Market tips drive cabbies to despair.

You might think Triad cabbies would be happy during the International Home Furnishings Market. Twice a year, thousands of stylishly dressed executives, most needing ground transportation, flock to High Point from all over the world to buy and sell furniture. The furniture market pumps about $312 million a year into the local economy.

Considerably less trickles into the trousers of taxi drivers. "I think most drivers, when they start, think they are going to make a great deal of tips during market," says Harry Kuflik, a driver for Airport Express Inc. "But you don't. You work a whole lot harder, but you don't make that much more money."

"Some [passengers] are so tight, the car cringes," adds Skip Seifried, another Airport Express cabby.

Cab company owners aren't complaining about the week-long market. "We do more business than we typically do in a month," says Airport Express owner Michael Silverman.

For cabbies, that translates into 15,000 trips - twice as many as normal. The fare from the Greensboro airport to the market runs $19. The driver's take is about $6.65. Airport Express runs an hourly shuttle to High Point that costs $15 a passenger, with $5.25 going to the driver. Passengers tip 15% to 20% of the fare, Silverman says.

Not always, say...