Taxi Driver Online

Police hunt bogus taxi attacker

A 21-year-old woman has been abducted and assaulted in Glasgow by a man claiming to be a taxi driver. The woman got into what she thought was a private hire cab after leaving the Cathouse nightclub in Union Street at about 0215 GMT on Saturday.

The driver took her to an industrial area outside the city centre and assaulted her. The woman, who was on holiday from Northern Ireland, managed to escape and flagged down a passing motorist.

Her attacker has been described as white, 5ft 7in tall, aged between 19 and 25. He had a heavy build, dirty fair hair with a middle parting and was wearing a dark shirt.

The woman had phoned for a private hire taxi from the nightclub and when she came out she approached a silver four-door saloon car. She asked the driver if he was the taxi, which he claimed to be, so she got in.

The attacker drove to an industrial area where the assault took place before she managed to escape and hide. After flagging down a passing motorist at about 0315 GMT, the woman was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary where she received treatment before being discharged.

Det Sgt Sandy McLean said it was terrifying experience for the young woman. He added: "Our inquiries are at a very early stage. The woman is not familiar with Glasgow and we are trying to establish where she was driven to before being assaulted.

"I would appeal to anyone who may have been outside the club and may have seen her enter the silver car to come forward." Police also appealed for the driver who assisted the woman to get in touch.

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IDFIMH

But if she knew the car picking her up would have a sign and number relating to the firm she booked it with, then she wouldn't have got in the un-licensed taxi.

But of course those silly people driving the bowler hats know best. Or at least they think they do. Let's hope Ken gives us what we want.

Ollie

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Happy to be legit.

Hi
1. Well ALL private hire vehicles that are licensed by Glasgow City Council must have the telephone number of the company they work for on display on the rear window. Most also have the companys name.

2. All vehicles have Glasgow City Council Plates back and front (unless they are in for renewal)

3. All vehicles have small sticker plates on the rear passenger door small windows.

4. All drivers are required to display their bages.

So ALL licensed private hire licensed by Glasgow certainly have enough markings on them to show what company they work for and if they are licensed.

The other issue is that there are a lot of private hire and taxi (non london type or metro etc) who come into Glasgow to drop off or pickup hires (prebooked etc for City pickup) and they dont have a lot of sinage on them.

The problem is that Glasgow CIty Council Taxi Inforcement department cant really do much about these folk as they do not come under their legislation etc. Only the police can deal with them or the people from their own licence area.

The thing is that there is a main Black Hack rank outside the Cathouse but at that time in the morning you have basically no chance of getting a taxi right away. Thats why the council told the hack drivers get out more often and earn money dont bother asking for a fare increase.

Its a nightmare in Glasgow trying to get a hackney at weekends the Ques are massive at times. Even trying to get a private hire vehicle is very bad at times.

There are a lot of licensed vehicles from all areas, hackneys and private hire who love to pirate within the city.

regards

So the private hire company could'nt give her details and the registration number of the car she had ordered then?

Or dare I say the identity of the driver she had booked? or a company name board displayed in the window?

Thats complicated is'nt it, a registration number and the details of the car, clearly customers are so thick they would only realise its their car if its plastered in adverts and phone numbers?

Absolute piffle.

Well not in the real world.

Most times it's hard enough to understand from the customer where they are, and what they are called. Trying to get them to remember the car and driver details just ain't going to happen.

Even when the punter is sober.

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IDFIMH

Hmmm....lets see the two main private hire companies have 500 and 750 cars in their fleets. The job would have went into a data dispatch system waiting for dispatch. At this point if there is NO car in the area free then the telop would not be able to give the customer any information on the car make/model/plate no. or whatever.

Even the Glasgow Taxis cant tell you any information about the cab thats picking you up until the job is actually dispatched to the car.

So what your saying at busy times is totally not possible unless there is a car free in the area at the time of the booking.

So no its not piffle.

regards

Your missing the point, with your obvious love of all things PH.

At some stage the car will accept or be allocated the job, the customer, being pre booked can then be communicated with the information by phone, e-mail or whatever means people book minicabs with nowadays BEFORE the car arrives at the customers destination.

The nice driver, providing he can speak in English, can then show the customer his nice shiney PCO ID card which hangs around his neck, thus confirming the car is indeed the correct one.

And all of that with no need for adverts or numbers on the roof.

I don't really care or give a monkeys about what goes on in Glasgow, I work in London and know how the trade works down here, inside out.

Please drop me a line when you come to work in London, and witness the daily law breaking carried out by your cousins in the capital.

Then you will be in a position to tell us whats best for London Minicabs.

Keep working.

Listen you ignorant person. The incident happend in GLASGOW. The question was raised about sinage and I told people about the sinage of licensed private hire vehicles in Glasgow.

Next I am not a private hire driver, so get your facts right.

Your are an ignorant fool and have a big gob to go with it. You just jumped straight in with the standard London Cabbie attitude.

Get a life.

Yawn!!!!

Gosh that was a good response. I've just urinated myself with fear.

Get a life?

I've got an excellent, and very lucrative life thanks. The only decisions I have to make is how to dispose of my vast takings.

If you had half my life you might do well.

Talking about gobs, I hear your a bit of a mouth on a stick?

Still, keep up that good work tim.

Gosh, theres another well thought through response.

You should do your own versions of Rogetts, it would make a stimulating reference book.

Ta again Tim.

I was refering to signage.

Sins should be left to confession time.

Eh tim?

For the record I do love all things PH.

But what your asking is impossible in all cases of firms with more than a few drivers. At times even the smallest firms have dozens of jobs outstanding, sometimes hundreds.

So it's the computer that sends the jobs out, not the operator. I suppose the computer could send a text out once the job has been given to a driver, but not all job are booked by a mobile.

But if your idea is so good, then why not offer it to the big three cab firms in London.

I await the responses with interest.

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IDFIMH

Assuming the cars on Data, all the customer has to ask is "what name are you for" Right name = get in!
I have to cover my head unit up sometimes, to stop punters looking through my window and spotting the name on my screen and trying to blag me that i'm for them.

Thank god we dont have illegal mini cabs here!