End of the road for fare-dodgers

TAXI drivers are to get extra help in the fight against fare-dodgers and abusive passengers.

Following consultation with Maidstone cab drivers, Kent Police has launched Cab Watch, a scheme to make reporting crime easier for drivers.They will now be able to report offences at surgeries held every Wednesday from noon-2pm, and every Saturday from 11am-3pm, at the taxi rank by the Town Hall in Maidstone High Street.

Cabbies will also be given stickers to display in their cabs, advising passengers to "behave, be fair, pay your fare."

Neighbourhood Watch liaison officer Lorraine Hemphrey, who is behind the scheme, said: "Taxi drivers in Maidstone play an essential role in getting the public from A to B safely.

"We will be making sure that any instances of people not acting appropriately are prosecuted. Similar schemes have been run in other areas of Kent and are very successful."
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/aroundkent/news.asp?village=16135&article_id=431088
Kent Messenger, 11 April 2008