Taxi Driver Online

Taxi ride trauma for trio of friends

Three women on a birthday night out have told how a taxi driver drove them back into Preston city centre in a row over a fare. Natalie Jaques, 20, of Ainslie Road, Fulwood, her housemate, Kayleigh Fisher, 21, and friend Sophie Wignall, 20, took a taxi home in the early hours of Sunday after celebrating a friend's birthday.

The girls took a Hackney cab from Church Street at about 3.20am, but an argument broke out with the driver when they complained he had taken a longer route. Natalie, an office worker, claims she paid the driver the £5.50 she usually pays, £1.30 less than the fare he wanted.

But the driver took the money and locked the doors before driving them back into the city. She said: "I told him to go down Friargate past Wilkinsons and up Plungington Road to Ainslie Road, but he drove us all the way down past the market and down Garstang Road. There is also a short cut to Ainslie Road which he ignored – it came to £6.80."

After the women refused to pay the extra fare, the cabbie locked the doors and began driving back to the city centre. Natalie said: "He went really fast and my friends were starting to get upset. I said I would pay the rest of the money if he stopped. "I was not sure where we were then we ended up in the middle of town – I rang the police while we were in the taxi."

The women arrived back on Church Street shortly after 3.40am and Natalie asked for her money back so they could get another taxi. She added: "I said I am not getting out until he gives me my money back. He said he would drive off somewhere. "I just wanted the money back to get another taxi home – one of my friends opened the door and he started revving the taxi."

Natalie says the women ended up calling Kayleigh's mother to ask her to pick them up. They took the taxi number and have since complained to Preston Council.

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IDFIMH

So these females, having done £100s (I suspect) on the night, want to have a rare up over £1.30p.

Driver did the right thing, take them back and let mum come pick them up.

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IDFIMH

Why I never stop for chavesses.

And never will.

I take it that you don't believe that the driver went the long way round then. Let us suppose that he did take the long way, are customers supposed to allow themselves to be literaly taken for a ride? Overcharging is a crime as well as not paying.

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Grandad,

He may well have taken a wrong turn, as do we all, but I doubt he would have taken them back into town over the sum of £1.30.

I suspect they gave him plenty of abuse, and he decided he wasn't going to take it.

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IDFIMH

Why didn't they just pay up, get a receipt and complain to the council on the Monday morning?

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

Because they were pi**ed and wanted a ruck.

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IDFIMH

How many members of the public know the correct way to complain?

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Grandad,

If he had simply take a wrong turn the surely it was his mistake and he should have made an adjustment to the fare.

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Grandad,

That is just an assumption on your part and is not neccesarily a fact.

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Grandad,

£6.80 at 3am doesnt go far.......

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

I don't know what the fares are in Preston but the distance is about 1.8 miles and on my meter would come to £5.30.

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Grandad,

If I get a woman who ratted I tell her to get in the back and go to sleep, I'll wake her when she gets home, they take no notice and just yack yack yack all the way home, what do you think about this Mr Taxi Driver? What do you think to that Mr Taxi Driver? Yes love no love 3 bags full love.

£8.00 to go 1 mile here

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

Your marriage is off to a flying start then

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