A Hackney cab driver has opened up on the daily challenges he and his colleagues face after multiple incidents surrounding cabs.
Tony*, 41, became a taxi driver in 2016 after he found a typical nine-to-five job was not flexible enough for what he needed. Since getting behind the wheel Tony said he's had several issues with passengers, with the majority of them being in the evenings when people have had a drink.
The driver from Liverpool spoke to The ECHO after a video surfaced showing a woman shouting abuse at a taxi driver amid claims she had not paid a fare. The video was taken at the start of April at the Dawson Street taxi rank in the city centre.
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Tony said: "The woman didn't pay for a trip to Vauxhall and he had to go back to the house at least four times to get his money. Then when the woman came back to use the rank again she saw this driver and this was the abuse he received."
In the video, the woman calls the driver a "tight b*****d" before her friend pulls her away. Tony said this is one of many incidents that have happened over the last month.
He said: "The driver is in his 50s and is only doing his job and trying to make a living. It's worse when people are on the ale, they will be your best friend and then a switch will just go.
"Or when people get into the cab knowing full well they have no money, there's literally nothing we can do except for calling the police about it. People get in the cab knowing they are going to commit a crime and not pay for a service."
Over his six years behind the wheel, Tony said he has learnt how to deal with heated situations. He said: "When I was younger I would say things to people and get out of the cab, now I'm older and wiser I know to hold my tongue and not get out of the cab.
"I have a partner and we have a mortgage, and if I get out of the car and get into any kind of incident I could get my licence taken away and lose my living. I would just like to add that we are just like everyone else and we have a job to do we don’t need people coming on to our working and being nasty especially when we’re trying to load other passengers in."
*Name changed upon request
