Attacked Whangārei taxi driver speaks out

Whangārei taxi driver Salendra Chetty was threatened with a screwdriver and his vehicle driven off at night. Photo / Supplied

A Northland taxi driver feared he would be stabbed after one of two teenage passengers he went to pick up at night attacked him with a screwdriver and drove off in his vehicle.

The aggravated robbery has prompted the manager of A1 Cabs in Whangārei to question whether it was worth putting his drivers’ lives at risk— all for a few dollars— if attacks against them continued.

It was the first time A1 Cabs’ driver Salendra Chetty had been attacked since he started driving taxis on night shifts in Whangarei about three years ago.

On Wednesday morning, he was two hours away from finishing his shift when a fare was requested from Raurimu Ave in Onerahi, at about 4am.

When he arrived at the address, he said two males sitting in a bus shelter made their way towards his taxi. One person opened the back door and sat behind the driver while another initially opened the other back door before opening the front passenger’s door.

“He then pointed a screwdriver on my face and said for me to get out of the taxi. I thought he was joking. He repeated what he earlier said. I got out,” Chetty recalled.

“He then came towards the driver’s door and threw two or three punches at me, none of which landed as I moved back. He then jumped on my seat and drive off.”

His taxi was found in Ruakākā about 10am that day without any visible damage. Police yesterday confirmed arresting two teenagers aged 15 and 17 and both have been referred to Youth Aid.

“I thought they were going to stab me. I couldn’t react because one guy was sitting behind me so the best thing for me to do was to get out of the taxi. With a rise in violent crimes, I had to be worried,” Chetty said.

“Maybe they were from Ruakākā and needed transport to get home. I drive six days a week and have good customers but, as usual, a small number of people spoil it for others,” he said.

His boss and manager of A1 Cabs in Whangārei, Abid Latif, said attacks on his drivers were getting frequent. He too had been attacked at night not long ago.

During Easter last year, he suffered injuries to his hands after a male passenger threatened him with a pair of scissors in Kensington. Latif locked the passenger in the taxi and called 111. He was arrested at the scene.

“If we critically look at the direction we are going and the hardship we are facing, why should we even drive? The biggest fare in Whangarei is $25. Is it worth risking my life for a $25 fare?

“Harming a taxi driver or damaging a taxi is not going to take anybody anywhere ... it’s ridiculous. Luckily, we don’t keep cash in taxis. The guy who attacked me wanted the car for a joyride. The carjacking in Onerahi may have been carried out with a different motive. They could have said ‘Take us to Ruakākā’ then walk away anyway without paying.”

Latif said a lot of experienced taxi drivers in New Zealand as well as in Whangārei have left for Australia because there was not enough money in it.

“The vast majority of taxi drivers enjoy the company of locals. The drivers will be more vigilant. We are thinking about not having a single driver on the road at any one time.”