Service Servissen: One Ride, Two Rides. Perhaps Words Ease the Burden

In Lebanon, a service taxi is where you feel the pulse and breath of the city. In this temporary space, people’s stories unfold in full. These rides become fleeting yet profound exchanges between strangers. Conversations often begin with complaints about the state of the country, corruption, and nostalgia for the past—and end with deeply personal stories: financial struggles, health issues, or pride in children educated through years of hard labor behind the wheel. It’s no surprise, then, that taxis have inspired so much literature, theatre, and film.

“My father, a taxi driver, left the wheel worn out after the pandemic and the economic crisis. He retired in his village, despite having no social protection. For a long time, I was haunted by the idea of driving his car, of becoming the taxi driver myself, sitting behind the wheel for hours, picking up strangers, and listening to their passing stories. After the last war, I found that talking to others gave me strength. Sharing intense stories offered a strange comfort, a kind of healing through shared experience.”