Taxi Driver Online

A MOTHER who gave birth on the front seat of a taxi has been landed with a £40 cleaning bill.

Jenny Larkin from Redcar delivered baby Finley in a hospital car park less than two hours after going into labour.

She was shocked to receive a valeting bill two days later from the unrepentant cab driver, who said he had lost two days pay as the interior had been so wet.

When contractions started at 2.30am last Friday, her partner, Tim Galloway, called JP taxis just after 4am to take them to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

“Tim told them it was for maternity and when he came he had some plastic sheeting on the front seat and said it was fine for me to sit there,” she said.

“We got on the A174 and I said the baby was coming. By the time we were pulling up at the hospital, the baby was already coming out.

“Five midwives rushed out to see what the situation was and there my baby boy was, hanging down and in a bit of shock. I had to deliver him there. That’s when he said to my partner 'I want the cleaning bill'."

Finley was born weighing a healthy 7lb 15oz and taken into the hospital, where medics kept an eye on his temperature after he was born outside in the cold.

Jenny, who also has two girls Elise, five and Ruby, two, said: “I was absolutely mortified. He knew he was going to maternity before he even set off and had put plastic sheets on the front seat.

Taxi driver, Steven Morrell, who is responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of his own cab as part of his self-employed contract with JP Taxis, said: “Unfortunately someone’s got to pay for it. I don’t think I’m being nasty asking for the valeting cost back.

“I couldn’t work on Friday or Saturday because the interior was still wet so I lost two days’ takings.”

Craig Walker, who owns JP Taxi, said the driver had the right to pass on his bill to the family in accordance with a council bylaw.


http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/l ... ital_dash/

Maybe he should have refused the fare.

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Grandad,

Maybe he should waived the soiling fee. I bet it was one of our Asian cousins.

So if he put plastic sheets on the front seat is there much valetting to do ?

I ended up with a right mess in the back of my car today after taking a load of nursery kids to nearby village. we didn't know that they were going to take part in some outdoor nature activities the nursery staff had dressed them up in all over heavy duty outdoor clothing but when I went to pick them up again they were loaded into the taxi still wearing this gear and low and behold theres mud and god knows what all over the seats which I have had a good go at cleaning up but it hasn't cost me £40 just a bit of time and a lot of elbow grease. Mind you I think I am still going to need to wash the seats but that will be when I can take the vehicle off the road for 48 hours

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

What does it matter if the driver was Asian or not? The fact remains that the vehicle would need a proper valet and why should it be the driver that pays?

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Grandad,

A bit of mud is not the same as bodily fluids though is it?
You admit that you are going to have to take the car off the road to wash the seats but in the meantime you will be letting customers use the dirty seats.

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Grandad,

Because I know what these Asian drivers are like, you've only got to drop a crisp on the floor and they're after the £50 soiling fee.

I would've said, "don't worry about it dear" as long as you and the little one are OK that's all the matters, 5 minutes cleaning it up and the thought that the woman and her newborn are OK is enough for me.

The soiling charge is there for drunks not for women giving birth to their children.

With bodily fluids on the seats I think a more thorough wipe would be needed, especially blood related products.

Exactly! It would seem that we are the patsy's for all and everything that goes wrong.

If it had happened on a bus, ambulance, police car/whatever..............then it would never have cost those individuals a brass penny - but if you drive a taxi.....expect to pay! Not until the message is put out there that we are NOT the worlds trash bin will we ever get the respect that is craved.

If they were any sort of decent people 1) They would have made good the damage 2) They would NOT have gone to the press, in my book he is dealing with someone who is on the make from the big bad taxi driver. I am not going to claim that I am an expert on child birth, but let us be fair, when that is taking place then the full monty can happen - would you take that from a punter who claimed they could not longer hold it in because they have a medical condition?

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

NO vehicle is out of use until seats cleaned and dry !! used other vehicle today am about to continue the cleaning operation now !

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

ps it may not have been human bodily fluids but some of it was certainly animal excretia and boy did it stink ! Once seats and floor properly dry will start to use vehicle again hopefully tomorrow

back to the matter in hand and the original question remains unanswered IF he covered the seats in plastic how did the seats become soiled ?

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

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

they should pay for it, another single parent family too I notice

no morals - feral people, breeding like rabbits

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

Well said,Wayne Farage

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