Taxi Driver Online

Obviously this is related to the more customer-focused articles about Hull in another thread

Hull taxi driver subject to years of sick abuse and racist taunts says he's had enough

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hu ... rs-2646925

Ako Swara said he 'hates' going to work because of customers making his life a misery


Image: Hull Daily Mail/Jerome Ellerby

A fed up Hull taxi driver has revealed how years of abuse have convinced him to quit the trade for good after almost a decade.

Ako Swara has been driving his Hackney carriage around the streets of the city for nine years but 2019 is set to be his last.

The 33-year-old, who moved to the UK from Kurdistan almost 20 years ago, has been subjected to vile racist taunts and shocking violence by aggressive customers during his time as a driver.

He says he has been called a “P*** b******” among other names and admits he no longer feels safe in his role as a taxi driver in Hull with fare dodgers posing a big problem to cabbies.

'I hate going to work'

“It is happening to all us drivers and we don’t feel safe,” Mr Swara said. “When somebody doesn’t pay you just think ‘why am I doing this job?’

“In the past six or seven months I’ve had my car damaged and it keeps costing me money to get it repaired. I get the police involved every time but it just doesn’t seem worth it.

“People don’t appreciate what you do for them. They abuse you and annoy you and it’s really bad. I hate going to work every day but I’ve got no choice because I’m self-employed.

“I need to pay the bills and I’ve spent a lot of money on this car. It cost me £23,000 and I have to go to Sheffield to get the parts for it.”

'I feel guilty calling police'

Mr Swara, who picks up fares from the taxi rank at Hull Paragon, says that on a typical night transporting 20 customers, a third of them will cause problems.

“When there is a long queue people will try to cut through and offer you more money to take the fare,” Mr Swara said.

“You can’t call the police all the time and I feel guilty when I do call them because you know they have more important things to do.

“I know they are busy but sometimes you need their help and have no choice.”

The 'final straw'

Recently, an incident in Mr Swara’s taxi saw him decide to quite the trade for good and apply for a HGV licence.

He was taking two women home from a night out who did not have any money to pay. He claims he was convinced they were going to do a runner so said he would take them back to where he picked them up.

However, he alleges the women began hurling abuse at the driver and says they caused over £400 worth of damage to his car, prompting Mr Swara to take them straight to the police station.

“That was the final straw and it made me not want to do it any more after eight or nine years of being in the trade,” he said.

“The majority of customers are good but sometimes people cause a fuss. Sometimes you ask for cash up front and you explain to them why you are having to do that but they won’t give it to you.

“Most of the time it is drunk people but sometimes people just get in the taxi with no money.

“People need to make sure that when they come out they have enough money for the taxi home. Taxis are very important, especially for drunk people, and we keep them safe but people don’t appreciate that.

“I will always wait for a person to get inside and people need to respect us. They need to be aware that we may ask for cash up front. It’s nothing against people – we just want to make sure we get paid.”

Taxi boss speaks out

Peter Nilsson , who is the chairman of the Hull Hackney Carriage Association, reiterated that taxi drivers have a right to end journeys immediately should they be subjected to abuse en route.

He also said that if someone refuses to pay, taxi drivers are entitled to drop customers off at a police station.


Image: Hull Daily Mail

“Each taxi is an individual business. We expect to be paid for every journey. We advise taxi drivers that if someone refuses to pay that passenger should be dropped off at the nearest police station.

“That is a safe place to leave anyone. We don’t expect people to be abandoned on the street.”

Anyone who wants to complain about their taxi experience should call Hull City Council’s licensing authority on 01482 300 300.

Don't blame the fella for leaving and trying his luck elsewhere.

Don't think Hull is that much different than most big cities late at night, especially for non local lads.

But it's no surprise Hull continually struggles getting drivers.

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IDFIMH

When I saw the headline for this assumed she was 70 or so - turns out she's 51, which is four years younger than me Don't know if it's because she's a bit young to be a grandmother of ten, or if I'm just getting old. Maybe Grandad can help out here

Anyway, seems to be a bit of a PR offensive going on in Hull. So suspect this could be more like advertising for the firm rather than what it seems at first glance. (Although if it's supposed to promote the firm then it might have been a good idea to give the car a wee wipe down first, particularly as it's black )

And there's a slightly over the top quality about this as well, which is why I've included all the photos on the Hull Daily Mail's website - normally I'd maybe just include two, because they're all pretty much the same.

There's also a video on the website

Meet Bella - The proud Hull grandma loving life as a woman taxi driver

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hu ... fe-2651240

She says that being a taxi driver is not 'a man's job'

A colourful grandmother-of-10 has spoken about why she loves being a taxi driver and how she is always willing to go the “extra mile” for her customers.

Michelle ‘Bella’ Wilkinson ditched managing a betting shop to become a cabbie 15 years ago – and she hasn’t looked back since.

The 51-year-old, who works for 706 Taxis, said: “I wanted to work for myself and have my own independence. I used to be the manager of a betting shop and I've worked as a butcher too but ever since the kids were little I’d always wanted to be a taxi driver.

“I was with a taxi driver and I wanted to earn the money that he was earning. I thought that it would be great to do once I’d dropped the kids off at school but I never dared do it because I thought I would get mugged and something might happen.


Image: Jerome Ellerby/Hull Daily Mail

“Then I realised I’ve probably got more chance of getting my head blown off here at the betting shop.”

At 706 Taxis, there are just three women drivers including Bella, and the mum-of-three admits it is still a male-orientated industry.

However, she has a following of loyal customers who specifically ask for her as their driver and she believes her approachable, sociable and comforting nature makes her a hit with certain passengers.

“A lot of the elderly ask for me and so do mums with their bains. I’m everybody’s friend and I think a lot of them feel safer with me as their driver.


Image: Jerome Ellerby/Hull Daily Mail

“I go to the shops with the elderly and all sorts. If they want something getting I tell them to stay in the car and I will go and get it for them.

“To be honest, you shouldn’t be a taxi driver if you’re not willing to go that extra mile.”

Earlier this week, Ako Swara, a Hackney carriage driver who picks up fares from Hull Paragon, revealed how he was quitting the trade after almost a decade of hurtful abuse, including vicious racist taunts.

However, Bella, who lives on the Greatfield estate, said she has been lucky enough to only have to deal with a handful of incidents during her time as a taxi driver.


Image: Jerome Ellerby/Hull Daily Mail

“I’ve only ever had three incidents," she said. "Once, an Iraqi man said he wouldn’t pay me because I was a British girl. He spat at me and called me ‘British trash’.

“Another guy wouldn’t get out of the car until I gave him the telephone number for the firm and another was a young lad who tried to pinch my money bag but I worked out what he was doing and worked round the situation.

“I’ve had no serious trouble and all those incidents were in the day time. I don’t know how different it would be at night.

“I think there is this perception that taxi drivers are in danger and I would never go black cabbing because you don’t get to pick up from an address.


Image: Jerome Ellerby/Hull Daily Mail

“I’ve had it before where people have called from telephone boxes and if I’ve gone to pick them up and I don’t like the look of them I will send it back to the office if I don’t feel comfortable.”

Bella says the job has been incredibly “rewarding” and she enjoys building lasting relationships with customers. “I just get to know people,” she said. “It could be two years sometimes between pickups but when you pick them up you just slip back into conversation.

“I’m like a social worker some days because everybody tells you everything and I just love the job.”

With a limited number of female taxi drivers available in Hull, Bella is keen to encourage more women to get involved in the trade.


Image: Jerome Ellerby/Hull Daily Mail

She wants to eradicate myths that women are put in danger by becoming taxi drivers and she thinks it would be great to create more of a gender balance.

“People want someone you can relate to and a friendly face for a journey,” Bella said. “They don’t want to sit in silence and have nobody speak to them and we want to see them get to where they need to go safely and securely.

“I’ve noticed that there is more and more women coming into the industry and they shouldn’t be put off. They need to be encouraged because people think it’s a man’s job.

“It would be great to see more of a split and there is a need for women drivers out there. Some people specifically want women to take them on journeys so there is a service there to be fulfilled.”

That's not a myth, its the truth. Sadly.

In the same way driving a taxi/PH is dangerous for men, especially late at night, and if your background is non UK.

Thems the facts.

I love this trade, but I think those sugar soaping it are toss pots, to put it mildly.

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IDFIMH