Taxi Driver Online

Taxi-driver awareness group gears up for University ‘Freshers Week’

A South Yorkshire based initiative to make taxis safer for students is to launch this September in a week long event supported by both Sheffield Hallam and Sheffield University.

The ‘Hail Freshers’ promotion is being run by Sheffield group The Hail Safer campaign between September 19th and 26th and will involve a whole host of activities from handing out fresher packs to stewarding outside nightclubs.

The move is designed to educate new students on the importance of taxi safety and to encourage respect for taxi drivers in Sheffield.

Sarah Coates, who heads the campaign, commented:

“This is a great opportunity for us to meet and greet the new freshers and to provide them with vital information on how to use taxis safely. Remember, many of these students will be new to city-life.

“During the week we will be directing students to reputable taxi ranks, telling them how to identify a bogus taxi and advising them what to do in a worst case scenario.

“The role taxi driver’s play in delivering students safely to their new homes is very often overlooked. This campaign will also allow us to develop a stronger moral code amongst passengers – as many taxi drivers report being a victim of aggressive drunken behavior.

“We hope that this initiative will help to create a more harmonious relationship between the new students and Sheffield taxi drivers.”

During the campaign a specially selected local taxi firm will road test a range of new proposals designed to increase taxi safety. These include providing the option of upfront payment to avoid potential confrontation over fares and enabling students that are unable to afford their fare to hand in their ID card as a deposit.

Kathryn Axon, Welfare Officer at Sheffield University commented:

To learn more about the Hail safer campaign go to: www.hailsafer.co.uk

Or email at media@hailsafer.co.uk

* The official launch of Hail Safer Campaign was on 1 January 2008 .
* It was founded by Sarah Coates who started the charity after first-hand experience of an aggressive taxi driver.
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And they are going to remember that when they are off their heads?

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