Taxi Driver Online

Taxi 'abandoned' couple in snow

A couple have lodged a formal complaint after they say they were abandoned by their taxi driver on a country lane in freezing temperatures in Norfolk.

Holly and Charlie Fitzpatrick helped push the cab when it became stuck in snow in the early hours of Saturday.

Mrs Fitzpatrick said the driver then drove off. They were eventually offered a lift to Norwich by a passing taxi.

Goldstar Taxis said it was prepared to go back for them but was told the couple could not wait.

Mr and Mrs Fitzpatrick were trying to get home from Barnham Broom, a village about eight miles from Norwich.

"My bag was still on his back seat and we were left stranded on a deserted road miles from anywhere in the snow," Mrs Fitzpatrick said.

"We walked for approximately an hour and a half in the snow with no coats and, in my case, no shoes.

"I fell over so I had to take them off and walk in my tights.

"Luckily a car pulled over and the driver said he was finished for the night and based in Swaffham but would take us home.

"I was frightened to death that no one was going to find us."

She has complained to Broadland District Council, the taxi company's licensing authority.

Michael Gooch of Goldstar said: "The driver was in a rear-wheel drive automatic with very little grip and was worried he would get stuck again.

"He had to make a split decision and feels guilty he had to leave the couple behind.

"We offered to get a front-wheel drive car to the couple within 40 minutes but the couple declined."

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IDFIMH

Should he have left them in the middle of no-where? No.

Should he have taken the job in the first place? No.

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IDFIMH

AGREED ON BOTH COUNTS.

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GMB PDB London Branch President
Vice-chair National Organising Committee
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Taxi firm and driver could lose licence

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/ ... 3A47%3A607

A taxi firm and a driver may have their licences reviewed after a couple were abandoned in snow on a country lane in Norfolk.

Holly and Charlie Fitzpatrick had got out of the cab to push it during freezing conditions in the early hours of Saturday. The driver then drove off.

Broadland District Council has spoken to the operating firm, Norwich-based Goldstar Taxis to get their account of the event and the driver concerned visited its offices on Wednesday.

A Broadland council spokeswoman said: “We were very concerned to hear of these people's experience.

“Once we have all the available evidence we will consider all of the options open to us.

“One of the options is to review both the operator's and the driver's individual licence in front of the council's licensing committee.

“We should be able to announce the outcome of the investigation in the New Year.”

The couple had been to a Christmas party in Barnham Broom, a village about eight miles from their home in Junction Road, off Aylsham Road, Norwich.

After the taxi drove off they walked for an hour and a half on unlit roads and were eventually offered a lift to the city by a passing cab.

Mrs Fitzpatrick, 26, a financial advisor, had left her bag containing her money, phone and keys on the back seat of the taxi and neither of them were wearing coats.

She said: “We were terrified when he left us. We did not know where we were and it was freezing cold and snowing.

“We had to walk for about 90 minutes before we could flag down another taxi.”

Goldstar said the driver was in a rear-wheel drive automatic with very little grip and was worried he would get stuck again.

Michael Gooch, controller at Goldstar Taxis, said it was each individual driver's decision whether he felt road conditions were so bad that the safety of his passengers was at risk, and that they had returned Mrs Fitzpatrick's bag free of charge to their Norwich home. Goldstar said it had offered to send another taxi but the couple had refused.

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

One owner operator here lost both for doing a similar thing, he was a 1 man band though.
only the driver should loose his badge, its not the company's fault what the driver did

Sort of throws a different light on the situation.

Methinks the driver is in trouble.

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IDFIMH

You don't abandon your passengers in freezing conditions in the middle of nowhere, because you are concerned for their safety.
Pull the other one.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Before or after they finally reached their destination?

Seems to me this driver didn't give a sh*t what happened to his punters.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Around here some operate a main road only pick up or set down service in extreme weather, but then again the punter knows that before they book. not my way of doing things..I'd rather turn work away than risk some poor devil freezing to death as they walk the last two miles up a snowbound farm track when they are full of hooch..

Still..punters choice I guess.

Once you've picked up the customers you do have a duty of care towards them surely ? If you get stuck and they decide to walk off fair enough but otherwise you have accepted responsibilty for their safety and leaving them in the middle of nowhere in bad weather could have had far more serious ramifications and the driver might now have been facing criminal charges

We all hope they both lose their licenses.

The company and driver concerned are a disgrace.

Theres more going on here...how did the company respond by offering a replacement car within 40 minutes when the punters bag and phone were still in the car that left them???
The lady should have reported the driver for theft when he drove off with her belongings.

Its not the best of places to be left in good weather in the day time let alone in that weather at night.

Whats really annoying is the media yet again prints and name A PRIVATE HIRE COMPANY AS A TAXI COMPANY.
We shouldn't have to put up with being tarred with the same brush as that moron setup(believe me it is a moron setup).

I think its high time private hire companies were banned from calling themselves taxi companies...it don't help when trying to educate people what the difference is.

How could she? Her phone was still in the car.

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Grandad,

Quite easily when she got home....

Yes she could report it when she got home but your post said that she should have reported it when the driver drove off.

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Grandad,