Taxi Driver Online

Where to start with this absolute pile of bull

This driver seems to attract trouble like flies, but on the other hand there doesn't seem to be much to the complaints at all, hence he almost got away without even a warning, while in the end he's basically just been reprimanded.

Anyway, there but for the grace of God go I, I think the saying is...

Photos are a bit big, but have included them all to demonstrate how the P&J has gone to town over this. Not sure if the paper is sympathetic to the driver, or whether they're kind of hanging him out to dry, but probably a mixture of both

The photo is of him in the layby supposedly adjusting his leg is out of order as regards the narrative, but I've just posted them below as per the P&J's layout...

Anyway, no point really going through everything with a fine tooth comb

(On second thoughts, have removed one of the embedded photos because it's *huge*, and is in any case very similar to the first one. But the link is still there if anyone wants to view it...)


Amputee Aberdeen taxi driver told off for wearing jeans and stopping to adjust fake leg

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... -fake-leg/

Billy McKenzie, who has no left leg, faced criticism for stopping his car near the airport as his fake leg was "giving him gyp".



An amputee Aberdeen taxi driver has been admonished for wearing baggy jeans that fit his prosthetic – and stopping his car in a layby to adjust the fake leg.

The city licensing committee – some denim-clad themselves – put a formal warning on Billy McKenzie’s record after four complaints were lodged against him.

One was filed by a sweary passenger, while another was for stopping to adjust his fake leg.

Breaching taxi licence conditions is a criminal offence – though councillors agreed he had “an explanation for each and every” allegation.

‘I may not be a clothing expert but…’ Aberdeen taxi driver was wearing baggy jeans for his fake leg

Aberdeen taxi drivers have a dress code which demands dress trousers or skirts on their lower half.

Jeans, t-shirts, tracksuits trousers or tops and trainers are all banned.

Unite the Union brought Tommy Campbell out of retirement to represent Mr McKenzie at the licensing committee hearing.



“The reason the trousers are quite baggy is Billy doesn’t have a left leg. He is an amputee from just below the hip. The prosthetic limb he is wearing needs him to wear baggy trousers.”

Mr McKenzie had claimed he had thought they could be classed as chinos.

He conceded: “If that is the case I will not wear them again. But I thought they were classed as trousers.”

Aberdeen taxi driver snapped in jeans after dispute with foul-mouthed taxi passenger

Conservative councillor Ken McLeod said: “I may not be an expert on clothing but from the photograph I am looking at, Mr McKenzie is not wearing chinos.

“Those are definitely jeans.”



An incriminating snap had been taken by a husband and his pregnant wife who launched a foul-mouthed tirade at the taxi driver when he asked them to use both doors to enter his vehicle.

The pair agreed to leave his black Mercedes 350 for another taxi.

But as Mr McKenzie loaded up a suitcase into his boot for his next railway station fare, they surprised him with their camera phone, councillors were told.

‘I dinna gie a f*** if she’s pregnant’

They later complained.

“I dinna gie a f*** if she’s pregnant, no climbing on seats,” they claimed he said.

But the dad-to-be admitted to a sweary return: “I pointed out to him we never climbed on any f***ing seats and I don’t care for his f***ing attitude.

“I make no apologies for swearing at all.”

https://wpcluster.dctdigital.com/wp-con ... s8wq7j.jpg

Walking with a crutch at the Town House, Mr McKenzie claimed the husband had been cursing first, which had prompted him to react as he did.

The couple also complained that about Mr McKenzie’s “very average Mercedes and disgraceful appearance”, as well as the taxi driver not displaying his ID badge.

Mr McKenzie said it was pinned to his jumper and possibly hidden beneath his jacket, and that he would ensure it was “always visible” in the future.

Complaint follows confusion of Aberdeen taxi’s car park crash

The Aberdeen taxi driver also was reprimanded for a woman he had crashed into taking down his phone number incorrectly.

Councillors were told he had taken full responsibility for the crash in the car park of the Beach Boulevard retail park.

He had given the other driver his name, address, vehicle registration and taxi plate number – but his phone number was taken done wrongly.

Realising something had gone wrong, Mr McKenzie sought her out after four days of silence, Mr Campbell said.

The blue badge holder was also probed for his use of a disabled space, which he had reversed out of as he collided with her stationary car in a queue.

Aberdeen taxi driver warned for… stopping to adjust his fake leg

Mr McKenzie also faced scrutiny for his presence at the airport.

He faced one complaint for picking up a pre-booked fare at Bristows heliport in November.



It was a pre-booked fare, though the complainer argued it was too close to an airport rank to be allowed in any case.

And pictured at the same terminal a few months before, Mr McKenzie explained away another complaint.

“I had just taken someone to (CHC) Scotia heliport. I was coming round the corner and my leg was giving me a bit of gyp.

“So I stopped in the layby, not at the pick up point, to adjust my leg.

“That’s why the door was open. There’s no one in my car as the photo shows.”

Formal warning despite having an explanation for ‘each and every incident’

Dressed in a suit, the Lib Dem vice-convener of the licensing committee Steve Delaney accepted the explanations for each offence.

“From what I am hearing, an explanation has been given for each and every incident,” he said.

“There is quite a number of incidents – quite a number of complaints – that have come to us.

“But I don’t feel there is sufficient evidence to necessarily take anything any further.”

But then, SNP councillor Neil Copland pressed for a formal warning to be placed on Mr McKenzie’s record.

Independent councillor Kairin van Sweeden, who looked to be wearing black jeans, and Labour’s Graeme Lawrence, in blue jeans, were among councillors who agreed to the reprimand unanimously.

Unite grandee Mr Campbell told The P&J the council had been “unfair” in giving Mr McKenzie a warning.

He added: “I would ask them to reconsider.”

Love the irony of scruffy councillors bemoaning scruffy taxi drivers.

I suspect there is more to this than we are being told. Maybe there have been more complaints but folks didn't want to proceed with them.

Maybe the driver is a pain, or maybe he has been bonking the licensing officer's wife. But it does seem a lot of huff and puff for very little IMO.

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IDFIMH

Maybe he is a bit of a chancer, and thus the complaints have mounted up. And because he's a chancer, others in the trade are complaining about the likes of the airport stuff, which they might not do normally, because if I was to complain to the council about stuff like that I'd never be off the phone to them

Certainly don't believe his excuse about the jeans, though. I mean, if he doesn't know that jeans are banned, and he thinks that's not jeans he's wearing in the photo, should he really be driving? He knew fine. I think that's just come up because the couple he fell out with wanted to make as much fuss as possible, and grossly exaggerated. I mean:


It's an eight-year-old Mercedes S-class 350D

As for his appearance being 'disgraceful', he'd be in conformity with the Fife dress code...

And if the couple thinks his appearance in the photo is 'disgraceful', they should see some of the drivers down here

This reads like a lot of nonsense as well - he was reprimanded because of an error the woman made in noting his phone number?


So he's been reprimanded by licensing councillors for a minor collision in a supermarket car park, effectively? Whatever next?

As for the airport stuff etc, maybe he does have a history, because there doesn't seem much to the complaints, although they're not adequately explained