A Taxi in Grand Theft Auto IV.
Taxi Drivers are one of the pedestrians found in the GTA series. As the name implies, they are employed to drive Taxi Cabs around the cities and pick up fares.
The Taxi Drivers
Over the years of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, the taxi and cabbie drivers have evolved considerably.
3D Universe
The Taxi drivers in GTA III are Indian and in GTA Vice City, they are mostly immigrants. They will usually run away if you steal their Taxi. However, you may encounter a driver who will fight for his cab. He then tries running after the player driving the cab (usually wielding baseball bats or shovels), then if they manage to catch the player the driver will engage in a one on one brawl with the player for stealing their taxi. However, if the player points a gun at the driver, but does not shoot, the driver will throw his hands up, usually saying good things to the player to prevent the player from shooting, then walk away and forget about the taxi. Throughout GTA San Andreas, the taxi drivers have not really evolved, and are still immigrants, mainly Central or South American though. If the player hits the taxi vehicle in GTA San Andreas, the driver will most likely exit the vehicle and either stand there or come after the player and attack them. For unknown reasons, the taxis and cabbies are usually one of the most common vehicles that are chased by the police. In GTA Liberty City Stories, the drivers are also immigrants but most are usually Indians, as seen when the player enters a taxi and Radio Del Mundo will play. Most taxi drivers in GTA San Andreas may like talk shows as when the player enters their taxi, WCTR will play. In GTA Vice City Stories, taxi drivers are usually Hispanics or South Americans, as seen when the player enters a taxi and Radio Espantoso plays.
HD Universe
The taxi drivers in GTA IV are even ruder and more ill-tempered. Most of the cabbies are Greek (in Cerveza Heights and Chinatown, they will be Chinese), as indicated by the "Malaka!" (Asshole in Greek) or "Stupid Malaka!" insult they shout when you crash into them (a Greek term for "wanker"). If this occurs when a police officer is nearby, or if they are near a Police Cruiser, they will take immediate action, arresting the driver and taking them away. A rare taxicab driver is a young Russian woman who can be found around Hove Beach and Firefly Island. However she will not speak at all. The same taxi driver can have many different voices like it was another character, it can be easily noted when hopping in and out of a taxi as a passenger. Hispanic cabbies are more common around areas such as East Holland and South Bohan where they are likely to be Dominican or Puerto Rican. Just like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, some taxi drivers also like talk show radio stations, as sometimes when you enter the cab, it will play Integrity 2.0, PLR or WKTT. Some taxi drivers may listen to The Beat 102.7 and/or San Juan Sounds or any other radio stations. In GTA V all taxi drivers appear to be Mexican, and listen to East Los FM.
In the HD Universe, the players are able to use taxis to get to their pre-determined location, and not having to drive there themselves, for of course, a fee. In GTA V it is possible to use a taxi as a passenger if pressing the car enter button, if the button is held, the character will jack the taxi. By jacking the vehicle, the character can become a taxi driver in the shape of Taxi Missions by pressing the appropriate button/key.
The Taxi drivers in GTA IV and GTA V won't care if the player pulls out a passenger and then gets in, but run away if the player shoots out the window. Note that the driver won't react if the player smashes the window by clicking the shoot button quickly.
If the player calls 911 and chooses the police after having fought with him, the driver will act like the player has shot him and crawl away and not fight them anymore.
Taxi drivers in the HD Universe are exceptionally reckless drivers, when hailing a cab they often swerve violently onto the sidewalk, hitting parked cars, knocking over things on the sidewalk, downing streetlights and even hitting pedestrians.
In GTA V, Franklin is able to purchase Downtown Cab Co. depot, but even as an owner, sometimes it will be required to become a taxi driver for VIP customers.
If the player doesn't have enough money for the ride, the taxis in GTA IV will force the player out when the distance worth the money is reached. In GTA V and Online however, the taxi will take the player to the destination, but the player will then gain a 1-star wanted level. Also, in GTA Online, the player needs to have the money on hand when calling a cab; money on bank account will not work.
In GTA V and Online, the player will also gain a wanted level if they bail from the taxi during the journey, unless they ask the driver to stop first.
Trivia
- In GTA IV, it is possible to get a free taxi ride by shooting out the window of the taxi when the player is near the destination, though this requires waiting through the whole drive.
- After becoming more friendly with Roman Bellic, he will offer Niko a job driving taxis, or Niko can get a free ride from one of Roman's employees, Mohammed, unlocking the "Driving Mr. Bellic" achievement, though Mohammed is short tempered and constantly hurls insults at Niko, calling him a freeloader. He can be killed but will reappear.
- The player can ask the taxi driver to change the radio station. The player can also change the destination but it may cost more.
- Getting a lift from one island to another without skipping will unlock the "It'll Cost Ya" achievement/trophy.
- If the player has a wanted level and is being chased by a cop on foot while in a vehicle, sometimes the cop enters a cab. If the input the wanted down cheat is entered, the cop will still be driving the cab, and will function as a normal cab driver.
- Very rarely in GTA IV, one of the taxi driver models may be a woman. This woman will never speak, however, meaning that female taxi drivers were originally going to be in the game, but were not completely cut from development. This has been more commonly seen in Hove Beach.
- In GTA IV, Taxi Drivers will usually attack the player if he/she attacks the taxi drivers' Taxi. However, in GTA V, taxi drivers will almost always run away.
- The most common Taxi Driver in GTA IV is a man with grey hair with various accents. He can be seen throughout Liberty City and is always hostile if his Taxi is struck but will flee if the player pulls out a gun.
