Taxi Driver Online

Excuse sarcastic thread title

And couldn't really be bothered reading this closely, but it's on all the big news websites.

It's the same photos on all of them, and they're credited to some kind of news agency, so I'm guessing she's distributed this via the agency, but obviously it's not disclosed whether she would have received any payment


Woman, 25, claims she's been left 'feeling unsafe' after 'creepy' taxi driver tracked her down on social media to ask her out for a drink - and said he 'hadn't stopped thinking about her for three months'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/arti ... drink.html

Miniver Larman, 25, from Oxford, had taxi ride on March 5 with the driver
Said they had pleasant journey and she thought nothing of it until message
He had tracked her down on Facebook three months later and asked for date
But she said he should be disciplined for his 'creepy' and 'inappropriate' antics

Image: Kennedy News and Media/Mail Online

A taxi passenger was horrified when a 'creepy' driver tracked her down on social media and asked her out for a drink- saying he had not stopped thinking about her for three months.

Miniver Larman, 25, from Oxford, said she booked a taxi with Go Green Taxis from the train station to her house on the evening of 5th March and had a pleasant journey, chatting with the driver about her day and his holiday.

She said she thought nothing of it until June 12 when she claimed she received a Facebook message from him which read: 'Hey! So since we had a lovely little chat in my taxi following your London Theatre trip your name has pretty much stuck in my head.

'Hope you don't mind me messaging, I'm wondering if you might like to go for a beverage some time.'

He suggested meeting with her last weekend at a festival in Southampton, with the exchange leaving her feeling 'unsafe' because the driver knows her address and had tracked her down on social media.

The 25-year-old made a complaint to the taxi company and asked them to block the driver from picking up her fares in the future, receiving a brief apology message which read: 'I'm sorry to hear you had this bad experience with us.

'I will pass this onto my manager to be picked up in the morning and dealt with in the correct manner.'

However Miniver is calling on them to discipline the driver for his messages to her to 'prevent another woman going through the same', and says she has not heard anything else from the firm since.

Miniver said: 'This taxi journey was in March which is why it was kind of confusing for me to see him in my message requests because it was quite a while after.

'He messaged me on Facebook so he must have saved my full name and searched and found me.

'It's an app so that's how he saw my full name on the booking. I do have quite a unique name so that doesn't help me.'

She added: 'I feel like he should at least be disciplined, like at least a month or two where he can't drive a taxi service.

'If he's done this to me there's a big likelihood that he's done this to other women, or that he doesn't realise that it's not okay to do.

'It doesn't make me feel that reassured - just a quick message to say 'I'm sorry you had a bad experience'. It kind of feels very cookie-cutter to me.'

She said that she thinks the taxi driver took her friendliness during the journey for something else.

She added: 'When I saw the message I was just immediately shocked because you hear about these things happening but when it actually happens to you, you think how is this real?

'How has this person not realised how creepy it is? I started to feel unsafe about it because he dropped me off at my house.

'I think it's really unprofessional and puts, especially women, in a really dangerous position.


Image: Kennedy News and Media/Mail Online

Miniver tweeted about her experience, saying: 'Literally the creepiest thing. Please do NOT do this.

'I've reported him to the taxi company and asked them to block him from ever picking me up again.

'Very anxious right now but feel like I've done the right thing.'

Most replies to the tweet were sympathetic and agreed that the driver acted inappropriately, with one saying: 'They should sack him really. Hope you're okay Mini.'

Another said: 'So grim, intrusive, and creepy. Sorry you went through that.'

One person that replied, however, expressed concern over how the complaint would impact the driver, saying: 'Bit much, lad could lose his job.'

But another was quick to respond with 'good'.

Miniver now says the experience has put her off using the taxi company or any firm that uses apps where drivers can access customers' full names.

'I'm definitely put off going with that taxi service again,' she explained.

'I used to like that it was on an app because I felt more secure that I had all of their details and stuff.

'But now I'm like maybe it's better to use a normal taxi service because then they won't know my name.

'You've trusted them with your address and you've trusted them to take you home safely and also, as a woman, it shouldn't be that if you are kind to someone that means you're coming onto them.

'I know there's that argument of how do you meet people if you can't do that during your job but I just don't think it's the place.'

Go Green Taxis were contacted repeatedly for comment but failed to respond.

So no one can be asked out on a date these days without the person doing the asking being made to feel like a creepy criminal type, if he wasn't to her taste all she had to do was say no thank you and not re-advertise her presence all over the news for some other creepy guy to see.

Perhaps if she hadn't been broadcasting her existence all over the media then the taxi driver would not have traced her regardless of his motives.

There is something far wrong with the youth of today when they advertise themselves on the internet then throw up their arms in abject horror when someone replies.

Yes, Bloodnock, I'm in two minds about this sort of thing. The driver shouldn't have done what he did, full stop.

On the other hand, and as you say, if she's feeling unsafe and creeped out because of it, then why splatter her name and other personal details all over the press?

And the photos. Hardly consistent with Miniver's trauma, and gives the impression she's milking it.

Reminds me of likes of black MP Dawn Butler posting a video of police officers supposedly stopping her car on racial grounds and harassing her, leaving her traumatised. Problem was, when the officers were approaching the car, in the video she was grinning like the cat that got the cream. Therefore more like a Gotcha! than genuine trauma. But if you can play the victim and get all the right press, what's not to like?

(And, as per usual, if this has left Miniver feeling unsafe, advise she doesn't actually drive a taxi )

The driver was a bit silly in the way he got the lady's details, and shouldn't have contacted her again after the one trip.

However he wasn't rude, he wasn't creepy. He asked the lady out on a date.

If she had refused, and he upped the anti then I can see a reason for all this overkill.

But he didn't, and I, for the life of me, can't see why this has been made such a big thing.

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IDFIMH