Taxi Driver Online

Surprised no one said that he 'went that extra mile'...


Bench to be installed at rank in memory of Donald Johns "Witney's best taxi driver"

https://www.witneygazette.co.uk/news/19 ... xi-driver/


Image: Witney Gazette

A grieving daughter is raising cash for a bench near the town’s taxi rank in memory of her father “the best taxi driver in Witney”.

Donald Johns lost a four-year battle with cancer on Tuesday October 12.

His daughter, Verity Luckett, has received over 200 messages praising her dad did for what he did for the community.

Donald started work at Angie’s Taxi’s in 1985, although he worked for different firms over the years.

Verity said: “But one thing they all had in common is that everyone loved Donald.”

She added: “Four years and 10 months ago, Donald was given the devasting news that he was suffering with advanced cancer. The doctors gave him 12 – 18 months, but Donald took no notice of that, he vowed he was going to fight this dreadful disease all the way….and he did… in fact, Donald was incredible and a real inspiration to everyone around him.

“After spending five days at the Katharine House Hospice where the staff couldn’t do enough for Donald, he died very peacefully and with dignity knowing he was loved by you all.”

For the 38 years he was a Witney taxi driver Donald was well known for enjoying a cup of coffee and tapping his pipe out on the pavement at the taxi rank.

“People would look on the Taxi rank for Don's Taxi and would not travel in anyone else’s as they respected and trusted Donald so much,” said Verity who lives in Ducklington. “People have said they would wave other taxis on while waiting for Donald to pull up.

"Donald was so much more than a taxi driver, not only was he so knowledgeable when it came to the roads in our county, he was also trustworthy.

"He took the time to help everyone he could, you would find him cutting someone’s grass or not only driving someone home from shopping, but actually taking the shopping in and putting it away... "

Comments from some of the letters Verity has received include: "A memory of Donald who I got to know a few years back…if it rained and snowed, he was the top of the taxi number to call and always turned up with a smile, a true gent and always had them cans of cola in the boot, sleep well and thanks Donald."

And in a letter from a customer/friend: "He took me on a 20-mile chase in a ‘follow that taxi!’ scenario from Oxford to Freeland, so I could try and rekindle a relationship with my girlfriend at the time. He wouldn’t let me pay as he could see I was gutted. Thanks, Don, for being a legend in more ways than one! PS. I got over her."

Other customers wrote: "I loved that every now and again you would bring Carol with you to pick me up because you both loved my dogs so much. I would even bring one in the taxi with me.

"I have so many happy memories of you, you would offer to look after both of my sons just so that I could nip in the shop without having to get the pushchair out of the taxi. The boys loved that you made them laugh so much, you would even play hide and seek with them, I remember their little faces laughing so much.

"On the way home we would stop at the local shop because I would say that I had forgotten something but really, I wanted to buy you a paper and a packet of biscuits just to say thank you for just being you."

West Oxfordshire District Council has confirmed that plans for a bench are being finalised and it should be installed in six to eight weeks.

Verity said: “If any money is left over from my appeal I would like to give it to Katherine House Hospice who cared for dad in his last days.”

Same thing happens to me on the ranks here


I'm always cutting the customers' grass as well

Actually, I tell a lie. Keep asking punters if they want their grass cut, but funnily enough they never take me up on the offer


The punters here are always asking to stop so they can buy me a paper and a packet of biscuits


Reminds me of when our local association rep did that, and the council had his badge

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

I used to have a driver that did that …

…and he charged them £20 a time

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

It's not uncommon for punters to ask me if I need anything from the shop. There's one punter who buys the driver a giant bar of chocolate every time.

But I've never emptied my pipe out in the street.

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IDFIMH

Yes, I was maybe actually wrong about that earlier - people often asking if I want stuff from shops and takeaways etc, the latest being an ice cream from the famous Jannetta's a few days ago. But it's not done in the same gushing way as per the driver in the article, which is maybe why I was thinking it never happens to me

Anyways:


Memorial bench installed near rank for “the best taxi driver in Witney”

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/20581 ... er-witney/


Image: Oxford Mail

A memorial bench has been installed near Witney's taxi rank in memory of Donald Johns “the best taxi driver in Witney”, according to the many tributes sent to his family.

After Mr Johns died from cancer in October 2021, his daughter, Verity Luckett, received over 200 messages praising her dad's work in the community.

She decided to launch an appeal to raise money for a bench in the town and for Katharine House Hospice which cared for Mr Johns in his last days.

Mr Johns started work at Angie’s Taxi’s in 1985, although he worked for different firms over the 38 years he was a Witney taxi driver.

Mrs Luckett said: “But one thing they all had in common is that everyone loved Donald.”

He was a familiar figure, well known for enjoying a cup of coffee and tapping his pipe out on the pavement at the taxi rank.

The appeal raised £1,000 of which £100 has been donated to Katharine House Hospice.

Mrs Luckett, from Ducklington, said: “People would look on the taxi rank for Don's taxi and would not travel in anyone else’s as they respected and trusted Donald so much.

"People have said they would wave other taxis on while waiting for Donald to pull up.

"He took the time to help everyone he could, you would find him cutting someone’s grass or not only driving someone home from shopping, but actually taking the shopping in and putting it away."


Image: Oxford Mail

And by 3am when they realised he wasn't actually working they'll have waited until he started his shift in the morning


Some people might misconstrue that

And, er, putting away the food, I mean

Anyway, think the chances of a memorial bench being installed beside our rank here when I pass are even less than the chances of me winning £190m on the Euromillions

When I pop my clogs I don't want a bench or anything to remember me.

I suppose in 100s of years' time the only memory of me, and most of us, will be our ramblings being stored somewhere in google caches.

F*** knows what anyone will make out of Charlie Boy's spelling.

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IDFIMH

I think most of us can understand him so why shouldn't future people ?

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

You wouldn't get away with that in SKDC-land

But worth a quick read of the whole document, which is the short four-page version compared to the huge Taxi Policy document.

Not sure if it's that unusual, and much of it is just common sense. But a lot of it seems very vague, and some stuff a tad oddball if you want my opinion

http://www.southkesteven.gov.uk/CHttpHa ... =14184&p=0