Swapan
Swapan Muzumder
Taxi company: Independent
Years driving: started in 1989
Languages spoken: English, Bengali, Hindi, a little bit of Urdu and some French and Spanish.
Photo Location: Front Street, outside of Union Station
Date: April 21, 2016
Interview Excerpt:
What did you do before driving a cab?
I used to work in a factory. We made brakes and lining. It’s called Satisfied Brake Factory in Montreal.
Can you tell me about any interesting passenger you may have had in your time?
I have a—I don’t keep a memory. When the people come, the people gone out, I erase the memory. People are people. So everybody’s same. I don’t consider it famous person or some person. He might do something which is more technical or he can produce something which is different than me or someone else. But it is what it is. Everybody has their talent and determination. And to make a decision so that’s how we are. So there is no famous in my book. And there is no memory. I give all the memory when I go home to my family or something.
I have beautiful wife. I got 60 children. Six. Zero. I sponsor poor children. In Bangladesh where they’re born. I open a trust fund. You see all the children in my payroll. Yeah, 60 of them. A trust fund for the children. Yeah. So all the children—60 of them. I do not have any children, so I sponsor 60.
Can you tell me about what you do when you’re waiting for your next ride? When you’re waiting for your next fare?
Well, when I’m in a taxi and I have a little bit of time, I always listen to music. It’s my background all the time. And I eat something and I walk around a little bit.
Can you tell me how you feel the taxi industry has changed in the last few years?
Well, change is a continuing process. You have to have a change. You can not be static. But this thing to regulate and properly ensure that everybody’s slice remain in a position because our taxi industry’s highly regulated with a lot of law. I’m talking about bylaw. And if someone comes up without regulation, then it create a differentiation in the society that one person abiding with the law, another person doesn’t care. Because we have to live together. It’s not the separate entity between Uber and taxi. The main concern is that everything should be regulated in a fashion that everybody’s rights doesn’t violate.
