Make certain of being Taxiwise

Author: http://www.thecabby.co.uk/

The introduction of the London Congestion Charge may not have met with universal acclaim, and opinions are still divided on introducing it elsewhere in the UK, but the capital can claim some credit for a new initiative that should defiantly be spread far wider - the Taxiwise Scheme.

The dangers facing women using bogus minicabs and unlicensed private hire vehicles are unfortunately making the news more and more frequently. No national figures are available but in London alone at least one women is attacked every week by illegal minicab drivers and the police believe the true figure is much higher as many attacks go unreported.

Even if the figure of the regions is only comparable to London then it is frighteningly widespread. This is a nationwide problem with recent attacks reported by the local press in towns and cities throughout the UK.

For example in Grimsby a man claiming to be a taxi driver indecently assaulted a 17-year-old girl in the back of his car before taking her home. A women was sprayed in the face with a noxious substance as she tried to escape from a bogus minicab driver in Birmingham and a women was sexually assaulted in Wrexham after accepting a lift from a man posing as a taxi driver.

Taxiwise is a unique partnership between Transport for London (TfL), and the Metropolitan police. It has increased the number of dedicated officers available to enforce the law relating to taxis and minicabs.

Despite these increased measures, findings from a recent survey of Londoners out late in the west End worryingly show 50 per cent of respondents believed that minicabs were allowed to pick them up if approached in the street.

This is in fact illegal and you should never accept a ride with someone who "Touts" for your business.

Taxiwise believe that the figure in the regions could be even higher due to the fact that the instantly recognisable London taxi is a rarer sight.

Bogus drivers prey on the fact that many people don't know how to distinguish between a licensed and a non licensed vehicle and this is compounded at the end of the night out when they are more interested in getting home quickly than stopping to check what sort of vehicle they are getting into.