Taxi Technology Has Come a Long Way

There was a time when accepting a credit card from the back seat of a taxi wasn't as simple as tapping a phone.

Years ago, Abraxi Taxi used a handheld credit-card machine that depended on the telephone system to process a payment. During major St. Augustine events, those systems could become overloaded.

One particularly busy concert weekend, we warned passengers to carry cash because we weren't confident our credit-card reader would be able to connect. We had experienced the same problem during the Fourth of July, when heavy demand overwhelmed communications and even some local ATMs ran out of cash.

That was the taxi business before today's mobile payment technology.

Eventually, services such as Square and smartphones made accepting electronic payments considerably easier. What once required a separate machine, a reliable connection and occasionally a little prayer can now happen in seconds.

Technology has changed transportation in plenty of other ways too. GPS replaced folded maps. Smartphones replaced dispatch radios for many tasks. Customers went from calling landlines to finding transportation online.

But one thing hasn't changed much: when thousands of people leave a St. Augustine concert at the same time, every driver in town gets busy.

Sometimes the old days weren't necessarily better. They just made for better stories.

Abraxi Taxiom: Always carry a little cash. Technology has a sense of humor.

Taxi Etiquette: How to Become a Superior Taxi Fare

We field many calls every day. We try to take care of our VIPs first. These are the customers who have been with us since the beginning of Abraxi Taxi, almost ten years ago.

Our next priority is locals, followed by the many tourists who visit us here in St. Augustine, Florida.

However, if we picked you up and dropped you somewhere in the Ancient City, we feel an obligation not to leave you stranded—no matter where or what time. So please listen to what the dispatcher is putting down to help ensure your safe and timely trip home.

We do not surge price. Generally, what you paid coming in will be about what you fork over on the return trip.

What I'd like to address here is a little taxi etiquette: what the dispatcher needs to know and what separates the average passenger from the superior taxi fare.

The Superior Taxi Fare

The superior customer gives us three important pieces of information: where you are, how many people are in your party, and where you want to go.

Sometimes customers call ahead and arrange what we call a time call. If you're calling from a noisy bar or restaurant, find a quieter spot before calling. The dispatcher actually needs to hear you.

And when we pull up at the appointed time, these incredible humans will be ready to go.

If you give us the “I'll be right out” finger and then disappear for fifteen minutes, you may receive the “Merry Christmas middle digit” in return.

The most exceptional taxi riders are punctual.

These wondrous creatures would also never attempt to eat or smoke in their divine chariot. Personal hygiene tasks should preferably be completed before your designated driver arrives.

Upon Decabbing

After paying the freight, these awesome demi-gods thoroughly check that they have their phones, wallets, purses, keys and other belongings before leaving the cab.

If Houston has a problem and your driver experiences technical difficulties or gets caught in St. Augustine traffic, the superior customer keeps a phone nearby and answers our call or text.

They do not call repeatedly under the assumption that this will somehow make the taxi travel faster.

We cannot control traffic.

We cannot control the quirky Bridge of Lions.

We cannot control the crazy traffic patterns around the Plaza de la Constitución.

Repeated telephone calls have yet to change any of these things.

When Plans Go Awry

We understand that even the best-laid plans go awry.

But calling to cancel your taxi while we're pulling into your driveway is unacceptable and may subject you to apocryphal retribution.

Sometimes a customer asks for a price and decides we're too expensive. That's okay.

I understand that some taxi companies may charge less.

But please don't tell me what another company charges.

Just take that company.

The Seven Virtues of the Superior Taxi Fare

The keys to becoming a superior taxi customer are:

Brevity. Clarity. Punctuality. Generosity. Loyalty. Patience. Good nature.

We understand that people get sick, have bad days and occasionally wake up on the wrong side of life.

But being miserable, irascible and ill-mannered every day cannot possibly be good for your mental health—or help you move forward on this wonderful journey we call life.

Treat your driver well. Be ready when the cab arrives. Communicate clearly. Check your belongings.

And we'll do our best to get you where you need to go.

Abraxi Taxiom: Lyft above the hype

Eating Babies will stop any immigration full stop!

Archive Note — 2026: I wrote this as deliberately outrageous political satire, loosely inspired by Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal. Swift’s 1729 essay used the grotesque idea of selling poor Irish children as food to attack the dehumanization of poor people. This piece uses the same basic device against the immigration politics of its own time. It is satire, not advocacy—and yes, I was considerably angrier when I wrote it.

Eating Babies will stop any immigration full stop!

My days have been hectic and as I try to gain power, I realize that my ultimate boss really wants to make a statement on immigrants, the crueler the better. I remember that he is very happy when people are dehumanized. And he never seems a more stable genius then when suffering immigrants are the daily headline. The harsher the environment the better off we at the White House are at least for the short term.

I was able to find a ‘Modest Proposal’ from one of the internet’s first tweeters, Jonathan Swift, he railed against the poor Irish people and was trying to build a wall to keep them out of his country. We will build the wall and have the haggis loving Scots pay for it from a tariff on golf resorts.

The darn Scots reneged, and Mel Gibson told him to bugger off, so he with a stiffened upper lip, devised a plan to help both sides. Not only would the Irish immigrants be able to feed themselves better they could also reduce trade deficits by selling their extra children as a gourmet item to our elites for fancy parties. Puts new meaning into Mexican cuisine; or, save to indulge in those other darker appetites, for later in life. Remember they changed from Penn State to BYU ‘bring them young’.

Swift would later be granted trademarks on cooking attire, methods and the first Suzy homemaker oven. ‘ I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust.’

Mr. Swift was one of the first Twitter trolls that believed domestic violence would decrease as husbands would be reluctant to treat the women poorly as they now could sell their precious cargo. He also believed that abortions would end with mothers bringing forth a needed commodity. The boss is going to love him.

He blamed the mothers and women for all the ills of the world. And these young women could also be persuaded to perform massages with happy endings.

Many people tell me that he was also an original Evangelical Christian, being ordained in the state-run Anglican Church, perhaps we can somehow start this practice over here, overturn separation of church and state, via executive fiat. @swiftlyconsumeyoungflesh would fit in very well with the current religious/political climate. ‘There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas, too frequent among us, sacrificing the poor innocent babes, I doubt, more to avoid the expense than the shame.’

This should work on many fronts. We certainly will stop illegal entry into our country, once we separate the family’s, because love the one you eat is one hell of a deterrent Secondly the misogyny should certainly be appealing, lastly we can start a religious state and domestic abuse and abortion will be all but eliminated.

My guy loves the stock market so we could buy and sell these children on the exchanges. There might be a separate market for white meat. Think of all the start ups the capitalist can create. Besides the long-term benefits for the rich pedophile, my favorite is baby skin purses, or a nice whiskey flask for those chilly hunting weekends?

Now how can I get this idea traction? All I need is a retweet from JR., or some other social media giants assembled at our summit. Talk about throwing red meat to hoards! Eating and selling babies solves so many problems and should ensure victory in 2020.By the time my guy leaves office the statutes of limitations should have run its course for our crimes against humanity, if not then my pardon is in the safe.

2014 — “Florida Taxi Driver: Uber Drivers Union and Why They Should Unionize” — DEAD EXTERNAL LINK

Florida Taxi Driver: Uber Drivers Union and Why they should Unionize

Archive note (2026): This 2014 post originally linked to a Florida taxi driver's article discussing Uber drivers and unionization. The original external article is no longer available.

Abraxi Taxi

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Abraxi Taxi zone rates

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The Abraxi Taxi Taxicopter

The Fourth of July fireworks in St. Augustine are rather impressive, and thousands flock to the Ancient City to enjoy the display.

Unfortunately, traffic soon backs up, and even the most knowledgeable hackney driver can become lost in a labyrinth of gridlock.

To avoid these delays and provide timely service, Abraxi Taxi has decided to park our taxi vans and introduce the new Nissan Taxicopter.

Our taxi pilots are reasonably familiar with these innovative air taxis, so there is little reason for concern.

As an added safety feature, each vehicle will have pontoons attached. In case of pilot error, we can make an emergency landing in the Matanzas River.

For your enjoyment, we will provide an open bar, complete buffet and assorted party favors.

Passengers are encouraged to dress appropriately and wear very comfortable shoes. I promise to hover as close to your destination as possible before dropping you—our taxi fare.

So when you're sitting at the Tini Martini Bar watching bumper-to-bumper traffic crawl through downtown, be assured that Abraxi air transportation is only seconds away.

Visit our website for rates, reviews, helipad locations and a complete directory of safe grassy knolls near your home.

Mr. Scott will be our dispatcher.

If all else fails, we will put the transporter into service.

Scotty, beam me up. The taxi services in St. Augustine are overloaded, we're off the grid, and I'm running out of dilithium crystals, Captain.

Meanwhile, Back on Planet Earth...

Abraxi Taxi does not currently own a taxicopter.

We don't own a transporter either.

But on the Fourth of July in St. Augustine, there are times when I sincerely wish we did.

Enjoy Independence Day in the nation's oldest city. Expect long waits and difficult traffic. Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk.

For those we're able to take into town, we'll do our best to get you safely back home.

And if Nissan ever actually builds the Taxicopter, Abraxi wants the first one.

Abraxi Taxiom: When traffic becomes impossible, invent a helicopter.

Abraxi Taxi: A Safe Harbor in St. Augustine

Back in 2014, this was how we described Abraxi Taxi:

• Registered with the State of Florida

• Compliant with applicable St. Augustine regulations

• City medallions displayed on the proper vehicles

• Proper commercial insurance and current licensing

• Drug- and alcohol-free workplace

• Timely service

• Knowledgeable—and mostly friendly—drivers

• Clean cars and cold air

• No strangers riding shotgun

• Comfortable taxi vans

• A longtime independent St. Augustine taxi company

• Local business licensing

• Corporate taxes filed

• Money spent right here in St. Augustine

Operating a legitimate taxi company wasn't cheap.

Commercial insurance, vehicle maintenance, licensing and other requirements were part of the cost of doing business. Abraxi Taxi believed those expenses were part of providing professional transportation.

Competition is the American way. It can be healthy for businesses and good for consumers.

My argument back then was simply that competition works best when businesses providing similar services operate under clear and consistently applied rules.

Admittedly, I didn't always express that opinion quite so calmly.

This was St. Augustine, after all, so the old blog occasionally suggested hanging transportation pirates from the gallows and making others walk the plank.

No pirates were actually harmed in the operation of Abraxi Taxi.

The transportation industry has changed enormously since this was first written. Technology changed. Rideshare companies arrived. Regulations evolved. Some taxi companies disappeared.

Abraxi Taxi kept driving.

The old post ended with a line I still rather like:

A storm may be brewing, but Abraxi Taxi is a safe harbor to moor your ship to.

After all these years, I'll let that one stand.

Abraxi Taxiom: A storm may be brewing, but Abraxi Taxi is a safe harbor to moor your ship to.

Uber

Saint Augustine taxi service http://abraxitaxi.blogspot.com/2014/04/saint-augustine-taxi-service_21.html

Why use Abraxi Taxi

Saint Augustine Taxi Service

904-599-MOON: An Old Abraxi Taxi Video

Abraxi-Taxi: http://youtu.be/Q9Ts6WjfhfA

Here's a little piece of Abraxi Taxi history from 2014.

Long before today's website, social media and online transportation apps became such an important part of the business, we were experimenting with YouTube and finding different ways to get the Abraxi Taxi name—and telephone number—in front of St. Augustine customers.

One of them was pretty hard to forget:

904-599-MOON.

The number was 904-599-6666, but MOON made a considerably better taxi slogan than four sixes.

The original Abraxi-Taxi video from those days survives below.

More than a decade later, the technology has changed considerably.

The strange sense of humor has not.

Abraxi Taxiom: When I park, I think up snark.

Abraxi-Taxi: http://youtu.be/Q9Ts6WjfhfA

The Abraxi Taxi Driver's Commandments — 2014

Back in 2014, I wrote some rules for Abraxi Taxi drivers.

Reading them today, I apparently believed taxi dispatch required a combination of technology, discipline and divine intervention.

Some things have changed. Smartphones are better. GPS is better. Payment systems are certainly better.

But some of the old taxi commandments still hold up.

I. The Dispatcher Is a God. Worship Accordingly.

A good relationship with dispatch can make or break your shift.

Give the dispatcher useful information and keep it brief. The better dispatch knows where you are, the better chance they have of matching you with the next fare.

And remember: whining before the gods rarely produces miracles.

II. Your Phone Is Your Best Friend

Next to the taxi itself, a good smartphone was one of a driver's most important tools.

Can't find the pickup and dispatch is busy? Use your maps.

Keep your communication device with you while working and make sure you have reliable service.

That was good advice in 2014. It's even more important today.

III. Leave the Entourage at Home

The taxi is a workplace.

Drivers should not bring significant others, friends or other unauthorized passengers along for the shift. Customers are paying for professional transportation, not admission to your social life.

IV. Communicate With the Almighty

Suppose you have a passenger going from downtown to the beach.

After the drop-off, tell dispatch something simple:

“Clear on beach, headed downtown.”

When you reach downtown:

“Clear downtown.”

If you want to remain at the beach looking for another fare, that's fine too.

Just let the Almighty know.

V. A Call Accepted Is a Call Committed

When you accept a fare, you've made a commitment.

Don't abandon it because another fare suddenly looks more profitable. Customers depend on us showing up, and dispatch depends on drivers doing what they said they would do.

Failure to complete your quest may result in consequences of biblical proportion.

VI. Avoid the High Sins

Among the great taxi sins:

Sneaky. Greedy. Whiny.

Play fair with the other drivers.

Some shifts will be busy. Others will be painfully slow. When business is slow, don't simply complain to dispatch. Generate some business of your own.

Get to know customers. Provide good service. Become the driver they call again.

VII. Even Taxi Drivers Are Mortal

Nobody should drive forever.

We tried not to work more than about twelve hours in a day. Fatigue isn't good for the driver, the passenger or anybody sharing the road.

If one of your regular customers needs transportation while you're sleeping, work with another driver or have the customer call dispatch.

Being somebody's favorite driver doesn't require being awake 24 hours a day.

VIII. Thou Shalt Be Able to Take Payment

By 2014, Abraxi Taxi accepted credit cards, and drivers were encouraged to establish an account with services such as Square or Intuit.

Mobile payments were still evolving, but customers were already expecting alternatives to cash.

Taxi technology has changed enormously since then.

IX. Take Care of the Chariot

Pick up a clean cab and return a clean cab.

Check the vehicle's fluids and general condition regularly. If you notice dents, dings or damage before beginning your shift, report it and have it entered in the daily log.

That's not bureaucracy.

That's protection for the next driver—and for you.

X. The Final Commandment

Communicate. Be fair. Keep the cab clean. Take the fare you accepted. Treat passengers properly. Don't make dispatch hunt for you.

Do those things and you'll probably make more money.

Break enough commandments and you may discover that the dispatcher really does possess the power of God.

Abraxi Taxiom: The dispatcher is a god. Worship accordingly.

Saint Augustine taxi service

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A Level Playing Field for St. Augustine Taxi Companies

There was a time when traffic and safety checkpoints were fairly common around St. Augustine.

As a taxi driver, I didn't particularly enjoy them. Getting stopped while trying to make a living could be a pain in the butt.

But there was another side to those checkpoints.

They meant I needed to have my driver's license, insurance and whatever permits and documentation the city required for my taxi. Abraxi Taxi spent considerable money over the years maintaining commercial insurance and complying with local vehicle-for-hire requirements.

My argument then was pretty simple: if one taxi company has to follow the rules, competing companies should have to follow them too.

Commercial taxi insurance wasn't cheap. Neither were vehicles, maintenance and the other costs involved in operating a legitimate transportation business. When I believed competitors were operating without meeting the same requirements, I wasn't shy about complaining to the city.

Actually, “wasn't shy” may be putting it mildly.

I contacted city officials, kept records and eventually hired an attorney while considering remedies under Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Then COVID arrived and changed the transportation business—and just about everything else—almost overnight.

Looking back, some of the language I used on the old Abraxi blog was considerably hotter than I would use today. At one point I suggested repeat offenders might be drawn and quartered and dragged behind St. Augustine's horse-drawn carriages.

For the historical record: that was sarcasm, not a proposed transportation policy.

But the principle behind all that anger hasn't changed much.

Competition is healthy. Small businesses should compete on service, reliability, price and reputation. And when government establishes rules for an industry, those rules should be understandable and applied consistently.

That's all I was really asking for.

It just took me quite a few more words—and considerably more profanity—to say it back then.

Abraxi Taxiom: If you make everybody play by the rules, make sure everybody is playing by the same rules.

Remembering St. Augustine's Celtic Festival and St. Patrick Parade

For many years, March meant a booming weekend in St. Augustine.

The St. Augustine Celtic Music & Heritage Festival brought music, kilts, Highland Games, food and plenty of Celtic spirit to Francis Field. The St. Patrick Parade filled the streets of the historic district with spectators and made an already busy downtown even busier.

For a taxi driver, that meant traffic.

Lots of traffic.

My advice back then was to book a hotel, bring your dancing shoes and make your transportation plans before arriving. Parking around the parade and festival could be difficult, and thousands of visitors descending on streets designed centuries before the automobile made for some memorable weekends behind the wheel.

I also recommended a few favorite local watering holes, including Ann O'Malley's, Barley Republic, Meehan's Irish Pub and the St. George Tavern.

Sadly, this old blog post has now become a small piece of St. Augustine history.

After a 15-year run, organizers announced the end of the St. Augustine Celtic Music & Heritage Festival and St. Patrick Parade. For years these events brought musicians, Highland athletes, Celtic families and visitors from around the country to the Ancient City.

St. Augustine will continue to celebrate its many cultures and traditions, but those March weekends will be missed.

I'm glad Abraxi Taxi got to drive through some of them.

Abraxi Taxiom: When I park, I think up snark.

St. Augustine New Year's Eve Taxi Service

New Year's Eve is one of the busiest nights of the year for taxi companies across the country, and St. Augustine and St. Johns County are no exception.

Some taxi companies take reservations. Others don't.

My advice from behind the wheel was simple: plan ahead.

If you're celebrating at your favorite pub or restaurant, arrange your transportation early and, if possible, don't wait until every bar in town closes before deciding you need a ride home.

Back then, Abraxi Taxi normally accepted credit cards. But on exceptionally busy nights, overloaded wireless and cellular systems could make our old mobile credit-card equipment unreliable.

So for New Year's Eve we sometimes advised customers to carry cash as a backup.

Technology has improved considerably since 2013.

New Year's Eve traffic has not.

Enjoy St. Augustine and everything the Ancient City has to offer. If you're drinking, leave the driving to somebody else.

Have a plan. Be patient. Get home safely.

And remember: at 2 a.m. on New Year's Day, approximately everybody in St. Augustine has suddenly discovered that they need a taxi.

Abraxi Taxiom: Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

Archive note — 2026: This article has been lightly updated from the original December 2013 Abraxi Taxi post. References to credit-card connectivity and transportation procedures describe the technology and business conditions at that time.

Saint Augustine Taxi Musings

Well the weather has been cold and nasty but Preston Pohl should warm things up next week when he comes back home.
Come downtown early and enjoy the Night of Lights and a cocktail or two.
Then call Abraxi Taxi to see Preston Perform at the Standard Friday December 20th.
If no taxi service is available the Standard is just a short walk over the Bridge of Lions.
So if you find yourself in historic Saint Augustine Florida;
after it be a Holly Jolly Trolley or a spooky ghost tour come over to the island mon and get down with Preston Pohl.

Saint Augustine

https://abraxi.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/christmas-time-in-saint-augustine-florida/

We miss Preston

Check out @abraxitaxi's Tweet: https://twitter.com/abraxitaxi/status/395386832260968448