Taxi Driver Online

Cabbies' anger over fare dodgers

CABBIES have accused police of failing to protect them from thieves who get away with tens of thousands of pounds in unpaid fares.

More than 100 taxi drivers have banded together to call on police to take fare dodging more seriously.

Drivers say they already run a nightly gauntlet of physical violence and robbery and have called for extra support from police.

But they say the growing menace of fare dodging is now costing them their livelihoods as well.

They say police are failing to take action to catch suspects and are simply shrugging their shoulders and advising drivers to pursue fare dodgers through the civil courts.

Cabbies estimate tens of thousands of pounds worth of rides are stolen each year in Brighton and Hove, mainly at night time during the weekends when people are drinking.

The 100-strong group of taxi drivers have signed a petition urging the Sussex force to prosecute fare dodgers.

They are also calling for the public safety of taxi drivers and other night-time workers to be given higher priority.

Bernard Knowles, who organised the campaign, said cabbies were statistically more likely to encounter violence while working than police officers.

Fighting on the streets was commonplace around nightclubs on Friday or Saturday nights and confrontations often started in the taxi queue.

He said: "Of lone workers, taxi drivers in many places are at the greatest risk of violence. Night time is the highest risk driving period and, as in other occupations, customer intoxication appears to play a role in precipitating violence."

Mr Knowles, who operates a London-style Hackney Carriage, said drivers wanted extra support from police to deal with the effects of binge drinking.

But their main beef was with fare dodgers and the police's alleged failure to tackle them. The 52-year-old from Brighton Marina, said: "If someone steals from a shop, they are treated as criminals but if they run off without paying a taxi fare the police say there is nothing they can do.

"The truth is their resources are stretched so they don't want to do anything. We are calling for police to stop telling us there's nothing they can do."

Mr Knowles said no driver was likely to bother going to the small claims court to pursue a unpaid fare of £10. He said night-shifting drivers had to put up with about six fare dodgers a year each and.

Superintendent Kevin Moore of Sussex Police said he would investigate fare dodging to see if officers were applying the law properly.

He said: "If I discover we haven't been dealing with these matters correctly then I can assure you that in future that is exactly what we will do.

"Sussex Police does not have a policy of not prosecuting fare dodgers. If there is evidence to show criminal offence has been committed we will deal with it."

Can I hire you next time I'm in your area then?

That means he DOES have a policy of prosecuting them. "..does not have a policy of not..."

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There is Significant Unmet Demand for my Opinion.

Don't worry about all booking stuff, just stick your hand out and I'll pick you up.

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IDFIMH

Mr Cgull would you be good enough and tell me if this chap is in one of the unions?

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IDFIMH

as far as i know he is not anything to do with any unions.
doesnt go to the forum or anything like that according to my ph mate.

As I suspected.

Yet more proof, if any was needed, that what Cummins said in October's Taxi'talk' was right about the likes of the NTA. He said;

'Similarly, the NTA (National Taxi Association) is an organisation run primarily by a group of taxi multi-owners and it is hard not to come to the conclusion that their primary objective (some might argue their sole objective) is to protect their investment, and if the Government came down on the side of their agenda, the NTA would almost certainly melt away without giving the other pressing issue of the taxi trade a backward glance'.

So as the runners/dodgers have nothing to do with plate premiums, the unions couldn't give a f***.

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IDFIMH

Thats the second time you've posted that one Sussex.

I was thinking of registering on the liars forum and having it as my signature.

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IDFIMH

All welcome on the friendly forum.

Further to that, it's also worth noting that the Brighton T&G site no longer works, and the NWTA anti-dereg site no longer works.

How strange that they were all up and running when OFT where doing their stuff, but now it's all gone quiet, they are no where to be seen.

Still no doubt they will both be up and running in a year or so's time when OFT come back to finish the job.

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IDFIMH

went to our office yesterday and cid were getting print out of all the runners jobs.
ammazing what a front page of the press will do.

Why not just ask for the fair up front we do in the borders, if you know roughly what the fair is get it off them before you move, yes we run the meter just show the punter they are not being riped off
problem solved.

I think most sane people do for longer journeys, but it's a little bit different with day to day work.

Also the taxi boys have to use their meters.

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IDFIMH

i bumped into a brighton lady today she was telling me about an annual firework display in lewes she was very infectious but new nothing about handsome brighton cabbys