But unlike some other blue collar jobs, driving taxis has a special appeal. According to Cavellini, most cabbies have something of the gambler in them, and enjoy the freedom and uncertainty inherent in their jobs. "You're outside, you're moving around, you get to feel the pulse of the city," he says.
Lahaie explains that, like many cabbies, he started driving because the job's flexibility allowed him to use it as a part-time stepping stone to bigger and better employment and education opportunities. Lahaie is paying his way through Harvard Extension School.
"It's nice to be your own boss...but it's not something I'd want to do for life," he says.
A Costly Investment
But while many workers in search of a reasonable salary and a flexible schedule have chosen to cabby for a living, today that option is not as attractive as it once was. The cost-benefit scale has swung against drivers, as fixed expenses that once seemed reasonable when balanced against longterm pay-offs are becoming increasingly unwieldy.
For drivers to operate legally, they must first incur the large expense of buying a cab and its accompanying medallion, which generally goes for between $60,000 and $70,000. The medallion is the registration placard from the city which licenses the vehicle for operation as a taxi.
Cabs and medallions are usualy viewed by drivers and banks as a good investment, Lahaie says. Once an owner finishes payment on a cab he or she can operate at a significantly greater profit, Lahaie exlains.
But despite their potential down-the-road profit opportunities, these initial costs are high for a worker in today's fiscal climate, especially in light of the steep increase in the price of medallions from $10,000 a decade ago.
Indeed, Cromwell says medallions and taxis are no longer the hot property that they once were. This fall it's a buyer's market for taxi-cabs, he says, explaining that workers are searching for shortterm employment to last them until the economy bottoms out as opposed to the long-term commitment that buying a cab would necessitate.
"A taxi driver's costs are all fixed, so when he loses a little bit of revenue he loses a lot of profit," Cromwell explains.
Despite all drivers do to get out on the streets and make a living, Cavellini echoes, "they're not making enough to pay their expenses."
Physical Danger
In addition to putting workers in a precarious financial position, the cab industry can subject its drivers to physical danger as well, Cavellini says. Although he does not know of any actual murders of Cambridge drivers during his tenure, Cavellini says the spectre is always there, and armed robbery by passengers is relatively common.
"When you drive a cab you take a chance with your life more than in almost any other profession other than being in the military or police," Cavellini says. "It takes a certain kind of personality."
Roy says that during his five years in the business he has become very attuned to the possibility of physical confrontation. "If you drive a cab long enough you have almost a second nature...it's almost as if God whispers in your ear and tells you something's wrong," he says.
For example, Roy says, he once picked up a small group of people whom he felt were menacing him. When he dropped them off at the address they had given, to his relief the passengers ran off without paying instead of assaulting him. "There's something wrong with your value system if you're happy you're ripped off rather than lose your life," Roy says. "You're constantly on edge."
As the economy continues to deteriorate and some of their co-workers look to get out of the business altogether, most cabbies do not see their prospects in an optimistic light. Still, a small minority retain hope for the future, when, they say, renewed financial stability will put them and their taxis back in gear. Cromwell counts himself in this group.
"The average taxi driver's really hurting right now," Cromwell admits, but adds he is hopeful that "things will improve by next fall."