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A Dial-a-Cab driver - who we are not naming for reasons that will become
obvious - had a rather unwelcome 'fare' when waiting on the rank outside 65
Holborn Viaduct one evening last month.
He had parked on the rear of the rank, gone into number 65 to
tell security his passenger's name and went back to wait with his taxi. So
far, pretty much the same procedure as thousands of DaC drivers have done
over the many years we have serviced that particular account.
Three ladies approached him and asked if he was 'for hire' but
carried on walking when the driver politely told them that he was waiting
for somebody. Several minutes later, a man apparently looking for a cab came
up to the taxi and climbed straight into the passenger compartment.
"Victoria Station, please," he barked at the
driver.
"Sorry, I'm waiting for a passenger in that
building," replied the driver while mildly pointing in the
direction of 65, "you'll have to get another taxi." The
prospective passenger was having none of it...
"I'm not getting out driver, you have to take me.
You're waiting on a rank, so take me to Victoria, please..."
The driver showed his passenger the meter, which had already
reached £6 while waiting for his genuine client. It had no effect
whatsoever. The passenger told the driver that he could restart it and that
he was not leaving the cab.
The DaC driver then made a mistake - one that he now admits to
making. He got out of the drivers cabin and opened the passenger
door...
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DaC Driver Arrested for Waiting on Holborn Viaduct Rank
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Parking to call a passenger at Holborn Viaduct but no
police on this occasion
"Now please get out," he asked in a
slightly irritated, but still polite tone, "because my passenger
will be coming out shortly." But he wouldn't move, so the driver
grabbed his coat and gave a little guiding 'tug'.
The moment that the driver laid a finger on him, the
'passenger' pulled out his police warrant card and told the driver that he
was arresting him for assault. He took out his 'walkie-talkie' and within
two minutes three police squad cars had roared up to the rank virtually
surrounding the cab. Just then the passenger came down and was told that his
driver was being arrested!
They walked him to Snow Hill Police Station - it was hardly
worth driving - and for a few terrifying minutes the Dial-a-Cab driver, who
only minutes earlier had been sitting in his taxi just waiting for his
passenger, was thrown into the cells. A very short time later, he was taken
out and spoken to.
"To be honest," the driver said later, "I
can't even remember what they said to me. I was in a state of total shock.
So far as I can remember, I wasn't even given a verbal warning. Other than
the guy who arrested me, the others seemed quite pleasant - even a bit
embarrassed!"
"I really thought it was a bad dream," he said,
"I know that pulling his coat was a stupid thing to do, but I just
couldn't believe how stubborn this guy was - now I know why...!"
Whether the driver was being 'picked on' by this plain clothes
officer is irrelevant, picking your hands up to a passenger is asking for
trouble - hence the reason we are not revealing the driver's name. While the
law is not too clear on the subject of ranks, it appears that refusals while
sitting on a rank that has not been designated as a shelter rank, is a
Hackney Carriage offence and nothing to do with the police. Once the driver
touched the 'passenger' it then became a question of assault and that's when
he landed in trouble...
All Call Sign can advise is that you should be careful when
parked on a rank anywhere while waiting for your radio fare to come down.
Apparently the heating isn't too good in the cells...
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