Rogue taxi drivers caught charging Bristol passengers double fares by undercover policehttps://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bris ... ht-1531379Police say some hackney cab drivers are charging 'pretty much whatever they want'Some Bristol taxi drivers have been caught ripping off passengers in the city’s hackney cabs by charging more than double fares.
Police told ITV News that a minority of drivers are taking advantage of often vulnerable people, tarnishing the largely reputable trade.
PC Patrick Quinton is Bristol’s ‘taxi cop’ tasked with keeping passengers safe from taxi drivers who overcharge.
He told ITV some taxi drivers have been getting creative with fares, saying: “Within Bristol’s city boundary they have to use the meter. But particularly late at night, some - and it is a small minority of drivers - are just charging pretty much whatever they want without using the meter, which is unfair to the public.”
PC Quinton’s partner Chris works undercover, posing as a passenger to see if taxi drivers try to rip him off.
Footage shows Chris getting conned out of £20 for a short ride across the city that should have cost him £8.10.
He said: “So the meter was running but I had already handed over £20 for the journey. He asked for us to provide the money up front before the journey, which is something that the council gets complaints about.
“So this is why we’re here doing the test purchasing, too see how much it does happen.”
PC Quinton is Bristol's first 'taxi cop', he has been in the job one year.
Birmingham’s taxi cop visited Bristol in November 2016 and the process was set in motion for Bristol get its own version shortly after.
The “taxi cop” scheme was launched in June 2017 as a collaboration between Avon and Somerset Police, Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council .
PC Quinton is also tasked with listening to the concerns of taxi drivers. Last year Bristol cabbies raised their concerns on 'out-of-town' drivers coming to the city for trade, and held a protest as a result.
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Not the most convincing evidence of overcharging - seems to assume there's some illegality involved in asking for money up front. Why would driver ask for (and get) money up front then set meter running if he intended to rip the punter off? See video here, which unfortunately doesn't provide much enlightenment:
http://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/201 ... i-drivers/
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