Taxi Driver Online

Wish I hadn't bothered with this now, but had more or less posted it before realising there was little more than a passing mention of the issue in the headline.

But, as usual with this kind of thing, it seems to miss the essential point - if women feel unsafe on the streets, are they going to feel any safer driving drunks and headbangers about on their own in a confined space in the middle of the night?

That's why there's effectively no women drivers in the early hours. The logic isn't that difficult, yet the authors of this kind of report just don't seem to get it. But it's maybe born of the mindset that says only women can be victims and in danger, and the men are supposed to just suck it up


Plymouth needs more female taxi drivers to help women feel safe

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/p ... xi-7169854

The Violence Against Women and Girls survey found that only 13 per cent of respondents felt very or fairly safe when out after dark

Women and girls in Plymouth have called for more street lighting and an increase in female taxi drivers to help them feel safe in the city. The Violence Against Women and Girls survey found that only 13 per cent of respondents felt very or fairly safe when out after dark.

More than three quarters (78 per cent) felt very or fairly unsafe. A total of 79 per cent of respondents reported that they had avoided taking certain streets or going to certain streets/areas when out and about in the city.

Calls from the survey were made for increasing CCTV and providing better lighting in and around Plymouth in order to improve safety. But the survey also that there is a current shortage of taxi drivers in the evenings which compounded the problem.

The report, published at the end of May, added: “Young women also reported feeling less safe with male taxi drivers, and too often there were no women taxi drivers available. In terms of safety at night, it is often impossible to book a taxi home. Public transport cannot be relied on either.”

Young girls also shared that they do not feel safe in the dark and even less so since the tragic events over the past year. Some of the young women spoken to stated that they never walk by themselves in the dark. Concerns were also raised about feeling safe at bus stops and walking between locations and bus stops in the dark.

The report said that 84 per cent of respondents outlined ‘improving/increasing street lighting’ would help women and girls feel safer and 71 per cent of respondents outlined ‘increasing CCTV’ would help women and girls feel safer in the city.

“Better lighting surrounding bus areas and pathways to and from shops open late to the bus areas is required,” one response said. “Please can you improve the street lighting... I also feel vulnerable as the street lighting is so dim, you can’t see people approaching you and neither can passing cars,” another added.

The survey also asked respondents to provide locations where they felt unsafe in the city. It showed that some parts of the city clearly felt less safe to respondents than others.

The City Centre was cited most often as a place where respondents felt unsafe, but respondents often mentioned feeling unsafe in parks across the city. It was highlighted that within Central Park there is currently no adequately lit route from one side of the park to the other.

Young girls shared that they do not feel safe in the dark and even less so since the tragic events over the past year. Some of the young women spoken to stated that they never walk by themselves in the dark.

The Commission heard that a night bus had been piloted in 2021, however due to the Covid pandemic, the trial was not as successful as it may have been at a different time. The report said that buses can be a safe space for women and there is a need to maximise this potential, so there was some merit in exploring a further pilot.

Since the report was published, it has been confirmed that the Plymouth Safe Bus scheme will be extended for a further year. The service will continue to be based outside the Theatre Royal but will now be available every Saturday night between 10pm and 4am as well as other nights of high activity in the city centre.

Not in a million years.

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IDFIMH

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

This is basically just a mix of the type of stuff above and another recent Plymouth article about overcharging, cherrypicking etc.


Concerns over women's safety in taxis after 'troubling' incidents

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/p ... is-7276775

'There have been a number of concerning anecdotes that have recently come to light'

A Plymouth councillor says she wants to hear from women about their experiences in taxis after hearing a number of “concerning” stories. She said she has been hearing some “troubling anecdotes” and is hoping to get a handle of the scale of the problem.

Charlotte Holloway, Plymouth Labour’s spokesperson on Violence against Women and Girls is happy for women to send in their stories anonymously, but wants more feedback about the potential issue in and around Plymouth. The recent Violence Against Women and Girls survey found that only 13 per cent of women felt very or fairly safe when out after dark.

The survey also called for an increase in female taxi drivers to help women feel safe in the city. “In terms of safety at night, it is often impossible to book a taxi home. Public transport cannot be relied on either,” it added.

Plymouth City Council have also issued a statement surrounding safety linked to taxis. They said that although the majority of licensed taxi drivers in Plymouth look after their customers, a small minority can let others down – comments which the leader of the council, Cllr Richard Bingley, also made at last week’s full council meeting.

Cllr Holloway, who represents the Drake ward, said: “There have been a number of concerning anecdotes that have recently come to light. I am keen to hear from anyone who has felt unsafe in a taxi or private hire vehicle so that we can work to address these in the council, working with the taxi industry in Plymouth.

“So if you’ve had a bad experience travelling home from work, from a night out or for any other reason, please let me know so we can better understand the scale of the problem. I will keep your experiences anonymous and will read them without judgement.

“There are a number of complex issues facing the provision and availability of taxi services in Plymouth, and my hope is that by feeding these in we can get better outcomes and improved safety for all.”

In a statement, Plymouth City Council on their Facebook page, said: “The vast majority of licensed taxi drivers in Plymouth look after their customers and make sure they get home safely. They are all vetted, enhanced DBS checked, have had safeguarding and ambassador training, for instance.

“But unfortunately, a small minority can let the others down and if you've had a bad experience, we can do something about it. You need to take down details so we can investigate.

“Lately we've received some complaints about drivers refusing to take customers to outer parts of the city, overcharging and some hackney carriage drivers not using their meter. We've also had reports of drivers refusing multiple drops within the city boundaries. This is not on and we will not hesitate to take formal action against these drivers.”

The council has advised people to be aware of the following in case they need to report an incident:

· The vehicle registration number OR

· The licence plate number – these are at the back of the vehicle and are white for a hackney carriage and yellow for a private hire vehicle.

· Private Hire vehicles also have the plate number on their doors

· Hackney Carriage vehicles also have the plate number on the partition between the driver and the passenger.

Cllr Holloway, alongside Mel Sevieri and Elle Butcher, has also organised a march to show solidarity with women in America following the overturning of a key piece of abortion legislation in the USA. The protest begins at the Mayflower Steps on the Barbican on Saturday, July 2 at 1.15pm.

Cllr Holloway has advised that if people witness anything criminal, they should report it to the police Women who wish to get in touch with Councillor Holloway to share their experiences can do so via her Facebook page or by emailing her at: charlotte.holloway@plymouth.gov.uk