Taxi drivers share horror stories of racism and drunken abuse amid strike action

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Taxi drivers have spoken out about the horrific issues they face on a weekly basis including racism, aggressive drunks, passed out customers and vomit.

Cabbies shed light on the difficult and sometimes dangerous situations they are up against, which have left them feeling more vulnerable than ever before.Leeds drivers have been taking part in a 24-hour strike today (January 18), organised by organised by the Leeds Private Hire Drivers Organisation (LPHDO), in opposition to a Leeds City Council safeguarding policy.

They claim the Suitability and Convictions Policy, designed to “protect the public”, means a driver could lose their licence over “minor issues”.

Leeds Live met drivers during the 24-hour strike in Burley Road Car Park and asked them about the harrowing situations they’ve been in which made them feel vulnerable. “You don’t belong here, you’re not a Yorkshireman!” shouted one passenger to Zahid Mahmood last week, born and bred in Bradford, who’s been a cabbie for about 24 years.At the time, there were eight passengers in the car, and Zahid just wanted to concentrate on getting them “from A to B” without any further issues.“The abuse we take every night is unbelievable,” said Zahid, LPHDO Vice Chairman and father-of-four, who adds they also receive racist slurs on a regular basis.Zahid says the abusive behaviour is regular but “the worst thing is when they throw up in the car,” which leaves a driver is left with a dirty interior which means they can’t work for the rest of the night as they need to get it professionally cleaned.The father-of-four said this happened at least once a week, with many of the other drivers in attendance agreeing.Zahid went on to say: “Many times, we pick up customers that are drunk,