In the taxi world, drivers are divided as to whether a “real” nahag uses Waze. For these veterans who know the city’s every highway and byway, the consensus is clear: real drivers don’t rely on it

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ith their unmatched knowledge of city streets and traffic patterns, familiarity with local haunts and tourist attractions, and hard-won knowledge of human nature, taxi drivers are integral to the characters of every major city. But the taxi drivers of Jerusalem occupy a class of their own. Virtually every resident and visitor has a taxi experience tucked away for posterity.

But what’s the view like from the driver’s seat? What’s life like for these drivers who spend the better of the day or night negotiating between narrow streets, busy boulevards, mothers laden with strollers and clinging children, and emotions running the gamut of the human experience?

We took a visit to a popular taxi station and spoke to the drivers between shifts. With humor, honesty, and an unabashed love for their city, these drivers shared their take on what it’s like to man the wheel in a Jerusalem taxi.

Not too many people know every street in Jerusalem like the back of their hand. From the narrow, made-for-donkeys streets of the Old City to the modern Begin Highway to the hilly ascents of Har Nof and breathtaking views of Ramot — which is your favorite driving destination?

Shimshon: Who can pick a single favorite spot? I love the entire city, all of it. As a taxi driver, I have the opportunity to visit so many famous streets and historical sites just in a day’s work. Imagine, all these places I only used to visit once in a while, and now I drive through them on a daily basis!

Morris: The street I enjoy the most is King David street. It just says “Yerushalayim” to me.

Ariel: There’s no destination like the Kotel!

With so many passengers coming in and out of your car every day, you must encounter a huge range of moods and personality types. There are the quiet ones, the ones who ignore you and take out their phones, the ones who focus on their Tehillim, and the ones who want nothing more than a heated conversation about politics. What’s your preference? Do you prefer a chatty client or a silent one?

Yair: Look, this isn’t about me. I’m a service provider, giving my clients the service they’re paying me for. They want to talk, that’s fine. They want to stay quiet, also fine. I try to adapt to the client’s needs.

Ariel: I’m so happy when my clients talk to me. Driving passengers in Jerusalem, I get to listen to lots of chiddushim and divrei Torah. In fact, I enjoy hearing from them so much that many times I start the conversation myself!

Shimshon: I love to listen to my clients. To let them speak, voice their issues and their worries and fears. Technically I’m a driver but in a way, a good taxi driver is also something of a psychologist. Of course I can’t ever know if I really solved a passenger’s problem, but I do get the sense that my advice is well received.