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Halifax taxi driver Mike Gaudet found a way to have fun while driving the city’s busy streets.

He gets his passengers to play their music in his car – every one of them.

“Sharing is caring,” he said. “Let them play their music. I get to learn new things.”

He learns about new songs and new artists from the 50-60 people who get in his car daily. “Who is that guy?” Gaudet asks when a cover of Take Me to Church song starts playing.

“When you let someone play their music on your stereo, that’s respect,” he said. “They love it.”

During a workday, he hears everything from country to rap music. He also listens to Spanish, Arabic and other non-English music.

Things gets more interesting at night. That’s when some passengers start singing and dancing when they play their music in Gaudet’s car.

That mostly happens after the sun goes down. “They’ve already been drinking. So that means they’re already in a good mood,” Gaudet said. When passengers “play their music on your stereo. That good mood becomes an even better mood.”

Some fares say: “I wish I had popcorn,” he said. “Then other people, they’ll see how much fun we’re having. Now, they want to get in my car.”

Mike Gaudet works about 100 hours a week. He's used those many hours to build up a loyal customer base. - Maan Alhmidi

He’s got a client list of more than 20 regulars. “Everybody’s got a custom ringtone on my phone. So, I can tell who’s calling by what song is playing.”

Tara White is one of Gaudet’s regular passengers. She’s known him for 11 years. He drives her to do grocery shopping and to her medical appointments. “He’s the only cab driver that I call,” she said.

“He shows up with coffee for me almost every time,” White said, noting he hands her the car’s stereo cable as soon as she gets in.

She thinks it’s great that the cab driver gives her a choice of what she wants to hear in a cab instead of the regular radio.

Gaudet builds a good relationship with his customers. “He calls to check up on me to see if I need anything if he’s driving by my house,” White said.

“I like EDM electronic I also like some hip hop,” she said. “He just goes with the flow, really.”

The cabbie worked in financial marketing for nearly a decade before he was laid off two years ago.

“Nobody’s hiring. I’ve got friends that drive cab, so I drive cab,” said Gaudet.

He didn’t much like the new job at first, but when he was asked to pick his hours, he chose to work 100 hours a week. “All I do, which is work, work, work, work, work, trying to pay off a mortgage,” he said. His mortgage supposed to paid off over 20 years, but he is aiming to have it done in about 15.

“Give me five more years. Boom. No more mortgage.”

Gaudet uses music and chatting with customers to fill his long work hours with joy.

“Well, $13 and 21 cents and we’re here safe,” he said at the end of the ride.

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