The taxi
company that I worked for, like many companies, was constantly evolving – for
the better. When I joined, we used to dress in all manner of clothing. A
company gathering used to resemble a rainbow. As the company grew and got some
high profile clients, the management decided that we needed to look more
presentable. There was only one effective way of achieving that. We were to be
fitted with uniforms.
The uniform story was received with mixed reactions – not that we had any say in the matter, but that did not stop us from airing our grievances/appreciation. When those who were against the idea realized that the uniforms were there to stay, they mellowed down. Now there was only issue to be sorted out – The style and colors. This may sound like it was a simple problem, but it was not. The collection of characters we had in that company was so diverse that agreeing on anything was almost impossible. Some of the suggestions were quite hilarious – imagine somebody suggesting that we wear yellow suits?
Once again, the management came to our “rescue” and decided for us. It was now a foregone conclusion; we would be wearing dark gray trousers, light gray shirts, and maroon blazers. The look would be completed with red branded ties. This was going to apply to the lady drivers as well – apart from one who opted for skirts instead of trousers. We were excited to see how we would look in our new outfits.
The day to have our measurements taken arrived and we were bundled into the company van to be taken to the fundi (tailor). We were one rowdy group and the fundi couldn’t wait to be rid of us. We had been taken to a shopping center in a Nairobi suburb known as Lang’ata. After the measurements, the drivers decided to paint the town red. They got drunk and made a few scenes in the otherwise peaceful neighborhood.
One week later, the uniforms were delivered to the office. We could hardly wait to try them out. We all agreed to go home and come to work in our new outfits the following day. The following morning, I have to admit that we looked quite sharp. Passers-by couldn’t help staring. The uniforms were perfect – apart from one small problem. The tailor who made them had apparently never made blazers before. He seemed to have used shirt patterns to cut out our blazers. The anomaly however, was not that noticeable unless one was very keen.
In a business sense, the uniform idea appeared to have been very well informed. The number and affluence of clients increased noticeably. Every taxi passenger wanted to ride with us. We looked professional and trustworthy. It was even possible to tell a client arriving at the airport to look out for a driver in that uniform thus removing the need for a paging board. After some time, we were added an extra piece of clothing – a yellow sleeveless sweater. The yellow advocate had finally got his way after all!
When we were getting our uniforms, we had thought that they had a unique color combination. For some strange reason, none of us had noticed the uncanny resemblance our uniforms bore to those of officials of the Kenya Airports Authority. They had identical uniforms, right down to the yellow sweater! This came as a pleasant surprise to the cheekier drivers among us. They were often able to access the high security areas of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and the smaller Wilson Airport. At least something positive had come out of our uniforms with the “shirt-like” blazers.
The uniform story was received with mixed reactions – not that we had any say in the matter, but that did not stop us from airing our grievances/appreciation. When those who were against the idea realized that the uniforms were there to stay, they mellowed down. Now there was only issue to be sorted out – The style and colors. This may sound like it was a simple problem, but it was not. The collection of characters we had in that company was so diverse that agreeing on anything was almost impossible. Some of the suggestions were quite hilarious – imagine somebody suggesting that we wear yellow suits?
Once again, the management came to our “rescue” and decided for us. It was now a foregone conclusion; we would be wearing dark gray trousers, light gray shirts, and maroon blazers. The look would be completed with red branded ties. This was going to apply to the lady drivers as well – apart from one who opted for skirts instead of trousers. We were excited to see how we would look in our new outfits.
The day to have our measurements taken arrived and we were bundled into the company van to be taken to the fundi (tailor). We were one rowdy group and the fundi couldn’t wait to be rid of us. We had been taken to a shopping center in a Nairobi suburb known as Lang’ata. After the measurements, the drivers decided to paint the town red. They got drunk and made a few scenes in the otherwise peaceful neighborhood.
One week later, the uniforms were delivered to the office. We could hardly wait to try them out. We all agreed to go home and come to work in our new outfits the following day. The following morning, I have to admit that we looked quite sharp. Passers-by couldn’t help staring. The uniforms were perfect – apart from one small problem. The tailor who made them had apparently never made blazers before. He seemed to have used shirt patterns to cut out our blazers. The anomaly however, was not that noticeable unless one was very keen.
In a business sense, the uniform idea appeared to have been very well informed. The number and affluence of clients increased noticeably. Every taxi passenger wanted to ride with us. We looked professional and trustworthy. It was even possible to tell a client arriving at the airport to look out for a driver in that uniform thus removing the need for a paging board. After some time, we were added an extra piece of clothing – a yellow sleeveless sweater. The yellow advocate had finally got his way after all!
When we were getting our uniforms, we had thought that they had a unique color combination. For some strange reason, none of us had noticed the uncanny resemblance our uniforms bore to those of officials of the Kenya Airports Authority. They had identical uniforms, right down to the yellow sweater! This came as a pleasant surprise to the cheekier drivers among us. They were often able to access the high security areas of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and the smaller Wilson Airport. At least something positive had come out of our uniforms with the “shirt-like” blazers.
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