Taxi Driver Online

Wonder how many free jobs are actually being offered - it says it's a set number, but there's no figure provided.

Anyway, what's maybe more interesting is the 80+ comments on the Chronicle's website, and half of them are saying they wouldn't trust Budget drivers with lone women anyway


Newcastle's Budget Taxis offering free lifts to keep lone women safe after a night out

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/no ... e-23772158

It comes following a number of reported rapes in Newcastle in recent months

A Newcastle taxi firm is offering free taxis to women to ensure they get home safely after a night out in the city.

Budget Taxis has teamed up with the volunteer group, Women's Street Watch Newcastle, to provide them with a set number of free taxis every month for women travelling home alone at night. The organisation, which was launched in October last year, sees groups of female volunteers patrol the city's streets every Friday and Saturday night to look out for vulnerable women.

Beth Dunn founded the group with her girlfriend following the shocking murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa. Every shift, the group assists women who have lost their friends, have had too much to drink, or need a hand getting home safely.

And now they will be able to ensure women in need have a free ride home, thanks to the offer from Budget Taxis.

Founder Beth said: "We’re extremely grateful for all of the suggested ways in which Budget Taxis are offering to help our cause and this is just one of the many incentives we will be hoping to roll out, in order to ensure the safety of vulnerable women out at night in Newcastle.”

The kind act comes after a number of reported rapes that have taken place in Newcastle in recent months. Police launched an investigation following a report that a woman was raped by an unknown man in Leazes Park on Friday, April 1, at around 6.30pm.

And on, Monday, March 28 a woman reported she had attacked in the Rising Sun Country Park, in Benton, at about 4.10pm near the Pit Heap area. Another woman was reportedly raped behind Beech Hill Primary School, off Linhope Road in West Denton, at around 12.30am on October 10.

David Singh, customer care manager at Budget Taxis said the firm wanted to do what it could to keep women safe.

"We have been in correspondence with Women's Street Watch Newcastle since their launch last year with ideas of ways in which we can help and this is just one of the many initiatives we would like to roll out to assist them," he said.

"No woman on a night out should feel unsafe and if there is a way in which we, at Budget Taxis can help, then we want to do our part.”

I think you would find similar comments up and down the country and I think it partially stems from our ingrained Xenophobic culture and also from the regular stories of drivers talking inappropriately to
single women passengers

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

What’s xenophobia got to do with it?

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Former taxi driver

Anyone who thinks the answers to the trade's current woes includes free lifts is a f***wit of the highest order.

But sadly the trade is chock a block full of them.

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IDFIMH

My cynical view is that it would be in the Perv drivers interest to give Free rides to women as it would increase the number of his potential victims who took up his offer of a freebie.....but hey, what would I know.

This is the same women's group that Budget had the arrangement with for the free 'taxis', as per article above.

But the headline below might better read something like:

'Women's pink taxi plan binned because of licensing costs'


The bright pink taxi that's a safe haven for women on nights out in Newcastle city centre

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/no ... e-24844974

If you're having a night out this Bank Holiday weekend you may spot an eye-catching pink taxi in Newcastle city centre


Image: Women's Street Watch Newcastle/Chronicle Live

A bright pink taxi is set to become a safe haven for vulnerable women in Newcastle city centre at night.

Volunteer group, Women's Street Watch Newcastle, has announced that it now has a mobile hub that will be used as a space to provide help to women and vulnerable people in the city every weekend. The bright pink cab will be parked in St Nicholas' Square, just down from the Bigg Market and Newcastle Central Station, this Bank Holiday weekend after receiving the go-ahead from Northumbria Police.

Women's Street Watch Newcastle launched during Freshers Week last year in an effort to look out for women in Newcastle city centre. It is led by a team of female volunteers who carry out patrols of popular city nightspots.

Since its launch, the group said it noticed gaps in support to get vulnerable people home and campaigned to get enough cash for its own taxi to help out. But now the group has confirmed that it will instead be used as a hub of support after the cost of taxi licences proved to be too expensive.

Women's Street Watch Newcastle volunteer and group spokeswoman, Sarah Gate, said: "Unfortunately, it won't be used as a taxi in the near future because the cost of attaining licences for enough volunteers to make it worthwhile was going to be too much. But it is going to be a hub that will be parked on St Nicholas's Square every time we are out on patrol.

"People can come there for help and information. We will take people there if we need to for whatever reason.

"Northumbria Police have been really helpful in identifying somewhere we could park the vehicle. We are going to be near the St John's Ambulance team which is amazing because it means we have extra medical support if we need it."

Despite the change in plan, the group said that it continues to be supported by Budget Taxis who provide free lifts to women in need to ensure they get home safely after a night out in the city.

"We still have our agreement with Budget Taxis so we can get free taxis for people who are vulnerable and need help in getting home," Sarah said.

"It is wonderful to know that we still have access to free taxis for anybody who needs it, especially with Freshers' Week approaching soon. Although the taxi is not going to be used in the way we had planned, this is potentially a much better scenario because it means we will have a permanent base near additional medical support and we can still get people home if we need to."


Image: Women's Street Watch Newcastle/Chronicle Live

Isn't that the lot of them?

Luckily for Budget they've set some sort of monthly quota, but would be interesting to know how the most deserving cases are decided, because on the definition above it's a pretty wide net

And what exactly can this pink mob/car do that the well-trained volunteers from St John's can't?

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IDFIMH