Taxi Driver Online

Wrexham 'locked' taxi fare complaint investigated


Police are to investigate a complaint that a Wrexham-based taxi driver locked two young women in his car in a row over a fare.

The alleged incident happened at about 04:00 GMT on Monday after two friends were taken from Wrexham to the Ceiriog Valley.

The women claim they were forced to pay or be driven back to Wrexham.

Wrexham and Prestige Taxis denied the car was locked and said they showed "classic signs of doing a runner".

One of the women's mother Jools Payne, from Dolywern, said her 21-year-old daughter and a friend ordered a taxi from the town centre firm after a night out.

She claims the women were by "no means wasted" and agreed an £18 fee with a taxi marshal.

However, one mile from the destination, she says the women were told the fare had risen to £26.

The taxi driver then allegedly locked the car doors and told the women they would have to leave a mobile phone while one of them went to get money.

Ms Payne says the driver then threatened to drive them back to Wrexham but the women agreed to pay the extra charge.


She claims the driver was in a "temper" and locked her daughter in the taxi while her friend went to get more money.

She said: "My daughter tried to get out of the taxi but both the back doors were locked. At this point she felt very vulnerable and slightly panicky."

Ms Payne said the driver also demanded an extra £10 for "wasted" time, but the women refused to pay it.

Ms Payne said: "My daughter, by now feeling quite fearful, kept trying the doors, but they remained locked whilst her friend was in her house getting the extra cash.

"The additional fare was given to the driver but the pair bravely refused to pay the further £10 he had demanded for 'wasted time' and he finally released the door locks.

"My daughter got out of the car and he simply sped off.

"The girls were left shaken by the experience at the time but today that has given way to anger and dismay at their treatment by the taxi driver."

Child locks

She added: "As a mother I am alarmed and appalled at this man's behaviour.

"We worry about our youngsters when they're out partying but we expect them to be safe in a taxi.

"To my mind, locking a young woman in a car and refusing to let her out is tantamount to withholding someone against their will."

North Wales Police confirmed it had received a complaint and would investigate. Ms Payne said she had complained to Wrexham council and the taxi firm.

A spokeswoman from Wrexham and Prestige Taxis said the driver was an "excellent" employee who had worked for them for three years.

She said the car had child locks but they were not on at the time and the car doors were never locked.

She said the driver had CCTV in the vehicle and the footage would be reviewed.

The spokeswoman said the driver had overheard the women saying they only had £12 and were texting each other to plan "a runner".

She added: "He told me he was going to drive them back to Wrexham and take them to the police station because they obviously didn't have enough money on them.

"They wouldn't give him an exact address either. These are all classic signs of doing a runner.

"He's done nothing wrong. In all fairness, I think he's done everything fine."

She added that the initial fare had been quoted because the women specified Chirk, but the journey was to the Glyn Ceiriog valley.

She said the driver had been "on a wild goose chase", and "wouldn't give the driver any information about where they lived, so he said 'you need to leave something'.

"It's normal practice to leave a phone or something like that."

source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-nort ... s-16256810

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

And that will sort out the truth from the fiction.

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IDFIMH

Is that a marshal's job in Wrexham? It certainly isn't here.

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

Possibly this was then agreed with the driver?

According to him the problem seemed to be that they said they were going to A, but ended up going to B.

Hardly an unusual scenario with an agreed fare.

Strange phrase to use to describe your daughter in such circumstances.

And reading the story you'd think her daughter was a schoolkid or something, not a 21-year-old - can't the daughter speak up for herself?

Not anywhere for that matter. What has probably happened is that they have asked the TM what the fare is likely to be - and then taken it as read - that is what it is.

I have had punters quote to me - this is what the TM said - then I have said that they have no right to quote a fare.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

Hi all and Merry Christmas to everyone!

I Drive for this company and know the driver involved. He is of good character and has cctv footage of the incident so the truth will out eventually. That is a shocking piece of journalism by the BBC. The whole thing is stated by someone who wasn't even present at the incident. The pair "Bravely" refused to pay any waiting time! Yea ok.
They were indeed qouted a fare correctly but ended up going to a totally different destination. They didn't even have enough to pay for the initial quote so both are guilty of deception in my opinion. What exactly are the driver's rights when someone is attempting to make off without paying? Do not some HC have auto locks? Do restaurants just let someone walk off without paying or do they lock the door? Do shops not detain shoplifters?

If they get into the vehicle with the full knowledge that they can't, or wont, pay the final fare then they are in breach of the Theft Act. It is as clear cut as that.

However what a single driver can do to ensure he gets his money on the night isn't as much as one would hope. Unless he wishes to make a citizens arrest. A cabby has just been done for locking the cab to stop some scumbags doing a runner.

I think the name of the game is CCTV as a deterrent, and a great bit of evidence, and the experience one gets from being in the trade and sussing out the scum.

Of course money up front is always a good move.

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IDFIMH

I have been in and out of this trade since 1985. The first car I worked in was a mk4 Cortina, lol. I have still been ripped off by disabled people, OAPs and well mannered people who you just would not believe that they could thieve from you. Yes, I ask for most of my fares up front and if it offends the customer, then tough. I agree cctv is a deterrent but it didn't seem to stop these two.
I was wondering how the BBC became interested in this and at the biased reporting of what is actually " Hearsay". No direct quotes from any of the women and all angled to make the driver the villian.
"The women claim they were forced to pay or be driven back to Wrexham." Yep, awful that, being forced to pay. Asda, Tesco, my bank and many others do traumatise me too!
""My daughter got out of the car and he simply sped off. " Really meaning he just drove away. Urmmm.... what else do drivers do once the customer has paid and left the vehicle?

A quick Google of Jools Payne gives a "PR business with links to the press and other media." MMM... friends in the press eh?

"If you give us a brief feedback on our fresh 'n' zesty little web site through the Get in Touch facility we'll happily put your name into our free monthly draw where you could win one of our stonkingly slam-dunkalicious Tequila Slammer Kits. Arrrribaa! "
Ah, I see they promote responsible drinking too!

We actually do have a restaurant in Cardiff (late night) - please pay for your food before you have it. One very indignant customer who got into my cab told me that a group of mates had ordered - and then the waiter came along and said £65 before you get the meal.

They were offended by this so they just upped and walked out - in this case I do believe that they would have paid as per normal - unfortunately it is a very thin line because we are all virtually saying - I do not trust you.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

the trouble is in this day and age there is just so much of it going on and the chances of people actually getting caught and prosecuted are virtually nil that people have to ask for money up front.

If every dishonest person was suddenly caught and prosecuted we would need a million or more jail spaces


But this angry outraged friend/relative scenario is one I encounter regularly people accusing you of ripping them off and rogue practices simply because they think that all taxis charge the same as the desperate for work PH in a neighbouring city doing ridiculously cheap fares as part of a price war oh and the fact that they are being picked up from a village 6 miles further out and they expect you to treat that as the same as picking them up from the town centre. And of course they were not actually in the taxi at the time but are going on what the friend/relative who never lies has told them. been there done that put up with all the letters to the press being sworn and abused over the phone but funnily enough they won't complain to the police or the council !

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

`

This her? http://www.thejoolspaynepartnership.com/index.php

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

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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!

Yes Gusmac

Agree with the general thrust of your post, but on the other hand they did allow the other side of the story to be put at some length.

As someone wise to things like this - for example, a couple I was in dispute with recently who were nicey nicey when I pulled over to talk to the police but who immediately reverted to type when the doors were closed again - I'm always a bit sceptical about such stories, including as you say the use of ultimately meaningless but loaded phrases such as that the driver "sped away" after the incident.

Likewise that the driver was in a 'temper' - even if both parties are acting in good faith in such circumstances then it's easy to portray the other side as being stroppy about things - or as a corollary that the daughter was 'vulnerable' (a typical PC bull word which is often completely meaningless).

And the lady's claim that the girls, er, I mean women, were "by no means wasted" seems to be a rather cack-handed attempt to spin the fact that they were pretty drunk/drugged or whatever, although not completely incapable.

Thus, for example, they've had too much to drink but they're described as 'vulnerable' - in effect the usual trick of blaming others for a lack of personal restraint and responsibility.

Of course, the fact that the lady making the accusation in question seems to be some sort of professional bull-shitter does tend to add to the air of cynicism.

Having said all that, there's no one more sceptical about the trade than me (hyperbole alert!) and to that extent if there is a legitimate complaint here then just because the lady's in the PR industry (or whatever) then that shouldn't be held against her - indeed more power to her elbow.

But the acid test will be what the BBC does if the complaint is resolved in the driver's favour, but in such circumstances it's hardly ever a surprise if there's no clear and compelling evidence one way or the other and that the whole incident is just forgotten about.