Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers urge police crackdown on 'runners'


Passengers doing ‘runners’ after taking a taxi ride have fuelled a fightback by Cambridge’s licensed drivers.

Hundreds of people have hired a taxi and then made off without paying after being driven to their destination, say taxi union leaders.

They are calling for a police crackdown on the problem after a News investigation uncovered a general increase in such offences.

In 2008, 41 ‘ride and run’ incidents were recorded by Cambridgeshire police, rising to 70 the following year and 60 last year, a Freedom of Information request by the News has revealed.

But taxi drivers say the true figure will be much higher, as many incidents are not reported.

Glenn Hall, chairman of Cambridge City Licensed Taxis, said: “We’ve always reckoned that about 40 per cent of these incidents are not reported to the police but they can make a big dent in our livelihoods.

“Until recently the police were saying it was a civil matter but it is in fact theft. It would be the same if you had a meal at a restaurant and didn’t have the means to pay. We would like the police to take this theft issue more seriously.”

He added: “It was this that stopped me from doing nights. I got tired of losing money from runners, as we call them in the trade. Often these things can lead to a driver being attacked.”

A police spokeswoman said: “We take all reports of ride-and-run seriously and will always attend incidents.

“Last month two people were charged in connection with ride-and-run incidents in the city and officers attended another incident where two women were made to pay for their fare after hiding from their driver.

“We actively encourage drivers to report these incidents and ensure they get as much information as possible from the customers to ensure we can trace suspects.”

She added: “To reduce the risk of such incidents we would advise taxi drivers to ensure the address they are being asked to drive to is genuine, ask to see money up front and get a phone number from the person using the taxi.”


source: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/

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