Taking a cab in Binghamton is pretty much a rite of passage for students at Binghamton University, and we all know taking one out for a night on the town can lead to infamous stories.

However, you might not realize that while you’re gabbing to your best friend or drunkenly copping a feel, the cab drivers are paying attention. So your story about how your cab driver described the porn he watched last night might not compare to the one he or she tells their friends about your intoxicated antics.

‘Ricky T.,’ a cabbie who has been working in Binghamton for only one year and who asked for his last name to be withheld, provided Release with some stories about the unexpected situations students put cab drivers through.

– First night, first vomit

On his first night on the job, while Ricky was picking up eight boisterous kids on their way Downtown, one girl announced she was nauseated and had to throw up.

‘So I pull up by the BU entrance to let her out [of] the car,’ Ricky said. ‘After three girls jump out of the van, they hop right back in and she says she doesn’t have to throw up.’

As they approached their destination, one of the girls in the back seat started vomiting.

‘My first night!’ Ricky said. ‘After I drop them off and get my $3 for each, I call my cab office and they tell me the students are supposed to clean it up or pay a $50 fine.’

– The BJ

On another occasion, Ricky was coming from Downtown with six or seven students in his cab. While two of the passengers were going to Mountainview College on campus, the rest were on their way to University Plaza.

After the passengers were dropped off at UP, he glanced in the rear view mirror and only saw the male passenger ‘ the girl was gone.

‘I start hearing noise in the back seat,’ Ricky said. ‘I asked ‘Is everything okay back there?’ The guy says, moaning, ‘I slipped her a mickie [drugged her drink].’ It wasn’t a mickie because when I dropped them off, she wouldn’t have jumped right back up the way she did. He gave me $3 for each and a pretty good $10 tip.’

– Permission to tan

One of Ricky’s PCs ‘ his personal contacts that call him directly ‘ called him for a ride to a tanning salon. The girl, who lived in Newing College’s Broome Hall, was about to turn 18, Ricky said.

After he dropped her off, she called Ricky back for a favor.

Because the student was under 18, ‘she ‘ asked me to sign the consent form to get the tan.’

He did.

While that is strange, stranger things have happened during taxi rides. If you’re a cab driver and would like to be spotlighted, contact Release at pipedreamrelease@gmail.com.