"Kasia nie do zdarcia" (Kasia, the Indestructible): An Article About Our Warszawa

We present an article that appeared in 1999 in the Auto-moto supplement of Gazeta Wyborcza, back when our Warszawka Agrafka was still the taxi Kasia.

The Warszawa Taxi Driver

He is one of the oldest taxi drivers in the Tricity. For nearly thirty years, Mr. Janek has driven the same Warszawa. He named it Kasia. He has already covered about 2 million kilometers in his car.

The cabbie will not reveal his surname. "Let it just be Mr. Janek—that is what everyone calls me," he states. He bought a new Warszawa in April 1970; it cost 120 thousand PLN. Average wages at the time ranged between 1300 and 1500 PLN.

In the early 1970s, it was a fashionable car and, apart from the Volga, the only one suitable for a taxi. That is how Mr. Janek explains his choice today. He has no regrets. Thanks to the Warszawa, he has been one of the most popular drivers in the Tricity for several years. Not a day goes by without a group of curious onlookers coming up to him, wanting a ride in the old car.

"Young and old come up, looking at my car with fondness. Sometimes they want a ride just out of curiosity, for fun. Others take souvenir photos," says Mr. Janek.

Often he is the first to leave the rank, even though he is last in line. That, too, is thanks to Mr. Janek's kindness and gift for storytelling. Hence his nickname—Janek Dobre Serce (Janek Good Heart). Owing to his years behind the wheel (45 years), he is also known as Tata (Dad).

A Peach of a Girl

The cabbie grew so attached to his Warszawa that he decided to give it a name—Kasia.

"Friends called my car Cleopatra or Pelasia. I explained that the name had to be pretty, like a peach of a girl. I always liked the name Kasia, and so it stayed," the owner adds.

Because of her age, Kasia requires special care. Every day, Mr. Janek carefully inspects the engine, checks for play, and tops up the fluids. Several times a week he washes the car with water and a special solution that gives Kasia a shine. Every year the chassis is inspected and preserved. The driver handles all minor repairs as they come. Parts are no problem at all—Mr. Janek's cellar holds so many you could build a second Warszawa. No wonder Mr. Janek has driven two million kilometers in his Warszawa.

"Unfortunately, an engine would not survive such mileage. Kasia is already on her third. But as for the bodywork, only the front fenders were replaced once. The rest of the body is in perfect condition," the cabbie boasts.

Indeed, the car looks superb. There is not a trace of corrosion anywhere, the doors close with unbelievable ease, and you could practically see your reflection in the chrome bumpers. In winter the car takes to the roads without trouble. It fears neither frost nor snowdrifts. The owner also sets off on longer routes without worry.

"The longest fare I remember was to Wrocław, 520 kilometers one way. Back then I was carrying a certain sailor from the 'Batory.' There were also trips to Szczecin or Suwałki," the owner says. "Kasia runs like a young girl; she is not afraid of long routes. Even today she will do 125 kilometers an hour. Of course, something could fail at any moment, but I always know what hurts her and where."

You Only Marry Once

In thirty years, the cabbie has never had an accident. He drives carefully. He lives by the principle "make haste slowly, and you will arrive safe and sound."

"I took my instructor's words to heart: 'if you want to live, drive up to 100 kilometers an hour.' Up to a hundred, the driver controls the car; above that, the steering wheel controls him," says Mr. Janek.

The Gdynia cabbie is often hired for weddings. A decorator is then commissioned to dress the car to the couple's wishes.

"I do not have a price list for weddings, but the groom usually does not hold back that day. They give from a hundred to three hundred PLN. I always reassure him: you only marry once, but the joy lasts a lifetime," says the popular Tata. "If the couple wishes, I can even start Kasia with a crank," he adds.

Mr. Janek faced a big dilemma eight years ago, when a German offered to trade the Warszawa for a white Mercedes W 123 250E. The cabbie, however, was daunted by the large six-cylinder engine.

"If it had been a diesel, I would have thought hard about it, but a gasoline one did not really suit me. My Kasia burns 10 liters, 12 in winter—let alone a Mercedes like that. Besides, over the years I concluded I would have made a mistake, and today I know I will not switch to another car. I love it, just as one loves another person or an animal. It would be very hard for me to part with it," Mr. Janek recounts with fondness.

The Movie Taxi

Many articles and several film features have already been made about Mr. Janek. Together with Kasia, he even played a short cameo in the film "Sztos."

"One day, while I was at the rank, Olaf Lubaszenko came up to me. He was fascinated by my Warszawa and offered me a part in the film being shot at the time. It was a great honor for me, so I agreed right away. I remember driving Kasia several times by the Grand Hotel in Sopot, with Jan Nowicki and Edward Linde-Lubaszenko behind us with a camera. Of course, I had changed plates and a taxi light on," the driver recalls.

For thirty years, Mr. Janek has parked at the same rank, by the station in Gdynia Chylonia. Except on Sundays, he arrives every day around 4 p.m. and heads home after the last train departs. As he claims, he will drive the taxi another two, maybe three years. Provided, of course, his health holds up. He says the ever more expensive gasoline will finish him off. Besides, ever harder times are coming for taxi drivers.

"I remember how, a dozen or so years ago, customers used to wait for a taxi. Every day there would be a dozen or more fares. Now there are several times more taxis, and most people have their own cars. The good times are over," the cabbie laments. He just does not know what will happen to Kasia. He does not want to sell her, because she is the only car he has ever had. As he says, he will probably keep her as a keepsake and go on caring for her.

The oldest taxi in the Tricity, the Warszawa Kasia, is already 29 years old

RAFAŁ RADZYMIŃSKI