At least one Palmerston North taxi company is refusing to drive drunken women home and other city cabbies are anxious to safeguard their reputations following alleged sex attacks by drivers.
Carol Tahaafe - who manages one city cab company - said yesterday that her nine drivers had been told to take any drunken women who fell asleep or behaved "inappropriately" straight to the police station.
"We are not going to carry any drunk girls home on their own any more, for our own safety.
"We have to look after ourselves."
Three drivers are before the courts facing a variety of charges, including sexual violation, indecent assault and abduction.
Somali immigrant Sharif Sadiq Ali, 35, appeared in the district court early this month accused of the sexual violation, indecent assault and abduction of a 19-year-old woman on August 22.
Wearing a Palmerston North Taxis jacket, Ali appeared on September 2. He entered no plea, but managed to get bail and name suppression. Then he skipped the country.
Clive William Kennedy, 52, of Anytime Taxis, appeared in court last Friday charged with indecently assaulting a 25-year-old woman. He entered no plea and will return to court on October 8.
Michael John Smith, 50, is awaiting trial for the alleged August 2002 sexual violation of a drunken female passenger.
Ms Tahaafe said taxi drivers - particularly males - were "just scared". "It's just getting to be ridiculous. It's like there's going to be no male taxi drivers left soon."
Gold & Black Taxi manager Les Stringer said his drivers would ask female fares to sit in the back from now on.
He said he was not sure how to spot miscreant taxi drivers.
"You look at a person and you think, 'good as gold, no problems, no police history'. Then the next thing you hear ... "
Mr Stringer said there had been a few more people ringing to request female drivers, and a few ringing to see if it was safe to travel by taxi.
Detective Sergeant Brett Calkin, who is heading the inquiry into Ali, yesterday reminded people to keep the taxi driver threat in proportion.
A taxi home is still the safest way to travel at night, he said.
"If people are nervous about using a taxi at night, then sit in the back. Generally, the people who have been attacked have been sitting in the front seat," he said.
"[But] I would reiterate that 99 per cent of taxi drivers are good as gold, and trustworthy.
- NZPA
Nervous cabbies steer clear of drunk women
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