So you want to drive a taxi? Check out these cabbie dos and don'ts

Still, ever since that night, I’ve wondered what it would be like to have their job for a week. After all, I’m a pretty good driver, know lots of shortcuts, and generally like meeting new people. And I’m a big fan of that “Cash Cab’’ game show on Discovery Channel.

In reality, of course, I know nothing about driving a taxi - a fact I was reminded of when my girlfriend complained how a cabbie recently ignored her directions and went his way instead. “What does the law say about that?’’ she asked. I merely shrugged.

This week, we cover the cabs. Must your driver follow your directions? Does he have to change the radio station if you ask? Where can and can’t he pick you up? Let’s begin.

The Boston Police Department has regulated cabs since the 1800s, with the current set of rules dating back to 1930, said Captain Robert Ciccolo, commander of Boston’s hackney carriage unit, the olden name for taxis. While new rules are occasionally introduced - for instance, Boston’s 1,800 cabs should all be equipped with credit card machines by July 15 - taxi law has remained fairly unchanged over the years.

I started with the directions question. Does your driver have to obey your driving instructions?

“The short answer is yes,’’ said Ciccolo. “If you want to go from Logan to South Boston by way of Chelsea, you’re paying the fare, so he has to follow your directions. The slight caveat I have is that the driver may occasionally have knowledge that the passenger doesn’t - things like the Ted Williams Tunnel is closed for repairs - so he can suggest another route.’’

The rule applies whether you’re on the meter or paying a flat rate, Ciccolo said.

As you probably know, a cabbie must possess a registered medallion to operate a cab. The general proviso is that you can only pick up passengers in the city that issued your medallion, even if that means passing by people on the street - “flaggers’’ in cab parlance - frantically waving for you to stop.

“Say I’m a Quincy Cab, and I dropped off a passenger in Boston,’’ said Soufiane Naanaa, a manager at Quincy Cab. “Right after I dropped off, I’m going down Boylston Street. If I stop and pick up a person, and I’m caught, it’s a $500 fine because we’re not licensed in Boston.’’

The only time the rule doesn’t apply is when a cab is specifically requested or called to an out-of-town location. If you’re from Lexington, you have every right to call a Lexington cab company to come pick you up at the airport.

For the scoop on cabbie etiquette, I turned to Michael Page, the Salem Police Department’s traffic officer. Municipalities don’t legislate driver dress codes, cellphone rules, and the like, he said. Drivers usually follow whatever policies their cab companies set, or whatever’s good for business.

“You can ask the driver to turn down the radio or whatnot. The guy obviously would have to be an idiot not to’’ if he wants a good tip, Page said. “If a driver is smoking, though, and the customer asks them to put out the cigarette, they have to do that. Our city ordinance allows us to write fines anywhere from $50 to $300 if they don’t.’’

Cab law is also unbending when it comes to discriminating against passengers.

“You can’t discriminate based on race, creed, color, or location of the pickup,’’ Ciccolo said. “A driver can not just say, ‘No, I don’t go to the projects.’ ’’

Drivers do have some rights, however. They can refuse a group that’s too large to fit in the cab. (In Boston, the number of seat belts in the taxi determines the maximum number of passengers the driver can accept.) Regardless of the group size, a driver can refuse to let a passenger join him the front seat, police said.

Drivers also can refuse a fare if a passenger has an open container of alcohol or refuses to put out a cigarette, Ciccolo said.

“They can refuse a passenger who makes the driver feel he is in danger. If you have two or three guys coming out of a bar, pounding on the hood, he’s not going to pick them up,’’ Ciccolo said. “Drivers are 60 times more likely to be assaulted in their line of work than the average worker. That’s why we have the partitions, the trouble lights, we require them to belong to a radio association, etc.’’

I’ve had problems in the past with cabbies not being able to hand back exact change - a problem that usually results in an overly generous tip. Boston police say that shouldn’t happen, and if you’re dissatisfied with your ride, write down the driver’s medallion number and complain to local police.

For the most part, though, cabbies follow the rules, Ciccolo said. “There’s 14 million cab rides a year in Boston,’’ he said. “We received 600 complaints last year. Six hundred complaints out of 14 million rides is not bad.’’

Peter DeMarco can be reached at demarco@globe.com.