Resolving student conflicts with taxi drivers is imperative
The problems that cross my radar concerning the student experience are many but there is one that would never have raised a blip on the screen when I was a student myself: taxis. We simply didn’t use them.
But you do, whether that is after a night out or hauling your belongings home at Christmas, taxis are imperative to your lifestyle. Unfortunately the relationship between students and drivers is often under question. And a recent complaint from a cab driver raised a number of issues. The problems arise on both sides.
On the one hand there are students who are sick in cabs, run off without paying or call several taxis at once and take the first that comes, leaving the others with no fare and a trek back to town. And on the other hand there are drivers who demand money way above any reasonable cost of cleaning a puked-over cab, are unpleasant to international students, make false accusations regarding student behaviour.
I’ve been talking to the Chair of the York Private Hire Association and it’s been a most constructive conversation. For a start, I’ve been able to ensure that a wrongful payment for cleaning a cab is not levied on a student who has already paid a reasonable amount to the driver. Once the drivers know that the students have a route into the University management to ensure that their misdoings are reported, I think we’ll see less of it.
remember this: drivers are self employed and use their own cars
But there is a flipside – students have to mend their ways too. If you think of throwing up, not paying or even ordering several cabs at once, remember this: drivers are self-employed and they use their own cars.
The money they take, the petrol they buy and the valeting they have to pay for is all their own. Twenty minutes lost waiting for you when you have already left in another car, or £50 spent on cleaning the seat, or a lost fare, is absolute money lost to them and it’s a form of stealing. Please think twice and don’t do it.
Since students rely upon taxis it is about time we resolved the tensions between the two parties. At the end of the day, the drivers rely on your custom and you rely on their services.
I will continue to talk to their Chair. Between us, we will get the best deal we can for York University students and construct a healthy relationship between students and drivers.
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