A mother has welcomed the decision to strip a taxi driver of his licence after he arrived to collect her with a strange man in the front seat.
Laura Hegart, 50, had been out for dinner and shared drinks with her daughter, 26, when she ordered a taxi to take them home from Whisky Joe's Bar. The pair booked the private hire vehicle from Renfrewshire Cabs at around 9pm on Tuesday, January 27.
As the car appeared, Laura said she spotted two men inside. Initially thinking it may be for someone else, she phoned the driver, who got out to confirm it was hers. When she approached the vehicle, she confronted the pair and was told by the passenger that he was 'training' the driver.
Confrontation with the passenger
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 to report that two males were trying to pick up people, which she described as illegal and highly worrying. The office told her the driver would be signed off immediately and that this was not something allowed to happen. While she was on the phone, the two men began shouting at each other and tried to shut the door to leave.
"I refused to get out of the way until my daughter got a photo of their licence plate. 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," she added.
Company response and licence removal
Following the incident, Laura contacted Renfrewshire Cabs, who said the driver was no longer employed by the company. In a statement, they said "Passenger safety is our absolute priority" and that the individual "was a newly registered driver" who joined just before the incident.
Laura took her complaints to Renfrewshire Council, which she says removed the driver's licence earlier this month. Speaking to Glasgow Live, she said she was 'happy' with the result but still 'furious' over the incident that scared her and her daughter.
"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 said.
Ongoing concerns
"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," she continued.
Laura added: "There needs to be more checks on the people being issued these licences." Renfrewshire Council were approached for comment.
