On Thu, 4 Jul 2024 20:56:07 +0100, Timothy Collinson wrote:

>Duets with the PC as a gravtaxi driver?  Or broadened out as 'fares' as in
>paying passengers on a typical merchant trader and necessary adjustments
>made?

For what it's worth, these might well be good adventures for the PC to use
Gaizka Márquez's 'Driver' career from Vuelo Raso N.4, translated to English
for FT July/August 2022 and posted to
http://www.freelancetraveller.com/features/rules/chargen/driver.html

>A Fare to Remember
>You pick up a passenger who wants taking to a shadier part of the
>startown.  S/he is convinced you're being followed and asks you to shake
>the tail.  (Cue whatever chase mechanic you use).  If you fail to elude the
>tail a second or third vehicle joins the pursuit and shots are taken at the
>passenger.  Any missed shots have a one in three chance of hitting you.  If
>you elude the tail, there's a reception committee at the destination,
>they're not overly fussed about collateral damage.

And this particular seed might well be an opportunity to use Benedikt
Schwarz's "Chase" rules from FT November/December 2017 and posted to
https://www.freelancetraveller.com/features/rules/chase.html

>Taken For a Ride
>You pick up a fare as normal but s/he hijacks you and your vehicle to go to
>an extremely dangerous or perhaps even illegal destination.  It's not even
>within the startown bounds.  Lose a Melee combat and they will also
>incapacitate your vehicle in some way (from pinching the keys to removing
>the distributor and taking it with them?) expecting you to hang around
>until they've concluded whatever business they have and can then transport
>them back to town.  On the upside, they pay double the normal rate and
>apologize for the inconvenience.

(TL;DR for the below: A fare might tell the cabbie at the destination or
upon hire, "Wait for me", with the expectation that they will - and the
cabbie will expect to be paid for the wait. This isn't unusual, just
expensive for the fare.)

I can't speak for other places, but in the NYC area, some places have two
classes of "taxi" - metered cabs (usually yellow [DuPont M6284 or
equivalent] or "apple green" [DuPont GS028 or equivalent] in NYC), and
'on-call' services (may be any color, but often black). Metered cabs may be
"hailed" on the street for a pickup; 'on-call' means that someone called
the driver or dispatch company directly. 'On-call' services are not
permitted to pick up "hails", and the fare is "negotiated" in advance.
App-based services such as Uber and Lyft are considered 'on-call' services
in NYC, and drivers and vehicles must be licensed as such.

Both types will wait if your instructions are to wait; with metered cabs,
the meter keeps running at the standard rate.

There is a general expectation that you will tip the driver at least 20% of
the fare (as negotiated for on-call, or per the meter for metered cabs),
plus at least one dollar for each piece of luggage or other
bag/box/whatever loaded into the trunk or cargo area (some taxis are based
on van or SUV bodies). "Carry-on" equivalents are limited to one or two
knapsacks, briefcases, or shopping bags, and do not require the 'bag tip'
unless you request driver assistance in entering or exiting the vehicle
with them.

(For those interested, the reason for two colors of metered cabs in NYC is
that the green ones are not permitted to pick up "hails" in Manhattan below
96th Street. Yellow cabs are not permitted to operate as 'on-call's.

(Meter rates change over time; as of July 2024, fares to destinations
within NYC except for the airports are $3.00 to get into the cab, plus
$0.70 per 0.2 mile [approx 1/3 km] or per 60 seconds when vehicle is slower
than 12mph [20km/h], plus certain fixed surcharges for time of day or
infrastructure maintenance.)

    $3.00 initial charge.
    Plus 70 cents per 1/5 mile when traveling above 12mph or per 60 seconds
in slow traffic or when the vehicle is stopped.
    Plus 50 cents MTA State Surcharge for all trips that end in New York
City or Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess, Orange or Putnam
Counties.
    Plus $1.00 Improvement Surcharge.
    Plus $1.00 overnight surcharge 8pm to 6am.
    Plus $2.50 rush hour surcharge from 4pm to 8pm on weekdays, excluding
holidays.
    Plus New York State Congestion Surcharge of $2.50 (Yellow Taxi) or
$2.75 (Green Taxi and FHV) or 75 cents (any shared ride) for all trips that
begin, end or pass through Manhattan south of 96th Street.
    Plus tips and any tolls.
    There is no charge for extra passengers, luggage or bags, or paying by
credit card.
    The on-screen rate message should read: "Rate #01 – Standard City
Rate."
    Make sure to always take your receipt.

)

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