Taxi Driver Online

The Echo going to town on this one - three different articles, but par for the course in view of the paper's/the council's campaign against rogue drivers

Woman describes Delta journey from hell with 'erratic and aggressive' driver who left her 'traumatised'

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/li ... l-14958762

The city council is now investigating the 'incredibly upsetting' alleged incident

A woman has described in detail a cab ride from hell - after she booked a journey with city private hire firm Delta.

The woman alleges that her driver behaved 'erratically and aggressively' and left her in fear as she attempted to make her way from Aldi in Broadgreen Road to her home in Old Swan on Tuesday.

She also claims he took £10 from her for a £3.50 journey that left her 'traumatised' and in fear.

Liverpool Council's licensing department is aware of the woman's complaint - but said the driver involved is not licensed in Liverpool.

The city council said it is now liaising with neighbouring authorities in Knowsley and Sefton to help them investigate the concerning incident.

The woman - who does not wish to be named - said she called the Delta cab at 12.43pm on Tuesday.

Describing the journey, she said: "The driver took my name and put my trolley in his boot and I sat in the front passenger seat.

"He started to drive away before I could close the door or fasten my seat belt - I asked him to give me time to close the door and if he could please close one of the windows as I was quite unwell and had got chilled.

"But he refused to close any windows, saying he was hot and I didn't matter. I decided not to speak as he became very aggressive and antagonistic driving through Old Swan."

The woman - who has presented her concerns to local councillor Steve Radford - claimed the man 'drove erratically through traffic' and 'constantly tried to instigate an argument' with her.

She added: "He continued jibing, trying to provoke me and asked directions - I gave him directions though it would have been difficult for him to hear as he'd put his car radio at a very high volume."

The woman said she asked the driver to take the route along Green Lane and onto Lisburn Lane to get to her home.

She said: "He continued trying to provoke me saying things like what an awful run down area this was I lived at - I didn't reply."

In more bizarre scenes, the passenger claimed the driver then started repeatedly saying: "I will have to ask you to keep your hands off my face as that's classed as assault".

She explained: "I was strapped into the front passenger seat with the safety belt holding a bunch of flowers with both hands."

As the nightmare journey ended, the passenger said she was charged £3.50 by the driver, adding: "I gave him a £10 note.

"He then opened the cab door with my £10 in his hand, opened the boot and removed my trolley with one hand.

"From the pavement I turned to look at the front of the car and memorised the number on the front.

"He then drove off without giving me my change from £10. He was beeping his horn the whole way up the road as he sped off."

She described the whole episode as 'incredibly upsetting' and said it left her 'traumatised'.

She immediately rang Delta to complain, but was told there was no supervisor to speak to.

She also contacted Liverpool Council's licensing department and as well as Cllr Radford.

A spokesman for the city council said it was aware of the allegations and after investigating found that the driver involved was not licensed in Liverpool.

The authority is now liaising with Knowsley and Sefton council, where it is likely the driver will be licensed, to help them investigate.

Cllr Radford, who was been working with the woman involved said the incident had left her 'upset' and added: "This driver is working our patch and we must make sure such behaviour is not tolerated."

When the ECHO contacted Delta about the issue it said it had not received an official report of the incident.

A spokesman said: "Should any passengers have any concerns or comments, they should always forward them directly to our Customer Services team at customer.services@deltataxis.net or by post to 200 Strand Road Bootle, L20 3HL, whereupon we can carry out a full investigation."


ECHO readers split on standard of private hire taxi journeys in Liverpool

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/li ... e-14961533

After a woman complained of an 'aggressive driver' - readers have shared their experiences

ECHO readers have been sharing their experiences of Liverpool's private hires - after a woman described her hellish journey with a Delta driver.

We reported how the woman complained of an 'aggressive and erratic' driver, who she claimed drove dangerously, was abusive and drove away without giving her £6.50 change.

The topic of taxis and private hire drivers in the city always prompts plenty of debate and ECHO readers have been sharing their experiences.

A large number of people posted on our facebook page to say they too had suffered at the hands of badly-behaved and careless drivers - but others defended the trade and said they had always had good experiences.

One reader claims to have 'four recordings' of times when city private hire drivers have made inappropriate comments to her.

Another said: "What frustrates me about taxi drivers is when they start to drive before you get a chance to clip the kids' seatbelts in, then when you ask them to wait until you've done it, most of them get a cob on."

Reacting to the woman's account in the ECHO, another reader said: "Similar thing happened to me recently where the driver was driving recklessly and drove onto a roundabout towards oncoming traffic, no apology or nothing."

But several readers made a point of defending private hire drivers and specifically the Delta company.

One said: "I have had some of the most loveliest drivers from Delta and use them whenever I need them."

Another added: "Used Delta a few times. Never had any issues."

But the majority of those who chose to comment revealed difficult experiences they have had.

One believes she may have recently been transported by the same driver reported on in the original story.

She said: "I was in a Delta taxi yesterday and he was telling me about a woman wanting the windows closed, sounds like the same driver from what is described and he was quite verbally aggressive, not towards me, just in general."

Delta told the ECHO that it has not received a formal, written complaint from the woman involved and as such they cannot comment or investigate the matter.

But Liverpool City Council said it is aware if the alleged incident and after investigations has discovered the driver involved is not licensed in Liverpool.


Taxis and your rights as a passenger - and what you should never do

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/li ... t-14959693

What you should know before you book

You have more rights than you think as a passenger in a taxi, and some that you might not be aware of.

Whether you book them on a night out or need them to help you get about, we have taken a look at what you are responsible for when you get in a cab.

Everything from being overcharged to eating in a taxi, here is what you should know before you book.

*These rules apply to both hackney cabs and private hire taxis.

Accredited ID

You should be able to see the taxi driver's accredited ID on display at all times.

The route you take

According to guidelines set out by the Department for Transport, the driver of the taxi must take you to your destination by the quickest possible route, unless you state otherwise.

Short journeys

Taxi drivers are not allowed, by law, to refuse service, even if you are only taking a very short journey.

Taxi sharing

A driver can not make you share your taxi journey with a stranger without asking.

Helping with the shopping

You can request for a taxi driver to help you load and unload items into their vehicle. This is part of providing a good service.

Behaviour

Taxi drivers are expected to be polite and helpful. This works both ways, with passengers and drivers treating each other with respect.

A driver has the right to refuse service if the passenger behaves in a violent, noisy or offensive manner.

Condition of the taxi

A paying customer should enter a clean, tidy and well maintained taxi.

Smoking

The driver should not smoke in the vehicle due to the smokefree laws.

Assistance animals

You are allowed to use a taxi with an assistance animal. Any other animal will be at the firm's, and individual driver's, discretion, so you should check when booking.

If you are overcharged by a taxi

If you find that your taxi driver tells you a different price than what is on their meter, you can complain, because by law they are not allowed to do this.

Make a note of the price of the meter and ask the taxi driver to write out a receipt for you. Most taxi firms and hackney carriage drivers carry a receipt book and will write one out on request.


And what is required of you

There is a list of things that you should and should not do if you are the passenger in a taxi.

• You must wear your seatbelt at all times.
• You can't ask a driver to carry infants who are unaccompanied by an adult with parental responsibility.
• You must not distract the driver or touch any of the controls or equipment.
• Make sure you have the means to pay your fare before your journey starts.
• Do not ask the driver to speed or take unnecessary risks on the road.
• Do not eat, drink or smoke in the taxi.

How to make a complaint

If you are not happy with the service a taxi driver has provided you can make a formal complain via the council website.

You will have to fill out an online form with details of the complaint.

Not sure if this photo of *saloon* HCs in Cardiff used to illustrate the pieces on the Echo's website is the best choice, particularly since Liverpool HCs are purpose-built and the article about passenger rights is quite technical.

And the photo was used in the first piece about the Delta PH driver, which doesn't mention HCs at all

the Liverpool Echo probably has the worst standards of journalistic integrity in the entire world

that newspaper needs a big kick up the jaxi from the press complaints commission

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

But does the operator have a Liverpool ops license?

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IDFIMH

Again Council not fulfilling their obligations,Operator who accepts initial booking is always responsible for that booking regardless of who does it.

Yes

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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!

Then it does beg the question as to why Liverpool Council state they can't do anything due to the driver not being licensed by them.

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IDFIMH