A taxi driver writes
Sir: I write in response to an article by Marina Salandy Brown (Taxi! Police! Ambulance!' 7 July) and feel I must correct her at least on her criticism of the police and their alleged lack of support for her case.
When a complaint of any nature is made against a licensed taxi driver in London (unless the problem is considered of a serious nature, where a prosecution might be successfully concluded) it would always be forwarded to the Public Carriage Office which is just another department of the Assistant Commissioner of Police for the Metropolitan Police District. Within this body is a group of police officials entitled the Cab Enforcement Branch who handle all complaints.
Any complaint receives immediate attention by this experienced department, and woe betide any driver who is found guilty of an offence. First of all, investiga- tion has to take place to ascertain as much truth as possible of any allegation made either by the taxi driver or a member of the public.
For any London taxi driver to get in- volved in physical abuse against anyone, let alone a female, is out of order and every cab driver is aware that to get involved in such a manner could indeed lead to him appearing before the Assistant Commis- sioner, with his licence in jeopardy.
We have Miss Salandy Brown's story and the fact of the driver's guilt to the assault charge and a comparatively small fine which would indicate that the magis- trate did not believe this was a serious case.
I am puzzled by the run-up to the actual tussle. If Miss Salandy Brown was attemp- ting to turn left, how come she then overtook the cab on the offside to the point of overshooting her own turning? Did she first attempt to overtake on the nearside? Why did she leave her car to berate the driver? Is she a lady quick to lose her temper? She states that once before she was attacked by another motorist; was the other driver also at fault or does Miss Salandy Brown need to go back to driving school?
Miss Salandy Brown's further allegations against cabbies would indicate a strong bias against them. I can only repeat what I state quite often on behalf of my colleagues and of my 42 years as a London taxi driver — we carry some three million rides every week, 150 million a year, and the measure of complaints against our driving in com- parison with the amount of work we do is so insignificant as almost not to be worthy of mention.
Harry Feigen
Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association Limited, 9/11 Woodfield Road, London W9
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