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Birmingham Evening Mail
December 19, 2007, Wednesday
Worcestershire Edition
Cabbies to pick up from centre laybys;
BROMSGROVE: Move to help revellers get home quickly and safely
TAXIS are to be allowed to pick up passengers from two laybys in a Worcestershire town centre to help revellers home quickly and safely over Christmas.
Hackney carriage drivers in Bromsgrove will be able to pick up passengers in the layby outside the Golden Cross, in High Street, from 6pm onwards and the loading bay outside Neales Garage, Worcester Road, between 11pm and 4am.
Insp Dave Shaw, of Bromsgrove Police, said he hoped the changes would reduce the potential for trouble.
"Having people hanging around town after a night out adds to the potential for fights to break out," he said.
"Making it easier for people to catch licensed cabs after they have left pubs and clubs should reduce alcohol related problems, especially on weekends in the run-up to Christmas and over the festive period when people are more likely to have had too much to drink."
"Officers will also continue to flag down taxis and get them to take home people who have the potential to cause problems, hopefully nipping any trouble in the bud before it gets chance to develop."
Insp Shaw reminded people, especially lone women, never to get in unlicensed minicabs.
They should always look for the cab licence number, phone number printed on the side, and discs in the front and back window to ensure it is the cab they ordered.
They were advised to plan ahead about how to get home, keep taxi phone numbers handy, book in advance with a known firm and should try not to be overheard when ordering a cab.
When booking, they should ask for the colour and make of the vehicle and the driver's name, and when it arrives, ask the driver to confirm the booking details and check their ID.
Insp Shaw said: "Women often get into unlicensed minicabs because they see it as the lesser of two evils, compared to walking home alone and vulnerable late at night, but getting into an unlicensed taxi is equally dangerous."
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