Distance from my house to destination - 1.8 miles.
Duration of taxi ride - 7 minutes

What I learn't about the taxi driver in that time.

His name
his marital status
how many children he has
he had whooping cough as a child
he failed his eleven plus exam at school
he took 18 months off school
he left school with no exams
he was an engineer for 33 years
he worked in europe for 5 years
he has had four jobs
he has diabetes
he had a pulmonary embolism
he has kidney failure
he set up business with his son
his son went bankrupt
where he lives
his opinion of where I live
how much he has to pay in rates
he took a BSc as a mature student
His daughter lives in the US
She has just undergone major surgery
he loves dogs
How much he earns
his age
what car he owns
the fact that he rents his cab
he has to go to hospital for a heart peel (?)
his call sign
the fact that one of his customers is a smack head
he intends to sell his house and move to somewhere with no stairs

Don't you just hate it when people sit quietly and say nothing.