Take a cab and don’t pay? We’ll catch youPEOPLE who take a cab before running off without paying could find themselves banned from every firm in the town under a new scheme.
Swindon Hackney carriages and minicab companies V Cars, United, SN1 and Cross Street Radio Cars have joined forces with the police and Swindon Council to launch the scheme, similar to PubWatch.
The initiative will see them share details about people who have made off without payment or been violent towards drivers.
Anyone banned from using one taxi will be banned from all other companies in the scheme.
The practice, called bilking, is a criminal offence and has been on the rise over recent years, with one company director claiming there are as many as 10 occasions a week.
Masoud Baiky, director of United, said: “People are getting in the car and don’t have any intention of paying – it can even be a group of two or three and then once they get to the destination the last one just does a runner. “It happens quite regularly – perhaps about five to 10 times a week. It’s mainly on weekends but it does happen in the evening too.”
Dan Cooper, secretary of the Swindon Taxi Association, said: “If you don’t pay you will be banned from taxis as well as private hire and the police will pursue it. It’s been an ongoing problem for many years and it will have happened to every single driver at some point.
“Now the police are trying to make people aware it is a criminal offence to run off and not pay or not pay a soilage charge if someone is sick in the cab.”
The chair of Swindon Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Committee, Coun Andrew Bennett, said: “Once fully in place, this will allow us to share information to ensure that these criminal antics will not work, and those responsible will find they are unable to access any taxi service across the borough in future.”
PC Michael Diffin MBE, night time economy manager for the Swindon Town Centre NPT, said: “Police working with taxi companies within the Night Time Economy plan to look at taxi ranks and ways to improve the safety of both drivers and passengers to help ensure that people visiting the area have a positive and safe experience.
“It is important for passengers to feel safe and secure when they use taxis in the town, but equally, the drivers of these taxis also have a right to be safe when out working.
Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon Angus Macpherson is also supporting the initiative.
He said: “If successful, I will be looking into whether it could be rolled out to other areas of the county in the future.”
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