Theft, abuse and violence: The scourge of nuisance behaviour and crimes against taxi drivers

Taxi drivers are reporting an increase in attacks, theft, passengers not paying fares, and damage to their vehicles.

Transcript

00:00Drivers being attacked, drivers being robbed, passengers doing runners, failing to pay the

00:06fares.

00:07So the level of abuse that drivers get, it's not something new.

00:12It is something that is very seriously underreported.

00:16Drivers have been stabbed in the eye and blinded for life by a stiletto.

00:20There was a driver in Glasgow who was stabbed 13 times and his ear was half sliced off.

00:25It isn't just abuse, it is physical violence.

00:29It is physical attacks and a lot of it can be racially motivated, a lot of it can be

00:36drink-induced, a lot of it can be drug-induced.

00:39Oddly enough, I've had conversations with police and with door staff in nightclubs as

00:45a driver and they've all said they could not do our job.

00:49Come and listen to some of the concerns.

00:51Come and get involved because there's a lot going on with the industry where we need the

00:56government's support.

00:57We need the government's help.