Taxi Driver Online

Mum furious at taxi sick fine

A mum is furious after being handed a £50 fine as she rushed her sick son to hospital in a taxi.

Anna Wells said she could not believe it when the driver demanded the penalty fare after she had handed the ill child to paramedics.

The cabbie claimed two-year-old Finlay had vomited on the back seat but Anna, 27, said there was hardly any mess.

“He hadn’t said anything on the way to the hospital but when we got there he demanded £50,” she said.

“I was frantic and just wanted to be with Finlay so I handed over the cash but I couldn’t believe what was happening.

“Fines are supposed to be for drunks, not for ill babies.”

Anna had called the A2B cab after Finlay became ill at their home in Banbridge Road, Hester’s Way.

She said she even took a bucket with her in the taxi to try to prevent any mess going on to the seats.

The mum-of-three said: “We had to pull over on the journey because Finlay looked like he was becoming unconscious.

“We were going to call an ambulance but the driver said he would get us there quicker and even gave us some baby wipes.”

Anna said she thought the driver was a hero until he asked for the cash when they reached Cheltenham General Hospital.

She said: “I phoned up A2B to try to get my money back and initially it said it would refund me.

“The company ‘ummed and ahhed’ for a week but eventually they said they had to have the cab valeted and wouldn’t be refunding the money.”

Anna had taken Finlay to hospital at lunchtime on January 9, after he was repeatedly sick at home.

Doctors discharged him in the afternoon but advised Anna to bring him back if he was ill again.

When he started vomiting in the evening she called for a taxi because she said she didn’t want to tie up an ambulance.

After being seen by doctors, he was later transferred to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital before being sent home the next day after being diagnosed with a virus.

Anna said: “He is quite a poorly little boy and has been into hospital a few times.

“I just cannot believe the attitude of the taxi firm. There was just a tiny bit of mess on the side of a seat and they charge me £50.”

A spokesman for A2B taxis said: “The rules on fines for soiling are set by the council.

“It does not matter how much mess there is in the back, if the car is off the road it is off the road. The vehicle had to be cleaned and we have the receipt to prove it. The incident may have cost this lady £50 but it has cost the driver £200 for his car being off the road.”

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

You soil it ou have to pay I'm affraid, the driver should have shown a bit of compassion due to it being a child that was ill and not an adult who was drunk as a lord, the mother should have offered payment IMO, if it had been me I would have refused the mothers payment.

I had an old woman in my car a few months ago, she'd been given some co codomol after falling and breaking her shoulder the day before, she was having a reaction to the co codamol and being sick, it went all over my back seat. She offered to pay but I refused to take anything. You have to use your cannister when it comes to people who are ill and people who are drunk.

Anyone so Ill that they need rushed to Hospital Should be using an Ambulance and not a Taxi....its what we pay our Taxes for and what should be the least this poor child could expect..

Common sense prevailing if you going to travel with somebody who is likely to be sick you take something for them to be sick into, or pay for whatever they are sick on, to be cleaned. IMO sick is sick and it doesn't matter one jot to me if they are drunk or ill. Usually if it's easily cleaned I don't charge and I find customers usually more than willing to give generous tips. In fact I've had one customer who cleaned the mess himself, and, a damn good job he did of it and then paid me an extra £10 for my waiting time whilst he cleaned it. That to me is a result

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

If you a feel a little sicky
tell the driver and be quicky
make the mess, pay the bill
the £25 charge will make you ill

Your getting soft lad.

Many moons ago you would have punched the £50 out of her

As someone has already said, if the child was ill she should have got either an emergency doctor or an ambulance, or her own car or a relatives. What would have happened if the kid had choked on its vomit?

CC

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

And ambulances are meant to be for ill babies not taxis.

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IDFIMH

Not much fun for the Next several punters relying on your Vehicle if you can't get the Barf cleared up Sufficiently before they hop in...yechhhhhhhhhhhhh

I suppose the womans version of events that there was a minimal amount of mess stands for nothing. Any reasonable person would have no doubt charged on the severity of the mess?

How much mess can a child who had been vomiting all day before getting into a cab make? Does anyone really understand the capacity of a two year olds childs stomach and its maximum daily intake of food.

At some stage your stomach empties and vomit ceases.

My opinion is that the lady was probably ripped off.

Its rather extreme to have a car valeted after a cild of two has made no more than a small mess.

This lady has probably been ripped off which in law amounts to extortion.

When presented with the facts on show if any of you guys believe this driver had to have his car valeted then shame on you.

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

you would be suprised.....

Nigel wrote:


Why should it be a Taxi drivers job to always be the Good samiritan, as it happens we quite regularily go above and beyond the call of duty in such Emergencies, we've all done it...but just because we do, it shouldnt be taken for granted and nor should it be automatically expected that we are to be used as a surrogate Ambulance service. If the Emergency was of such a magnitude then an ambulance should have been the only Vehicle to use and which is staffed by both a driver and a Paramedic to ensure the childs survival. Besides a good neighbour (if they still exist) could have done the run equally well. If the Run did not merit an ambulance and the child not so Ill then the childs mother should have Coughed up for the Valeting Fee/Fine without complaint.

It does annoy me that they expect us to drop all and act as an ambulance service and then take a Swipe at us if we try and recover the costs of our good deeds...and it is a good deed because we are not duty bound to take people we deem to unfit or to unwell to travel just like any other mode of passenger transportation does.

I've been vomiting on an empty stomach for the last two months so I am hardly surpised However if you think that a person can discharge something in their stomach that doesn't exist then we need to know your reasons for thinking that?

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

Skippy has that effect on me too

regards

CC

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

TBH, I would not have charged her, not the kids fault.

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stressed controller!!!

I would charge a drunk the full amount every time ......... but on this occasion I totally agree with JD...... but then.... I am kind and considerate .

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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!