Meet the man behind ‘Keep the Meter Running,’ the viral TikTok series spotlighting New York City cab drivers and their favorite local spots.
a New York–based comedian, hops in the back of a cab with two camerapersons. One lens is focused on him, the other on the taxi driver. “Take me to your favorite place,” Rahma instructs the man behind the wheel as a percussive score strikes up, “and keep the meter running.
As they break bread, Rahma peppers the cabbies with questions about how long they’ve been driving and where they’re from, quickly forming a congenial bond and culling pearls of casual profundity. There is an Anthony Bourdain–like quality to his presence. Rahma, who has a thick mustache, rogue curls, and alite aesthetic, is always curious, never pretentious, and often funny.
“I had a visceral connection with his cab driver,” Rahma recalls, talking to me over Zoom. “He really, really helped me. I was like, This dude knows everything. He knows the secret to the universe.” At the end of the ride, he asked if they could actually drive around a bit longer. “He was like, ‘I have to charge you,’” Rahma recalls with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Well, have a nice day!’” But the idea stuck, and Rahma found himself typing the phrase “keep the meter running” in his Notes app. He mentioned the idea to a producer friendAri Cagan.The idea was promising, but the execution needed work. Rahma had no prepared spiel and was repeatedly declined by drivers.
In just seven episodes, he’s met a wealth of drivers who comprise the city’s immigrant diaspora. There was Abdur, the genial Pakistani geologist and devout Muslim who points out different types of rocks on the sidewalk and gently chides Rahma, who is also Muslim, about his lacking knowledge of the Quran. There was Ali, a Moroccan wildcard who orders enough food for an army, then takes Rahma on a helicopter ride.
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