Memoirs of a Winnipeg Cab Driver (Paperback or Softback)

Cab drivers! What a strange lot! Why would anyone want to drive a hack for a living? Other than being capable enough to safely operate a vehicle, you don't need any special skills or training. You don't need a university degree in the humanities, though you may become a qualified human affairs expert after driving a cab for several years.

Cabbies must be the most misunderstood creatures in the world! Why else would they do what they do? Without it being said, a cab driver works twelve hour shifts on a routine daily basis. They often get assaulted, and even more often than not, they get ripped off. Society as a whole views cabbies as individuals with the same I.Q. as a lava lamp, who only drive a taxi because they can't get a job anywhere else, and, they probably have a criminal record too! They get screamed at, threatened, spat on, slapped, punched, kicked, stabbed, and tragically, some get murdered. What person in their right mind would want to take on this kind of a life when they could earn a lot more money with a lot less aggravation and abuse by simply donning a pair of dark glasses and selling pencils on any street corner?

I drove a taxi in the city of Winnipeg for about twenty years for Red Patch Taxi. These memories are my memories and I am gladly sharing them with you, the reader. My biggest thanks go out to the city of Winnipeg and to all of its citizens whom I found to be the friendliest people anywhere! I hope that these stories of mine will move you emotionally, either with a smile, a laugh or a tear. Winnipeg, thanks for the memories! Savour the stories!

Emile Proulx was born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. He graduated from the local high school in 1966, and a few months later he moved to the city of Winnipeg where he gained employment with Canadian National Railway. Fascinated by the functioning and interpersonal dynamics of a wide cross-section of people, he was drawn into the taxi industry. He drove taxi for Red Patch Taxi and stayed employed there for approximately twenty years. Emile had his first taste of post-secondary education when he attended the University of Manitoba in the '60s taking Arts courses, and later in life obtained a college diploma in Social Work from Northern College in Timmins in 1988, a place he lived in for seven years. Emile is happily married to a native of Winnipeg, a stunningly beautiful girl, Patricia Marceniuk, from Elmwood. Emile is blessed with three wonderful God-given children: Jason, the eldest; Shayne, the teaser; and finally, the long-awaited daughter, Sarah (Pilon) the brat. Emile now resides in Keswick, Ontario, and drives Taxi for Georgina Taxi to supplement his old-age income and as a way to continue to meet and talk with people from all walks of life. This is Emile's first book, but he hopes not his last.