Tony the Taxi Driver

“Wanted: Clean & Neat – Polite Chauffeur

Applicants need to apply today at the Towne Place Suites Franklin/Cool Springs, Tennessee

I needed to get from Franklin, Tennessee into downtown Nashville for an appearance at the Middle Tennessee Realtors Convention. Not being from the area, I wasn’t sure how long it would take in morning rush hour but I know Nashville is a rapidly growing metropolis and traffic would be heavy.

As I finished packing all my stuff and was heading to the elevator, I opened up my rideshare app to hail an Uber. First, the app said “No Cars Available” and I figured maybe my signal was just poor in the descending elevator. When I got to the lobby, it showed cars available but I gasped at the shockingly high “surge pricing” displayed. There were two other hotel guests waiting for their Ubers to arrive and I asked them if they had high estimates as well and they both shrugged yes.

“Rush hour in Nashville,” one man said. “That’s all you’re gonna see.”

I asked Layla behind the counter if that was normal and she thought it sounded rather high as well and offered to call their local taxi cab partner. Now I am like most ‘tech connected” people these days who simply default to Uber or Lyft when in a strange city and needed a ride. I can’t even tell you the last time I took a cab if I had the choice. Comfort, convenience, cleanliness were all things we have come to think of as “better” when it comes to the “new way of ride sharing.”

“Sir, your cab is here.”

The guys who were still out front waiting for their Uber driver came in the lobby to tell me my ride was here. Ironic that they were expecting their driver ten minutes before yet he still hadn’t arrived. As my driver jumped out of his van, he looked at them and motioned them inside. They begrudgingly smiled and pointed at me coming out of the lobby. “That’s your guy,” they said. “We’re waiting for Uber.”

…and that’s when Tony the Taxi Driver started laughing.

He let out a belly laugh worthy of a mall Santa on his first day on the job and with a smile, he offered to call the guys a fellow taxi. They declined, but you just knew they wished they could have jumped in with Tony. I knew this was going to be a great ride to town.

Tony quickly introduced himself to me and thanked me for the opportunity to help me get to my event. He promised a safe, smooth ride and asked me if I had any other driving needs while I was in town. Tony has been driving a cab for 9 years and before that, he drove a dump truck. He’s been doing some form of driving since leaving high school and says he has always enjoyed the people and constant “new directions” (literally) that he gets to travel every day.

The father of three, Tony is a lifelong resident of Nashville. He loves the city and is excited and proud of its growth and spot it’s earning as one of the best and brightest cities in the country, but he is growing weary of the traffic. “But,” he said with a smile and a wink at me in the rearview mirror, “That means opportunity for someone like me.”

As we neared downtown and stopped a stoplight, Tony turned and gave me another business card. “Mr. Carpenter, it sounds to me like you come to Nashville often.”

“Not really, but definitely a few times every year. It’s one of my favorite cities to visit and to spend time” I responded.

“Well,” said Tony. “I’d love to ask for your future business when you are in Nashville. You call me the night before you arrive and I’ll meet you at the airport.”

Imagine that? Here is someone who comes from the “old school” way of doing business, competing every day with new technologies and cultural norms. He thanked me for my business before even providing his service and the rest of the time, he tried to provide great service which led to a memorable experience. Then he thought ahead and asked me for my business in the future. He knew that “ask” would have been hollow if it came before meeting and hopefully exceeding my expectations.”

As I paid my fare and added a generous tip, I asked Tony to take a quick photo with me. The first time he tried to look serious and gave the camera the kind of pose you give to at the BMV when you get a new drivers license. I asked him to give me the smile he gave when he picked me up and that’s when the awesomeness came out one more time. I’m already looking forward to my ride to the airport with Tony later tonight.

I can assure you, Tony the Taxi Driver, my default thought in a new city might still be to open my Uber app, but the next time I’m in Nashville, I know who I’m gonna call.