You remember Mark Malkoff, right? The man who visited 171 Starbucks in a day, lived in an IKEA, and rode a Big Wheel trike down 42nd Street? The comedian's latest stunt is a bit more involved—over the course of 14 hours, he raced all over the city in a single taxi to pick up passengers who requested rides via Facebook and Twitter. The passengers didn't pay, because Malkoff somehow convinced a cabbie to leave the meter running for 14 hours straight, eventually racking up a $468.10 tab. In the process, he manages to end a stranger's relationship, get a shave, and possibly find true love. The taxi, meanwhile, suffered the indignities of being filled with popcorn (literally) and getting plastered with Tony Danza's face. The video:
When we asked Malkoff where this idea came from, he explained: "With the current state of the economy a lot of my friends in NYC that are either unemployed or cutting back financially have stopped taking cabs. I figured since so many other New Yorkers were in the same situation giving out free cab rides for a day would be a nice gift."
His favorite passenger was Lisa Birnbach, the author of the Preppy Handbook. "She tweeted me for a cab ride from her Upper East Side apartment to a meeting in Chelsea. She randomly saw on Twitter that I was offering cab rides. I had no clue until she got in the cab she was a public figure and a well known author. The ironic thing was of course that she easily could have afforded the ride."
And what became of the poor cab driver? "As of now I actually haven't tipped the driver anything!" says Malkoff. "That's horrible, I know. I'm definitely going to give him something. I'm still asking myself what is customary to tip on a $468.10 cab ride." Might we suggest something a little above and beyond the standard 20 percent?
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Yeah it kinda is. Part of the reason it's so cheap is because he's not doing the customary $3.50 when he first starts the meter. Distance doesn't really add up to much for short trips.
Emma Leinhaas
that's not how their pay works. i can't believe he didn't tip him, what an a**hole.
whatidsay
And why exactly do you call him a comedian?
seebirds
and why exactly do they call you a poster? hahaha jk
whatidsay
Aren't you up past your bedtime? Sneaking Moms computer again, right?
nayerr
I'm sick of quirky internet videos.
seebirds
and i'm sick of dumb posts! hahaha jk
nayerr
I'm sick of quirky internet videos.
seebirds
and i'm sick of dumb double posts! hahaha jk
mlleBeth
I'm a bit baffled that the total was only $468 for 14 hours? They made a point of saying the meter was on continously. How do they afford those expensive medallions on that?
That was a serious question, but as a side note how hard is it to figure out a tip? If he wanted to give the guy more money later he always can, I just hope the cabbie doesn't feel stiffed (if he does end up tipping him)
It's because the meter was on the whole time. Every time you start the meter it begins at $3.50. If you never shut it off, you're going to be deprived of a lot of money because it's a big part of the short trip fare. Better to get 3 20-block fares than 1 60-block fare.
winning1234
That's $33/hr. What don't you get?
mlleBeth
That's about 70k a year figuring a 40 hour work week, which I'm sure a good percentage goes to the garage, then their 250k medallion (I think that's what it is now), plus living costs? I guess I just didn't realize their margin was so low.
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