Taxi Driver Online

Racist abuse of city taxi drivers so 'normal' they suffer in silence, says shocking report

Asian and Black taxi drivers in Birmingham and elsewhere are racially abused 'every day', some punched, scratched and threatened - yet hardly anything is done to protect or support them, according to a shocking new report.

Incidents are occurring "by the thousand", with a third of drivers saying they experience abuse at least once a week.

Nearly one in ten say abuse is "daily".

But only a handful of cases are ever reported because, say drivers, it has become 'normalised' and they think very little action will result anyway.

City driver Abid Mustafa, who won national praise for his dignified handling of one racist, said he had been reduced to tears by some of the abuse he receives and he has now had enough. He is quitting the trade.

The report calls for better support from licensing councils, taxi firms and police for drivers, urges CCTV in all taxis, an easy way to report incidents to councils, and a national register of abusive customers, among a string of recommendations.

The report - called 'When No-one is Looking - the Racist Abuse of British Taxi Drivers' - has been produced by academic and equality consultant Dr Karamat Iqbal, who said it was Mr Mustafa's story that had inspired his research.

He interviewed taxi drivers and conducted a questionnaire with 271 drivers across the city and other parts of the country - 90% of them either Black or Asian - as he tried to assess the level of abuse.

What he found was alarming.

Racist abuse was 'normal' for 83% of drivers - with a third saying they experienced hate incidents at least once a week.

Some said the extent of it ran into "thousands" of separate incidents.

Incidents ranged from casual use of the n-word and the P-word, being told to "go back home/to your own country", and, for Asian drivers in particular, being called a "terrorist".

Incidents increased after Brexit, his inquiries found.

But the level of reporting was 'tiny' in comparison - with drivers deciding it was too time-consuming and the outcomes limited.

"There is little or no support from the licensing authorities for the drivers who experience such abuse," says the report.

"They tend then to suffer in silence, treating it as a normal part of their job."

One driver reported: "The abuse is not just words. Some passengers try to attack us, they damage our cars. They may not pay the fare."

Another driver explained why they don’t report the abuse, telling Iqbal: "Sir, unfortunately we have to take all these things within ourselves. Just saying to ourselves: 'it’s ok; it’s part of life.' It’s a part of our profession."

Comments from drivers in the report include:

"Many drivers think racism is part of the job. That’s not right. The older generation put up with racism. Abuse is common...when it happens, you decide it’s not worth pursuing it with the police because you know they’re not going to do anything." (Yaseen Aslam, the President of the App Drivers and Couriers Union.)

Sajid Mahmood, a Birmingham drivers' representative and a taxi driver for 23 years, said: "Taxi drivers are seen as low. There is a lack of recognition of us being human and lacking human rights. Everyone looks down on us.

"Added to that is the fact that large number of us are minority backgrounds. So we get treated as low. When we are called P*** or face institutional racism, that is obviously to do with our ethnic minority status."

Raja Amin, from taxi drivers' union the RMT, said drivers were 'vulnerable' and frustrated customers angry about something else in their lives, or after drinking, would take it out on them.

"They don’t mince words; whatever comes to their mind they use it, including racist words."

He said often drivers don't report incidents because of the lengthy time involved in filling in forms, making statements, and always thinking the perpetrators won't likely be traced anyway.

"And the non reporting means the perpetrators get away with their undesirable behaviour."

Dr Iqbal says the stage has been set for racism to flourish against taxi drivers, born out of their perceived 'low status' and because they are isolated.

The regularity of the abuse means that some drivers suffer the equivalent of 'battle fatigue', with psychological and physical symptoms.

In Birmingham, the vast majority of taxi drivers are Asian (86%) with the majority of them being Pakistani, says the report.

The reports makes a string of recommendations, including:

• Licensing authorities should take seriously the racist abuse of drivers and support the drivers to take appropriate action against the perpetrators.

• Drivers should be assigned a Link Officer within the local authority to make reporting easier and provide support.

• Create a national racial abuse offender register, with perpetrators banned from using private hire or taxi services anywhere.

• Passengers who perpetuate racism should be required to attend a racism awareness course

• All taxis should be equipped with a CCTV, financially supported by their councils.

• Passengers should be warned that the evidence gathered through the CCTV in suspected abuse cases will be used against them in the courts.

A West Midlands police spokesperson urged anyone who experienced a hate incident or crime to always report it to officers and this can be done using this direct link to more information.

"We understand that experiencing a hate crime is extremely distressing and upsetting. We are proud to police our diverse communities and will take action against those who commit a hate crime.

"If it is not reported to us, we can’t investigate, so we encourage anyone who experiences hate crime to tell us."

We have asked Birmingham City Council to comment.

Who is the report author: Dr Karamat Iqbal is a consultant, academic and writer. For the past 20 years he has worked for the consultancy, The Forward Partnership, and authored publications including: A Biography of the Word '[edited by admin]', Dear Birmingham and British Pakistani Boys, Education and the Role of Religion in the land of the Trojan Horse

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IDFIMH

Sad but not surprising.

Idiots get pi***d up and think our trade is an easy target, which sadly for drivers working on their own is nearly always the case.

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IDFIMH

Birmingham taxi driver praised for calm response to racist is quitting over abuse - 'it made me cry'

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/m ... d-20904608

Abid Mustafa says racist abuse has reduced him to tears and his family fear for his safety - so he's quitting

A taxi driver praised for his dignified handling of a racist rant by a passenger, captured on video, is quitting, worn down by the regular torrent of abuse.

Abid Mustafa says he has had enough and is now completing his qualifications as an electrician, after just over a year in the taxi trade.

The frequent verbal abuse and two physical assaults by disgruntled passengers have made his mind up, with some incidents reducing him to tears.

His decision comes as a new report revealed taxi drivers are racially abused so frequently that it is 'normal' and they rarely report it.

The report calls for new action by licensing agencies, taxi firms and the police to protect drivers, including CCTV in every cab and a national register of offensive passengers.

Last summer, a dashcam video that captured a passenger verbally abusing Mr Mustafa went viral.

In it the father of four was seen to remain calm and composed as the vile passenger spouted a volley of insults at him - and told him: “This is England by the way.”

The disgusting tirade was caught on camera before the passenger handed him his fare and said: “F**k off. F****** Muslim ****.”

The footage showed Mr Mustafa, (also known as Abid Satti) aged 39 and from Erdington, politely address the culprit as ‘sir’ despite the racist behaviour he endured.

He was only in his second week working as a driver for KMR Cars when the incident happened last May.

His response to the racist tirade was widely praised and he was later given the representative role of Ambassador for the West Midlands Private Hire and Taxi Trade Association.

A 53-year-old man later received a caution, with Mr Mustafa working with the police to encourage leniency.

The pair later met under the restorative justice programme option. It was an option that "the victim and offender were both satisfied was the most appropriate course of action for this offence," said a West Midlands Police spokesperson.

Sadly, it was to be a precursor to a series of more terrifying incidents - and now Mr Mustafa intends to give up his driving.

He told Birmingham Live he has since been punched in the face, verbally abused 'most weeks', and had a group of women passengers attack him verbally, one leaving scratchmarks from long nails down his face.

He has been left in tears as a result of some of the abuse, he said.

"I am not ashamed to say some of these incidents have made me cry. It is very difficult and emotionally affects me. It is the same for many taxi drivers."

He detailed an incident in which an angry passenger refused to make an advance payment, in line with company policy for new customers after a series of 'runners', and then punched him full in the face, leaving him dizzy and with a black eye.

Mr Mustafa called the police but was told officers were too busy to attend immediately and to wait with his car. He says he waited more than an hour, in distress, and was then told officers were tied up with other incidents. "I just gave up then," he said.

He says another time he was then confronted by a group of four women who did not want to pay the full fare.

"They were really abusive, screamed abuse at me, tried to pull at me. I stopped my car and said I could not concentrate so they needed to calm down or leave, and they got out - one came up to my open window and dragged her nails across my face, leaving four deep scratches. I was so shaken up."

But he said he did not bother calling the police that time - "it was a Saturday night, I knew they would be busy, and after the last time I thought there was no point."

He said his wife was very worried about his safety and was fearful that one day someone would pull out a knife or inflict lasting damage. He is now completing his UK training as an electrician, converting qualifications he previously earned in Pakistan, and hopes to qualify by September.

"Abuse is normal for us. I work 45 hours or more a week and most of the passengers, like 99% or more of them, are very good and respectful and no problems.

"I always want to make sure anyone who gets out of my taxi leaves happy and feels safe and respected.

"But at least once a week someone will be abusive. It is very painful. Nobody should be treated like this."

He drew a parallel between the way abuse on taxi drivers is tolerated and, he claims, dismissed as minor, while there is a zero tolerance approach to racism in hospitals or shops.

"If abuse is directed at hospital staff the police are there like a shot, or in shops, or if it is to police officers. But when it is taxi drivers the attitude seems to be 'oh, we will try to get to you when we can' and it feels like it is not taken seriously.

"I am certain this is in part because we are mostly Asian people - if we were mostly white drivers, I think it would be taken much more seriously," he claimed.

The new report - called 'When No-one is Looking - the Racist Abuse of British Taxi Drivers' - has been produced by academic and equality consultant Dr Karamat Iqbal, who said it was Mr Mustafa's story that had inspired his research.

He interviewed taxi drivers and conducted a questionnaire with 271 drivers across the city and other parts of the country - 90% of them either Black or Asian - as he tried to assess the level of abuse.

What he found was alarming, with racist abuse seen as 'normal' for 83% of drivers - with a third saying they experienced hate incidents at least once a week.

Some said the extent of it ran into "thousands" of separate incidents.

A West Midlands police spokesperson urged anyone who experienced a hate incident or crime to always report it to officers and this can be done using this direct link to more information.

"We understand that experiencing a hate crime is extremely distressing and upsetting. We are proud to police our diverse communities and will take action against those who commit a hate crime.

"If it is not reported to us, we can’t investigate, so we encourage anyone who experiences hate crime to tell us."

whilst i don't condone any sort of racist abuse sometimes drivers bring it on by responding or talking aggressively to customers

there are ways to reduce the abuse starting with not treating all non muslims with contempt

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

Some people think the restorative justice programme is such a brilliant option.

Others think it's a crock of sh**.

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IDFIMH