The next time you take a taxicab, can you please remember the following facts when deciding how much to tip your driver? Because it’s often a horrible job, and they can use all the cash they can possibly get:

“The prosecution presented evidence that in early 2000,
Wilson committed a series of crimes against cab drivers in the
San Bernardino and Los Angeles areas. On each occasion, the
perpetrator called for a cab, then robbed and murdered or
attempted to rob and murder the cab driver. The first victim,
James Richards, was robbed at gunpoint at the end of a rural
road in San Bernardino County. The perpetrator attempted to
kill Richards, but the gun jammed and Richards managed to
escape. The second victim, Andres Dominguez, was shot and
killed in the same location several weeks later. The perpetrator
then used Dominguez’s cell phone to request another taxicab
from a Pomona company. The driver of the cab that responded,
Victor Henderson, was the third victim; he was killed
approximately two hours after Dominguez, shot by the same gun
used to kill Dominguez.

James Richards picked up a passenger in front of a grocery
store in downtown San Bernardino on January 7, 2000. The
passenger was going to Bloomington, about 20 minutes away.
After reaching Bloomington, the passenger directed Richards to
stop on a rural, dimly lit road. There, the passenger drew a gun
and robbed Richards. Then, forcing Richards out of the cab and
onto his knees, the passenger put the gun into Richards’s mouth
and tried to shoot him. The gun jammed, however, and Richards
was able to escape to a nearby house. The owner of the house
heard Richards screaming and pounding on his door and saw a
figure in the street pointing a gun at Richards before getting into a cab and speeding off. The cab company later recovered
Richards’s stolen taxi from an apartment complex in Victorville.”

Maybe Uber and Lyft drivers are a little bit more protected, since you the identity of the person who calls for the ride is (allegedly) discoverable. But still. Tips would definitely be appreciated.