Taxi Driver Online :: View topic - Newcastle 'hero' driver helped protect vulnerable woman

Author:

StuartW [ Wed Oct 28, 2026 2:07 am ]

Post subject:

Re: Newcastle 'hero' driver helped protect vulnerable woman

Taxi Point wrote:

Local safeguarding advice also tells drivers refusing an intoxicated young person to alert the controller so that appropriate assistance can be sought and the refusal recorded.

Tons of questionable stuff in that piece, and this is just one example - where, precisely, is this 'local safeguarding advice' to be found?

I've no doubt advice like that exists, but if so, and if it's that important, why would the vast majority of drivers only know about it via an article on Taxi Point? :-s

Taxi Point wrote:

Once a journey begins, the driver and operator should know the destination and monitor significant changes. If danger develops, Departmental advice recommends remaining calm and, where possible, driving to a bright, busy location. Drivers should call 999 when immediate help is required and should not pursue a passenger over an unpaid fare.

Which 'departmental advice' where? #-o

Taxi Point wrote:

Good night-time service is not measured by accepting every person regardless of condition. It is measured by making a defensible safety decision, obtaining help when needed and ensuring that a vulnerable person safely gets between the venue door and the taxi rank.

So now I'm responsible for making sure a helpless and/or aggressive drunk thrown out of a pub or club gets to my taxi on the rank safely? ](*,)

Author:	StuartW [ Tue Oct 27, 2026 5:24 pm ]
Post subject:	Newcastle 'hero' driver helped protect vulnerable woman
Fair play to the guy, but this is some kind of 'award' based on some kind of promotional scheme organised by an insurance provider (Not that I'm cynical, or anything ) Newcastle 'hero' taxi driver helped protect vulnerable woman fearing her return home https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/no ... d-34823417 Lamin Saho has been named 'North East Taxi Hero' and has been nominated for a national award https://i2-prod.chroniclelive.co.uk/art ... SAHO01.jpg When a distressed female passenger climbed into a taxi fearing her return home, this caring cabbie felt compelled to help. Lamin Saho put his work aside to ensure the woman was safe and supported by people who could protect her. And now the Newcastle-based driver has been nominated for a national award after being named 'North East Taxi Hero' by UK taxi insurance company, Acorn Insurance. "As a taxi driver, you meet all sorts of people, and sometimes you realise that someone needs a bit more than just a lift from one place to another", said Lamin, who has been a taxi driver for ten years. He was working during the night when the vulnerable passenger got into his taxi to be taken to a home where she didn't feel safe. With no charge on her phone and no way to contact others, Lamin charged the lady's phone and encouraged her to contact her teenage son. Once they were back in touch and her son was on his way home, the woman eventually felt safe enough to return to the property. Concerned for the passenger's welfare, Lamin also contacted the emergency services to report what had happened. Lamin added: "I've always tried to make people feel comfortable and safe in my taxi, and on that particular night I just wanted to make sure my passenger was safe and away from harm’s way. I never expected any recognition for it, so this award means a great deal." As well as his actions that night, nominators also highlighted Lamin's everyday approach to passengers, making an effort to create a welcoming and reassuring environment where people feel comfortable talking about their lives and concerns. After being named the North East regional winner of the Acorn Taxi Hero Award, Lamin will be competing against over 1,700 nominees for the national award, which celebrates the unsung heroes of Britain’s taxi industry. The winners were selected by a judging panel drawn from the taxi and insurance sectors. Lamin will receive a £100 Amazon gift card and is in the running for the national title, with the overall winner set to receive a £1,000 Amazon gift card and the inaugural Britain’s Taxi Hero trophy. "It's wonderful to see the work taxi drivers do being celebrated, and I’m looking forward to finding out who will be crowned Britain’s Taxi Hero," said Lamin. Ash Coakley, Head of Taxi Insurance at Acorn Group, said: "Taxi drivers encounter people from every walk of life, often at moments when a little kindness, understanding or reassurance can make an enormous difference. Lamin's story is particularly moving. "Faced with a passenger in genuine distress, he recognised that she needed more than a journey home. He showed patience, compassion and real concern for her safety, taking the time to help her through a very difficult situation. "It's an extraordinary example of how taxi drivers look out for the people in their communities, often without expecting anything in return. Lamin is a hugely deserving of the award, and we’re delighted to recognise what he did." The national winner will be announced on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.

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Author:	Sussex [ Tue Oct 27, 2026 5:50 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Newcastle 'hero' driver helped protect vulnerable woman
10 out of 10 for the fella. Clearly, he didn't read the article in which a driver who did likewise was falsely accused of sexually assaulting the so-called lady in distress.

Author:	StuartW [ Wed Oct 28, 2026 2:06 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Newcastle 'hero' driver helped protect vulnerable woman
Indeed, Sussex. And couldn't help thinking about this recent piece from Taxi Point, which I was swithering about whether and where to post it. But the article above and the earlier stuff you mention come to mind with regard to this. But this smacks of the usual official buck-passing, blame-shifting and gaslighting about a lot of this kind of stuff, as opposed to a maybe more realistic take from the drivers' perspective. And perhaps also indicates some of the reasons I'm not on the ranks anymore when the worst of the pubs and clubs chuck out. (Quite apart from the fact that it all happens two hours later every night as compared to when I started in the trade ). But, in a nutshell, it's all reminiscent of the official view that you're expected to do stuff that might put you at risk of a false accusation or you'll get the blame if something happens to the individual concerned. And it's not just the 'vulnerable girls and women' sort of stuff, but also the likes of the North Wales Coroner thing as well And all the 'safeguarding', 'bystander' stuff etc. And naloxone training... Refusing an unsafe taxi passenger should not mean abandoning a vulnerable person https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/refus ... ble-person The Saturday-night passenger is unsteady, confused and barely responding. This is no longer a debate about whether the driver wants vomit on the seats. Taxi and private hire drivers work alone, often with people who have been drinking. Department for Transport (DfT) safety guidance recognises the higher risk of violence at night and says a driver can refuse a passenger they believe may present a risk. That right protects the driver, but it does not make every roadside refusal a complete response, particularly when the person appears unable to look after themselves. Intoxication can make a passenger vulnerable to injury, exploitation, exposure or a medical emergency. It can also be difficult to distinguish alcohol from drugs, medication, a head injury, diabetes or another health condition. The decision should therefore focus on observable behaviour and safety. Can the passenger communicate? Can they remain conscious? Are they breathing normally? Can they enter, sit in and leave the vehicle without creating a serious risk? Government clinical guidance lists confusion, vomiting, seizures, slow breathing, pale or bluish skin, cold or clammy skin and unconsciousness among the signs of alcohol poisoning. Suspected alcohol poisoning is a medical emergency requiring an ambulance. A taxi is not a substitute for emergency care and it’s worth noting that driving an unconscious or seriously unwell person to an address supplied by somebody else can leave them without assessment and without anyone capable of monitoring them. Government guidance says a person with suspected alcohol poisoning should not be left alone. If unconscious but breathing, they should be placed in the recovery position and monitored while help arrives. NHS advice says to call 999 where somebody has lost consciousness, stopped breathing, has severe breathing difficulty or suffers a seizure. Drivers should follow the call handler’s instructions and stay within the limits of their first-aid knowledge. They should not attempt to make the person vomit. Where there is no medical emergency but the driver considers the passenger unsafe to carry, the refusal should be calm and specific. Involving door staff, venue security, police, an ambulance or a responsible companion may prevent the person simply being left alone at the kerb. Government taxi and private hire guidance recommends contacting the controller and using established communications where risks arise. Local safeguarding advice also tells drivers refusing an intoxicated young person to alert the controller so that appropriate assistance can be sought and the refusal recorded. Operators should not pressure a driver to accept a passenger whose conduct creates a credible threat merely because the booking has been prepaid. Equally, “too drunk” should not become an unexplained cancellation code that closes the incident without checking welfare. A useful record describes facts rather than labels. It might note that the passenger could not stay awake, repeatedly fell, threatened the driver or was vomiting. The time, location, booking details and people notified should also be retained. Care is required where disability or medication may explain the passenger’s presentation. Taxi and PHV services must not refuse somebody because of disability, and drivers have statutory duties to provide reasonable mobility assistance. The Equality Act nevertheless preserves a lawful refusal where it would otherwise be lawful to refuse the person. The practical answer is not to diagnose the passenger at the vehicle door. It is to avoid assumptions, ask straightforward questions where possible and respond to the actual safety and medical signs. Once a journey begins, the driver and operator should know the destination and monitor significant changes. If danger develops, Departmental advice recommends remaining calm and, where possible, driving to a bright, busy location. Drivers should call 999 when immediate help is required and should not pursue a passenger over an unpaid fare. Good night-time service is not measured by accepting every person regardless of condition. It is measured by making a defensible safety decision, obtaining help when needed and ensuring that a vulnerable person safely gets between the venue door and the taxi rank.

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