Dad's anger as daughters are 'left stranded' by taxi

Dad's anger as daughters are 'left stranded' by taxi (BOLTON)
Wednesday 14th January 2009


AN angry dad has hit out at a taxi firm he claims left his two young daughters stranded in the rain and more than a mile from school.


Steven Hickman’s girls — Jessica, aged 11, and Holly, aged eight — are taken to school three mornings a week by Metro Cars in Tonge Moor, Bolton.

But he was left stunned when a driver refused to take them because they were “too young”, despite the girls being taken to school by the company every week for several months.

The girls had shut the front door of their home in Wasdale Avenue, Breightmet, when the taxi pulled up. But when it drove off, the sisters had no choice but to walk in the rain to St Brendan’s Primary School, in Brookfold Lane.

Now licensing chiefs at Bolton Council are investigating Mr Hickman’s complaint.

Single dad Mr Hickman, aged 44, said: “I am absolutely furious. The girls were locked out of the house, had very little credit on their phones and had no money on them, yet this driver just raced off as soon as he found out how young they were. They were really upset because they couldn’t get hold of me and had to walk all the way to school.”

Mr Hickman, who is a self-employed wheelie bin cleaner, says he has been using the services of Metro Cars for a number of years.

He has to leave for work early most days so has been sending the girls to school in a taxi for several months to make sure they get there safely.

He said: “I have spoken to the operator who said that it was up to the driver to make the decision. She also said that she had sent another car but my neighbour said that it was after 9am by the time it arrived.

“I am on first name terms with a couple of the people I book the girls’ taxis with but I will never be using them again.”

The council’s licensing manager, Andrew Fisher, said that a full investigation was under way.

He said: “We have been contacted by Mr Hickman and we will be investigating the complaint before deciding if any further action needs to be taken against the driver.

“Taxi companies can decide not to accept a particular job but it seems unusual, bearing in mind that the firm in question has picked these children up since October.”

Think of the excersise man. It's only just over a mile anyway, kids can walk that in only a few minutes. Call a taxi because we live in such a danderous world that kids can't walk a mile to School, what's the world coming to??