Taxi Driver Online

Taxi driver divides opinion after shaming passenger for £10 cab ride to food bank a 10-minute walk from home past Aldi

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13751093/ ... -cab-ride/

A TAXI driver is dividing opinions after he shamed a passenger for taking a £10 cab ride to a food bank.

Kev McCartney claims he picked up the customer and brought him to a food bank that was a 10 minute walk from his house - passing an Aldi on the way.

He says just ten minutes later he picked up a job on the radio to go back and collect him.

The former RAF airman vented about the trips on Twitter, saying he wanted to make a point about how food banks are being "mis-managed".

But the post divided opinions with fellow drivers sharing similar experiences, while many other slammed the driver for sharing the private concerns of his passengers publicly.

Kev, from near Blackpool, Lancs, wrote: "This chap jumped into the taxi, I dropped him off at the food bank, and I heard a job over the radio to pick him up ten minutes later.

"He paid £5 both ways and we passed Aldi both times.

"If he spent ten minutes walking he probably could have got twice from Aldi and better quality.”

DIVIDED OPINIONS

Many reached out to defend the passenger on the post with 7,000 likes, pointing out that the customer probably received more food than the cost of the taxi and could have a genuine reason for needing the cab.

One woman said: "Why as a taxi owner would you blurt out the reason why someone took a ride in your cab? Is that not confidential? You have no idea why he needed to do it."

Another person who used to work at a food bank defended the users and pointed out that the "whole system is flawed", as some individuals receive vouchers for banks 15-20 miles away, with many having to get taxis as there wasn't public transport.

While one man said: "He may have been disabled and had no other money other than the required travel money.

"No doubts you will let us know how he jogged up to your taxi lifting weights, but there you go."

A woman added: "Amazing how many people are concerned about what other people spend their money on, why don't you check out how much our politicians are taking off us in 'expenses'. It's more than any person on benefits of some kinds. Just saying."

While another admitted: "I have a disability with my mental health therefore I have to drive to the shop and it’s only a 10 minute walk. I’ve been judged by people for being “lazy” but what do they know."

Meanwhile fellow drivers jumped in to share similar experiences and many slammed those who abuse the system.

One former cabbie said: "When I was a taxi driver we had a regular fare, pick him up from his house and take him to the cafe opposite the taxi rank...£5.

"He'd have breakfast then get a cab from the rank back home, stopping at the Salvation Army to pick up his food parcel. Used to drive us absolutely mad."

Another added: "My brother-in-law is a taxi driver and has had this numerous times by different people. One of the worst is a guy gets a taxi to the pub and goes across the street to the foodbank and gets as taxi back from the foodbank."

While a third said: "I have a nurse friend who uses the food bank. She has two Caribbean cruises in 2019."

'SNOWFLAKES'

The mixed response prompted Kev to lash out at those who disagreed with him or called him a "liar" - branding them "snowflakes".

He went on to claim that while waiting for those to use food banks, he now leaves his "meter running as a lot take the p*ss".

He said: "My point is it wasn't that particular individual - some people got the point and some didn't, my point is how these food banks are being managed.

"It wasn't just that lad that struck me [as an issue].

"There was a girl coming out with a baby in a buggy and two bags of shopping with the free food in it. She was talking away on the latest iPhone, so she's obviously not struggling for money.

"We have people coming from these food banks around the taxi ranks trying to sell us what they've been given.

"[So the issue is] about how food banks are really managed and is it going to the people that really need it?

"I have nothing against food banks, people are giving generously, but it needs to be going to the right places."

The driver also claimed he's even witnessed users attempting to flog their donations at taxi ranks.

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IDFIMH

These sorts of issues are what many of us talk about to one another whilst we wait for jobs, but that's where it starts and finishes IMO.

Putting it out to the world via twitter never ends well.

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IDFIMH

Yesterday I was approached by a woman holding out her left hand begging for money. In her right hand was a glass of wine!

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Former taxi driver

Food banks beget food banks, they enourage the uneedy to the detriment of the truly needy, I'm sure their are many food bank users that really dont require a food bank but these people will never look a gift horse in the mouth if it's going to save them money to spend on other non essential purchase such as fags, drink or sadly in some cases..Drugs.

Instead of Food Banks they should be given Government Food Vouchers based on the lowest of the low benefits or income or offer them food parcels as they did during the first lockdow.

I'm not convinced we need all the food banks we have.

Yes, and like the Sun's article yesterday, a not dissimilar piece in the Daily Record which resulted in a Glasgow Tory candidate being dumped by the party.


Heartless Scots Tory candidate claims poor people using food banks are fat

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scot ... s-23322395

Craig Ross also had a pop at anti-poverty footballer Marcus Rashford and said folk filmed on TV at food banks are “far from starving”.


Haven't heard the podcast referred to, but what's the betting he didn't actually say *all* food bank users were fat, but just *some* of them? Of course, it makes for better headlines to claim he said they're *all* fat.

Anyway, kind of disagree with some of the views criticising the driver in the Sun article - as long as he doesn't identify the people involved then I don't see any problem with making such a thing public.

Of course, the backlash is another thing, which is why I won't be going to the papers with the likes of the beggars in St Andrews who I've driven home once or twice

Think deep and hard before commenting on people using food banks etc.

we used to regularly do one to a village 10 miles up the road at £16.00 a pop (discounted)

There is no bus route so how else could she get back but yet another customer we haven't seen for nearly a year

we have 2 or 3 others who use the taxi because they don't drive and have no access to a car and driver so it's taxi or walk a mile and a half with 4 to 6 bags of heavy shopping

It isn't an extravagance it's our main function Public transport

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

The food bank here is closed to callers. All food is delivered.

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Grandad,

Surely that's the type of Job the Charity wheels and their Volunteers should be performing rather as taking work away from us in other areas where they should be keeping their noses out of.

The Government doesnt really view Taxis and PH as PUBLIC TRANSPORT otherwise they would treat us equally.

I don't think anyone should be given in benefits more than the weekly minimum wage.
I know plenty of people who work full time (on min wage) who manage to pay their rent/mortgage, run a car and feed the family well. So why should someone who says they can't work get all their housing costs paid and a handout greater than that person who works on minimum wage ?

These are the people who spend all day using a computer to browse social media, whilst phoning all their friends, yet say they are unable to get to an office to use a computer and make phone calls !
Years ago I knew of a fella who was completely blind and in a wheelchair because he had one leg - he worked in (ironically) a job centre using a specially adapted keyboard inputting data.

Benefits are for those who find themselves in need of the basics (food, shelter) for the short term - not to provide an easy lifestyle and fund the latest phone, booze, fags, sky tv, holidays, spraytan, netflix and £200 designer trainers.

So if you live in an area where rents are higher than the minimum wage you would say tough.

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Grandad,

How do those on minimum wage in those areas manage to pay their rent then ?
Or are you saying those on benefits in expensive areas should have their rents paid but those working on minimum wage in those same areas -tough, move somewhere cheaper ? Seems like an incentive NOT to work - which is my point.

People on minimum wage can also apply for housing benefit and universal credit. I don't think the benefit system works perfectly for all but the way that it is supposed to work is that even if you are working then you should be better off than not working. For instance for every £1.00 you earn above the benefit threshold you lose £0.37 pence from your benefit or something like that.

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Grandad,