and a little over 200 female drivers working with the DTC. Khaleej Times caught up with the 44-year-old taxi driver Gonzaga, along with 46-year-old Leilani Tapang, and spoke to them on what made lady taxi drivers unique and successful in a predominantly male-dominated work force.

'Today I know the streets of Dubai like the back of my hand. This is an advice that she imparts to all her new colleagues. To avoid stress and learn the routes, Gonzaga said she stayed awake for several nights in a row and familiarised herself with the map and the roads in Dubai. During our induction and training, we are all given a map that we tend to ignore when we start driving,' said Gonzaga. 'This is the advice I give all up and coming female taxi drivers in DTC. Before joining the Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC), Gonzaga had worked as a driver for Sharjah Taxi Corporation for eight years and was completely unaware of the roads and streets in Dubai. On the first few days of working as a taxi driver in Dubai, Filipino Maria Socorro Gonzaga said there were times she broke down due to the pressures of her job.