Blind Date cabbie finds love for desperate New Yorkers

The Daily Telegraph ^ | February 1, 2005 | Tom Leonard

[MadIvan]

New Yorkers looking for love in a notoriously lonely city have found an unlikely ally: a cab driver.

Ahmed Ibrahim, inspired by the many fares who complain to him about their difficulties in finding a date, has started a matchmaking service. He says he finds dates for about eight passengers a week.

He records a brief conversation with them as they express an interest in meeting Mr or Miss Right and, after taking their telephone number, tries to find someone appropriate from his database.

Mr Ibrahim, 50, an Egyptian immigrant, does not charge for the service, insisting, with echoes of Cilla Black on the television show Blind Date, that his only wish is one day to be invited to the wedding of a couple he has brought together.

He never asks bad-tempered or hurried passengers to join; he is wary of men in their early twenties on the grounds that they are not ready for a serious relationship, and, this being America, he is unimpressed by anyone who cannot produce a business card.

Mr Ibrahim also tries to weed out people who are already in a long-time relationship and are simply looking for a fling.

New York is a particularly hard city for single women, who outnumber single men by an estimated three to one.

One woman who has used the Ibrahim dating service said yesterday desperation was probably a factor for many people willing to put their private lives in the hands of a cabbie, but added: "A lot of people are just willing to do something crazy."

Mr Ibrahim said: "I have heard a lot of crying in this cab, a lot of fighting and a lot of broken hearts. Sometimes great people were just missing each other by minutes. One would get in my cab just as another got out."

Mr Ibrahim, who is divorced, has a Russian girlfriend: a cleaner he picked up in his cab. He had the idea of setting up a dating agency after taking the number of a young woman who complained about her lack of luck with men.

Three days later a male passenger told him a similar story. Mr Ibrahim called the woman and gave her the man's number.

She rang the cabbie three weeks later saying they had gone on a date and were getting on very well.

[MadIvan]

Why do I have a feeling Bill is looking for this cabbie.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Ping!

[sinanju]

"Taxicab Confessions" to the max. Perhaps Ibrahim should set up a video camera in the back. Garry Marshall (the "Pretty Woman" guy) should get to know this man. I can see a major romantic chick flick "based on a true story" being made out of this.

Then again, hollywood would have to mess it up, guns, drugs, kinky sex, et al.

[Cobra64]

Enterprizing pimp, eh? Probably has a sign emblazoned on top of his cab, "Pimps R Us"

underneath... "we have a layaway plan"

Ivan can you photoshop this for us? I have ZERO skills in that area, much less HTML.

BTW, again, if you're in NC, we'll show you speed boat rides, water skiing on Lake James, the Blue Ridge Mtns. and some tee-rific restaurants in Asheville, NC.

[Imaverygooddriver]

Maybe Mr.Ibrahim can explain to me how people from other countries who can barely speak English can get taxi licenses 1-2-3 in New York city, but people who were born in New york city like my brother cannot. My brother has been trying for over a year and he told me it`s virtually impossible. After spending close to $700 bucks already, taking the 24 hour course mandated by the NYC taxi and limosine commission, then taking and passing the test which basically requires you to memorize literally every street in NYC, he is now on his 3rd month waiting for the TLC to approve his license. Meanwhile every Haji Mohammed who can barely speak English is flying all over the place driving a cab. 10 emails to the commissioner yet not one reply. He calls up the TLC and they always give him the same answer "Your application is being processed, they are doing a background check", then you read articles like this.....

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/220710p-189718c.html


People always wonder why there are so many foreigners driving taxis nowdays in NYC. It`s called "cornering the market" and I tell you, to me this is a direct result of having a RINO for Mayor. The TLC is corrupt as hell, but let`s ignore that as long as the right people are being paid off. Let`s give every potential Al-Qaeda mutt a license, but bust the nuts of the white guy who wants to moonlight for some extra bucks.

[chasio649]

I wonder if Slick has a business card?

[ProudVet77]

a notoriously lonely city

This author must not have spent much time in NYC. I grew up there and from the time I was 7 I was never lonely. I'd even say my cup runneth over back then. :)

[Happygal]

A cab driver who speaks English. I've seen it all! ;-)

[adam_az]

I wonder if this Muslim has ever seen Fiddler on the Rood...

[adam_az]

ROOF! ROOF!

No more posting pre-coffee.

[GVnana]

Cilla Black

The Cilla Black? I haven't heard of her in years.

[MadIvan]

There is only one Cilla. She's still around.

Regards, Ivan

[Quinotto]

My father was one of those drivers for our first 2 years in this country. He took the books home, he studied them, he took the test and passed it and just like him, many other of his immigrant friends! I do remember his driving partner( the guy with whom he shared the cab), our neighbor, a man born in NY who needed some extra money and asked my dad about getting the license! Alas, he did the same thing as my dad, he studied and passed the test within days. At the same time, I should also mention that this happened in 1984, when NYC traffic was definitely not what it is today and there were not so many cabs out there. Without meaning any insult to your brother, I think it's the same reason why the majority of US born who are in the military and stationed in Germany fail the civilian driving test there, the driving test in US is a joke and when it comes to something more complicated (like a TLC license or a commercial license or an European Driving License) some people react as if they are applying to NASA's Space Program. Truth be told, in US every moron holds a drivers' license(and a voter's registration card) and unfortunately they end up on the streets, in front of you(or in the voting booths, punching out the wrong hole)! To this, please allow me to add the immigrants who never drove a car in their life end up being part of the moronic driving crowd, unaware of the danger they represent.