Taxi Driver Online

Teen's warning after phone stolen by taxi driver


A TEENAGER is warning revellers to be on guard after his phone was stolen by a taxi driver. Jack Cormican, who turned 18 last week, was out with friends at the Arena nightclub in Middlesbrough celebrating the Easter holiday.

At about 2.45am on Friday, he left the venue and found a taxi outside to take him to his home in Branksome Avenue, Middlesbrough. Jack said: “I got a taxi home after my night out, but when I got to my house I didn’t have enough money to pay for it.

“I knew there was some money inside, so I said to the driver I was just going to get the money and I’d be back in five minutes. “But he wouldn’t let me out of the car until I handed my phone over. “I thought he’d return it as soon as I gave the fare, but he got the phone and sped off.”

Jack cannot remember which firm of taxis he used to get home, and because he made no advance booking, tracing the thief will be next to impossible. The phone, a stylish LG Secret KF750, was the Middlesbrough College Music Technology student’s 18th birthday present.

“The fare was only £7. I’d given him £2.50 and said I’d be coming back with the fiver in a minute, but he must have known the phone was worth more.”

Now, Jack wants to warn others who use taxis not to give valuable items as surety. Mum Amanda, 40, a benefits advisor for the Macmillan cancer charity, says she could hardly believe what happened when Jack told her.

She said: “I always leave some money out for Jack or his sister Molly if they go out that will get them a taxi home. “I just want to make sure they can get back here safely and can pay the driver.”

Amanda is worried such demands may regularly be placed on youngsters, and is calling for them to be extra vigilant. Jack said: “I’ve had to call my phone supplier to cancel it, and I’m without a phone now. “It’s an expensive inconvenience and I don’t want anybody else to suffer.”

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IDFIMH

Always make sure you get the licence number of the vehicle/driver.

Preferably, make sure you have the means to pay before you leave the vehicle.

I had one over the weekend. No money but offered me his phone, passport and works van key as security.

Having handed it all over to me, he then pleaded with me to let him have the van key back.....yeah, I should coco!!

It concentrated his mind nicely. Turned up yesterday afternoon with the money. He got his security returned. Everybody happy, including his boss when he turned up at work, with the van...on time!!

The driver in the incident quoted above should be in serious danger of sanctions by the LA, if he is ever traced. He is not welcome in the trade, IMHO.

Take security but hand it back immediately the debt is settled, otherwise you are doing exactly what you were trying to prevent the customer doing in the first place.

The phone can be rendered useless by the mobile companies with no more than a phone call.
New phones normally come with insurance as well.

I wonder if this is just a story he gave his folks to explain losing the phone? Maybe i'm just being cynical.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

I've taken mobile phones as security when they want to go into the house to collect more money, but, I've always waited for them to return with the exception of one passenger who gave the phone to me and then legged it. I've also taken phones as security and given details so they can go to the office and pay the fare and collect the phone.

It's a shame that some drivers are as low as some of passengers when it comes to honesty

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

The same thing happened to my stepdaughter last week, an Asian lad dropped her off outside our house, she didn't have enough money on her so, she gave him her phone and told him she'd be 2 minutes. She got the money went back outside but he'd gone. She came upstairs to tell me what had gone off. We went down Mansfield to find this driver, with the description she gave me I knew who he was.

We found him outside Chicago Rock, his face was a picture when he spotted me driving a taxi, within 10 minutes he'd changed all the settings on the phone, he'd deleted all her contacts, photos, screensaver etc etc he wasn't going to bring the phone back.

When I got the phone back off him I told him that he's committed an act of theft and that I'd be reporting him to the Police and the Licensing officer on the Friday morning.

Before I pulled off I took £10 off him for the inconvenience of me having to get out of bed at 1.30am and bring my stepdaughter back down Mansfield to get her phone back.

Ever since he's been avoiding me for some strange reason.

I've got to the stage that if I know the person I wait till I see them again, or ask them to give it to another of our driver's, (esp. when it's busy). As for strangers, I've never had the notion of driving off with anything belonging to them. At the end of the day, it's just not worth it.

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My heart is heavy, but my consience clear,
I voted Yes, without any fear.

I had two unable to pay's over this weekend.

One worked out ok since we knew the person and family concerned.

The second lot I eventually told to eff off since they'd given me a load of old boll@#~s in the car and then tried to make out the cash machines I stopped at were all busted (I could see they weren't).

I admit I wasn't in the best of moods by that time (03:50 hrs) for various reasons many of which I'm sure you can all guess. And yes I had a vomitter, fortunately not projectile and she managed to get the bulk of it outside the car.

Long week personally and an interminable weekend workwise. Maybe I'm too old for this

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Trying to eat anything larger than your own head in one go may prove unwise.

So, the other alternative is 'money up front.'

Is it worth alienating an otherwise upstanding customer or is the economic situation such that everyone should be suspected?

YES, I would if I could. You dont get on a bus and pay after you get off do you! If you book a coach they want all monies up front[deposit then rest before traval date]. Taxis are the only transport I know of that charge after the journey has ended. You would never get a runner.

I understand what you are saying and I think it's a tad extreme asking for local work to be paid upfront. But what other transport allows free entry and requires payment only once the service is served, so to speak?

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IDFIMH

I think the only reason we don't charge up front is because generally we don't know how much it's going to be. It's not like buses, coaches & trains where they only go to specific places from A to B

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

One night last week I picked up a customer in the Gateshead area who wanted to go to Spennymoor.He explained that he had been in a taxi from Newcastle,his friend being dropped off in Gateshead. The taxi driver then asked for money up front or he was not taking him. The customer took offence at this and telephoned our company. He was a decent bloke and I took him to his destination. Result ; He will no longer be using Hackney Carriages and will be ringing us. Also the original driver lost out on a £40 fare.

They are also the only transport where the fare is not known until the journey has ended.

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Grandad,

I personally would not do a £40 job without the money up front unless the passenger was picked up from an address that I could go back to in the event of any problems.

He may well have been a decent bloke but its usually the ones that you don`t expect that cause problems.

I guess its the way that some people ask for the money up front rather than the fact that they have asked.

As for not knowing the fare until the journey has ended, I just ask for a postcode and my sat nav gives the distance which can be used to work out the fare pretty accurately.

does a 1 legged duck swim in circles?
is the pope a catholic?
do bears [edited by admin] in the woods?

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most