Taxi Cab Oppressions

About eight years ago, one of my buddies from high school was working for State Farm Insurance and dating a girl who worked with him at the Bloomington, Ill.-based corporation.

While out with the two of them in Chicago one night, I recall my friend’s girl telling me how a recent work-related travel screw-up had forced her to take a cab all the way from O’Hare Airport to Bloomington.

Total distance: 135 miles.

Total time: About 2 1/2 hours.

Total cost: I can’t really remember, but I think it was about $150.

Since then, that ridiculously long haul has always stood out as the craziest cab ride story (distance-wise, at least) I’ve ever heard.

Until today, that is.

Because this afternoon, my brother told me how last night his girlfriend’s flight home from Denver to Chicago was canceled, forcing her and a co-worker to instead fly into Detroit.

Landing at Metro Airport sometime after midnight, the girls had no bags (somehow, those did fly to Chicago) and no accommodations. It was no matter, though, as for some other work-related reason, the co-worker needed to get home to Chicago that very night.

So, with connecting flights unavailable and no desire to rent a car and drive their exhausted selves all the way home, the two took the only option available to them.

They hailed a taxi.

And took it from the Motor City to the Windy City.

Total distance: About 285 miles.

Total time: Nearly 5 hours.

Total cost: a flat rate of $450, which was billed to the client (You better believe it!).

After hearing this mess, I have a Taxi Cab confession:

The next time my cab gets caught in traffic on, say, Lincoln Avenue, I promise not to complain.

After all, I could be riding in it all the way to Lincoln, Neb.

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