Taxi Driver Online

Driver exposes himself to woman

Police are hunting a taxi driver who picked up a woman in Manchester before driving her to an alleyway and exposing himself. The 28-year-old had been waiting for a black cab in Princess Street when the man offered to take her to her home in Salford in his black five-door taxi.

He drove past her turning and into North George Street, locking the doors and exposing himself. A struggled ensued before the man let the woman go. The attack happened on the evening of Tuesday, 9 August.

Pc Simon Barnes, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "The offender told the woman that he was single and explained that a picture on his dash board of five to six Asian children was of his nieces. He also said he was going to Kenya soon to find a wife.

"He is described as black and of medium build. He had afro-style hair and wore black trousers." Anyone with information is asked to contact Greater Manchester Police or anonymously via Crimestoppers.

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IDFIMH

Tueday 9th August was absolutely dead, there were plenty of cabs about so I doubt if this lady wanted to travel in a black cab. The dearer fares we charge is the main reason why some members of the public prefer to use Private hire vehicles. There is very little enforcement in Manchester especially at night time and P/H vehicles stop and pick up passengers with impunity. In years gone by there were a few cases where drivers did their own enforcing but because that backfired on them the practice of getting out of your cab and laying down the law has become a thing of the past.

Princess street is one of the main thoroughfares in Manchester and at this time of year there is not a minute goes by without an empty cab driving down it. Especially on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Regards

JD

So in otherwords JD, this was'nt a Licensed Manchester Black cab at all.

It was Mr Taxee Taxee out touting in his saloon, now twisted by the press, saying he was driving a 'black five door taxi'.

Funny I always thought all LTI and Metrocabs had four doors and no hatch?

And no airbags and no ABS.

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IDFIMH

and shock absorbers that only last 30000 miles

The vehicle in question was definately not a Manchester Hackney carriage.

It could have been anything? It may not have even been licensed. The only reason this woman could have known it was licensed, was by the plate on the front or rear of vehicle or perhaps from signage it had on the bodywork. If she had seen the signage then she might have noticed the firms name, always assuming the signage displayed the firms name?

Regards

JD

The intention of the author was clearly to differentiate the vehicle from a proper 'black cab'.

Obviously the use of the word taxi is not technically correct, but we have to live with the fact that the press and police use the word generically to refer to HCs and PHVs.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Its a common failing with most journalists. We don't even know if the vehicle in question was actually licensed? All we know by the description is that it wasn't a Manchester Hackney carriage. Therefore it could have been anything?

Regards

JD

Absolutely, but I was assuming that there was some indication, not disclosed in the story, that it was a licensed vehicle of some kind.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

By the way, my point was really in response to GBC's claim that the press had twisted the story.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Slightly different angle here, but at least it's made clear that it's a saloon car.

Also, near the start it seems to be saying that the car was parked at/on a taxi rank?

Maybe JD can shed some light.

Bogus cabbie sex ordeal for woman

WOMEN are being warned to beware of bogus cab drivers after a man indecently exposed himself to a female passenger.

The 28-year-old woman got into a black five-door saloon parked at a taxi rank near the New Union Pub in Princess Street after a night out in Manchester with some friends.

The driver agreed a fare to take her to the Trinity area of Salford but drove past where she lived and pulled into an alleyway where he locked the doors to the car before exposing himself.

He then grabbed the woman's arm and tried to force her to touch him but she resisted and threatened to kick his windscreen through. He then unlocked the door and the woman got out.

Police are again warning women to get into a private hire vehicle only if they have booked it through the firm. Pc Simon Barnes from Pendleton, said: "We are appealing to the public to help us trace this man.

"Fortunately in this instance no serious harm has come to this woman, although the incident could have been more serious. She has been able to provide us with a description of the man and details of his car, which we hope will help us identify him before he tries something similar again."

The Manchester Evening News ran a campaign highlighting the dangers of bogus cabs. There were proposals to clearly mark licensed cabs and the council has introduced taxi wardens in some areas but bogus drivers continue to plague parts of the city.

The man in the latest incident, on Tuesday August 9, was of medium build, with an Asian a ccent and Afro style hair.

He had a picture on his dashboard of five or six Asian children, whom he claimed were his nieces and also said he was going to Kenya to find a wife. He was parked in an alleyway off North George Street.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

There is no Taxi rank outside the Union pub, it is all double yellow lines, however black cabs do rank up there unofficially late at night. Private Hire Vehicles and also pirates rank up there too but mainly when the black cabs are not around. Sometimes you have P/H ranked up behind black cabs but it’s a road so you can't stop anyone parking on it.

The pub itself is at the beginning of the Gay Village and is notorious for Trannies, Gays, lesbians and all sorts of deviants lol

The woman in question must have known what she was getting herself into because she negotiated the fair. She obviously thought she had got a good deal and decided to take the risk. There were a million black cabs roaming around last Tuesday empty, so she really has no one to blame but her own judgement. She may have even asked a black cab to take her home and he might have knocked back because she didn't have enough money, perhaps her only other alternative was the one she chose?

Sorry to be so blunt about it but that's the way it is.

Regards

JD

Our Manchester correspondent sent us a couple of pictures showing the pub late at night after the incident. One shows taxis ranking, another shows PH cars, possibly plying for hire.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

I thought roof signs were a big fat no no?

The PH is the second pic has got one good and proper.

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IDFIMH

Its good to be able to see where the incident took place.

Now one knows if the vehicles parked outside this venue on double yellow lines were waiting for pre booked passengers? I can only confirm, that the spot you are looking at is just one of many favoured parking places by those who practice illegal touting and plying for hire.

I think the pictures themselves say all there is to say.

Regards

JD