Taxi!

Another grab from The Star newspaper...

I don't really think I need to comment....

THE first thing passengers see when getting into Syed Zahid Syed Abdullah’s taxi are the neatly arranged toy cars and action figures all around the vehicle.

Zahid has 1,155 toy cars and figurines in his taxi which he has been collecting for the past six years.

He has spent about RM15,000 so far and his latest collection is only two weeks old.

Zahid said it took a day to put together the toys inside his taxi using super glue and adhesive tape.

Syed Zahid in his taxi.

“It all began with the free Ferrari cars from Shell and later it became a passion and the collection grew.

“There were too many to keep and so I decided to share my hobby with people.

“I have been driving the taxi since 1997 and I thought this will be a great way to attract passengers.

“The toys have been good for business while some call my hobby crazy.

“There was one passenger from India, who even gave me an auto rickshaw to add to my collection. Although I may not know all the names of the toys but I remember every colour and model,” he said.

Zahid said he would remind his passengers that they had to pay extra if their children damaged any of his toys.

Master of the universe: Ultraman figurines and Hot Wheels cars are glued to the dashboard.

“I usually carry spare toy cars for the children to play when they come into my taxi. I also check every month to see if the toys are all in place and well secured.

“When I first started this, my wife did not talk to me for a week but she eventually came around because she knew that it was more than just a hobby.

“Even my daughters know well enough and not touch anything.

“There are passengers who have offered to buy the toys. If I were to sell it to an enthusiast, I would probably opt for selling the whole car,” he said.

He said a lot of passengers would promote his taxi via Facebook or twitter when they get back home.

For those who want to catch a glimpse or ride in Zahid’s taxi, he usually picks up his passengers in front of the Grand Millenium Hotel in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

No,wait..I have to comment...There is no taxi stand at the Grand Millenium on Bukit Bintang...what you normally see are about 25 taxis parked all along Bukit Bintang effectively blocking one of the lanes and contributing to the traffic jam.This,along with the taxis parked at the hotels and malls on the opposite side of the street make it a 2 lane road instead of 4.

It's also where it is very,very unusual to find a taxi that will stick to the metre....what most of them want to do is to charge you or an unsuspecting tourist RM 50 for a trip to KLCC.... 

So,when you next sit in the traffic jam,at least you can be comforted by the fact that some obsessive-compulsive taxi driver blocking the road ahead has filled his cab with toys...