World Cup final set to create taxi crisis in Australia

With the Indian and Sri Lankan cab drivers planning to take the night off to watch the World Cup final tomorrow, the Aussies will have to do with fewer taxis on the road.
"It is expected that thousands of drivers will take the night of work to watch the match, which will bring the cricket-mad sub-continent to a standstill," the local media here reported.

Melbourne taxi driver Vinny Singh said at least 100 drivers known to him would be off the roads to catch the action in Mumbai due to the difference of over five hours in time zones. "I think it will be next to impossible, because I think that a lot of Indian students who are driving cabs in the night, as part of their part-time job, will be having a day off," he told the ABC.

"They will be supporting their country, their nation and their players, taking a day off tomorrow and watching cricket." Srinivasan, the sports editor of a Melbourne community newspaper 'The Indian Voice' also said that getting taxi ride would be tough tomorrow.

"Every Indian, every person from the subcontinent particularly the Indians will be glued to the TV tomorrow," he told '3AW'. "I've spoken to some of the cab drivers and they have decided to call it of, finish the shift by 8pm tomorrow," he said.

"And more so if India wins the match, you can forget about taxis on Sunday morning. Some of the Indian community functions that normally happen on Saturday, those have been postponed or it will finish at 8 o'clock tomorrow." However, another taxi operator Mark Langton said the situation would be manageable. "We'll be using a lot of our newer recruits, people that might otherwise not get a shift," he said. "It'll be like a football team with a few injuries, you'll have to pull up some of the reserve players."