Taxi Driver Online

Taxi 'refused' to pick up autistic man outside Coventry nightclub


A man with autism claims he was refused a taxi ride outside a nightclub because the driver thought he was drunk.

Trevor Bott tried getting a cab after leaving Rainbows nightclub in Coventry.

A club security guard told the driver Mr Bott was autistic but he still refused to take the fare, Mr Bott said.

Harvinder Gata-Aura, chairman of the Unite branch of Coventry taxi drivers, said: "We're really sorry on behalf of all the taxi drivers. It shouldn't have happened."

He said the union hopes to find the driver responsible and "speak to him".

Mr Bott said he accepted people with autism have a "particular kind of vocal sound" that can make them sound like they are drunk.

"I'm just really angry because at the end of the night or in the early morning you just want to get home," he said.

'One bad apple'

Mr Bott, who has been going to the club in the Parkside area for 10 years, said he did eventually manage to get a taxi home after the incident at about 02:20 GMT on 23 November.

Rainbows' manager Gary Joines said he had never seen Mr Bott drink alcohol in the nightclub.

He said he had helped him fill in a complaint form to submit to the licensing committee at the city council.

"It's not to get this guy to lose his licence or get him disciplined - people just need to be aware you can't treat people this way," he said.

Mr Gata-Aura said: "Just because there is one bad apple does not mean we are all bad."

A spokesperson for Coventry City Council, who license hackney cabs, said if there is a case to answer its options range from putting a letter on the driver's file to a suspension of the licence.

source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-co ... e-30297315

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

So how are drivers meant to know?

Are we meant to now do breath tests?

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IDFIMH

I do not see the guy as a bad apple !

We all have to make decisions based on what we see & we all know that Taxi marshals, security staff, police, will chuck anyone, in any state, into your/my cab, just to get rid of their problem.

The Chairman needs to get his head out of his ar$e, and stop sucking up.

As Sussex says....."How are we supposed to know".....

If I were that clever I would not be a cab driver!

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Common sense........is just not that Common.

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

I got caught out a few years ago with the very same thing, I was outside a club when this guy was being helped out by three people. I said, "I'm sorry he cant get in here he's drunk and looks like he's going to hurl." One of them went off at me and said, "he's not p!ssed he's got MS." I apologised to the people helping him and helped them get him into the motor.

When they'd calmed down they said. "thanks for taking us other drivers have pulled off in the past." I said, "that explains your reply when I said he can't get in." All was well in the end.

This is where it helps to be in a town like ours. Everyone knows everyone. Strange really that we have such a drug problem though, because like i say everyone know everyone so we all know who the dealers are and where they live, well everyone except the police who don't seem to have a clue (or is it that they can't be bothered).

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Grandad,

When they'd calmed down they said. "thanks for taking us other drivers have pulled off in the past." I said, "that explains your reply when I said he can't get in." All was well in the end.[/quote]
This is where it helps to be in a town like ours. Everyone knows everyone. Strange really that we have such a drug problem though, because like i say everyone know everyone so we all know who the dealers are and where they live, well everyone except the police who don't seem to have a clue (or is it that they can't be bothered).[/quote]


Of course old bill know the dealers and no doubt their on a slice of the ACTION ...........sometimes Grandad yer bloody naive

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All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

There wasn't a tongue in cheek smillie available. I am well aware of the score. I have an [edited by admin] of a son who used to deal drugs. One night he was chased by the police and he ran down an alley that he knew but someone had put a big gate across it. He ran straight into it and knocked himself out. needless to say he got caught. He had quite a lot of gear on him at the time but when he was searched at the police station somehow it had dissapeared and they let him go. I don't need a calculator to work that one out.

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Grandad,

Fekking typical a mass murderer [to me all drug dealers are}~ gets off so corrupt Police can line their pockets as Drug Dealers and not unusual

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All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

Don't autistic folk get drunk then?

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There's no excuse for animal abuse. If you ain't vegan you are an animal abuser.