Taxi chief stands by up-front fares proposal despite police concerns
A leading figure in Dundee's taxi industry has reiterated his support for proposals that would see passengers pay for their journey in advance.
- By Jonathan Watson
- Published in the Courier : 31.01.12
- Published online : 31.01.12 @ 04.05pm
Unite union taxi branch secretary Chris Elder believes paying up front for a taxi would be no different to paying for a trip on a bus.
His comments follow the presentation to Dundee City Council's licensing committee of a letter by Chief Superintendent Gavin Robertson of Tayside Police, who suggested proposals ''may create additional confrontation'' between passengers and taxi drivers (link).
Mr Elder said: ''Drivers have an idea when someone is not able to pay and I think in those cases they should be allowed to ask for a deposit.''
The Courier earlier reported that Mr Robertson highlighted a decrease in the number of complaints Tayside Police had received about the non-payment of taxi fares.
While Mr Elder acknowledges this, he believes the proposal to charge passengers before setting off is justified if drivers are to protect their livelihoods.
He continued: ''Mr Robertson said there was a drop in the number of people not paying their fare in the last year, but 45 cases is still a high number.''
Commenters on our website also suggested the number of complaints might be far short of the true number of incidents, with the time taken to report "runners" and the low chance of eventual prosecutions being given as reasons why they might go unreported.
Members of the city's licensing committee will meet on Thursday to discuss the proposed changes, although other options are set to be evaluated.
Asked about the possibility of drivers asking for deposits, committee convener Rod Wallace said: ''We will look at it on Thursday, but I think that it's something worthy of consideration.
''It has been a contentious subject, but the input from Tayside Police shows that the number of people not paying has actually decreased.''
08.37pm - 31.01.2012 Sceptical - Dundee, Scotland Report This
What's to stop unscrupulous drivers taking a payment, then putting the passenger out of the taxi for no reason? It's happened to me when, sober, I queried the route being taken. Thankfully, I hadn't pre-paid and was no worse off, but I know of others who have experienced the same.
12.26pm - 01.02.2012 Ill walk thanks! - Dundee, Scotland Report This
Had a bad experience with a taxi - coming home with 3 friends from a party (i was sober), the display showed £21 inc. extras when we stopped. The driver then switched off the display and asked for £28. I refused and gave him £21 and got out. Paying in advance will lead to more driver dishonesty!
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