Backseat Lives: Neath taxi driver captures his fares at a time in space

taxi neath

Working as a taxi driver in Neath, Wales, Mike Harvey took a moment to photograph his passengers. This was not to better indentify them in police files. It was a record of his time. As he says:

“Thousands of people travelled in the small transient space of the taxi, and each journey had it’s own unique interaction and narrative. I wanted to document the lottery of people that occupied the taxi space, and the experiences that taxi driving gave me. Whether it be rushing a pregnant woman to hospital or being regaled stories of World War II by an elderly passenger, the taxi provided a space to meet, converse with, and learn from people…

“The array of people that journeyed in the taxi were diverse. The shop and call centre workers, tradesmen, policemen, pensioners, prostitutes and lawyers, the publican, millionaire, undertaker and pauper, the school teacher, drug dealer, drunkard and postman – the old, the young, the rich, the poor, the sober and the high.”

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