A Paisley mum has welcomed the decision to revoke the licence of a taxi driver who turned up with an unidentified man in the passenger seat. Laura Hegart, 50, says she was left terrified by the incident, which happened after a night out with her 26-year-old daughter.
What happened on the night
Laura had enjoyed dinner and drinks with her daughter when she booked a Renfrewshire Cab to take them home from Whisky Joe's Bar at around 9pm on Tuesday, January 27. When the private hire taxi arrived, she noticed there were two men inside the vehicle.
At first assuming it might be for another customer, she rang the driver, who stepped out to confirm it was her booking. As she approached the car, she challenged the pair and was told by the passenger that he was 'training' the driver.
Refusing to move until licence plate was photographed
Speaking previously to Glasgow Live, Laura said: "I approached the car and opened the rear door and explained that there is never two males in any Renfrewshire cab. I was then told by the passenger 'I am trainer' to which I said absolutely not. I then informed them I would be calling the office."
She called Paisley Cabs and was told the driver would be signed off immediately. While on the phone, the two men began shouting at each other and tried to shut the door to leave. Laura refused to get out of the way until her daughter photographed their licence plate.
She added: "I'm scared that if it was just my daughter on her own she might not have questioned it. How many people would have challenged them if they had been out drinking. It felt sinister. When I got home, I was furious. It's absolutely terrifying."
Driver's licence revoked
Following the incident, Laura contacted Renfrewshire Cabs, who confirmed the driver was no longer employed by them. In a statement, the company said "Passenger safety is our absolute priority" and revealed the individual "was a newly registered driver" who joined shortly before the incident.
Laura escalated her complaint to Renfrewshire Council, and the driver had his licence revoked earlier this month. She expressed satisfaction with the outcome but admitted she was still 'furious' about what happened.
Laura said: "I'm very surprised that the council took his licence off of him. It's been a long process to get here. I don't understand why eight months to get here. But I'm not going to have anyone frighten my child. I am so sick and fed up of seeing women being unsafe taking these sort of taxis."
She added: "There was absolutely no reason for another man to have been there. My daughter hasn't got a taxi since the incident unless me or her father is with her. It was traumatising. She thought we were going to get attacked. There needs to be more checks on the people being issued these licences."
Renfrewshire Council was contacted for comment.
