A very good friend of mine and her teenage daughter a few years ago had ordered a taxi from a reputable taxi firm after a night out with friends only to find themselves victims of a barrage of sexual harassment from inappropriate touching without consent and verbal abuse of a sexual nature. Luckily in this instance it didn’t go any further, but that’s not always the case, far worst assaults of groping, rape (male and female) occur, but what responsibility are the people in the private hire industry taking to put a stop to this monstrous behaviour.
Not all atrocities can be stopped, we all know that, and it is a shame that we live in a world where this happens, but when you hear that firms don’t even initiate or interested in any form of training and awareness on the matter of sexual harassment and only focused on financial there comes a point where you must just draw the line.
The figures are for sexual offences committed by a licensed taxi or private hire driver and by ‘bogus’ drivers posing as taxi or private hire drivers against a fare-paying passenger that have taken place in London.
Sexual offences include offences such as rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault, exposure and administering a substance with the intent of engaging in non-consensual sexual activity. The figures are broken down into rape and ‘other sexual offences’ which are the MPS sub-categories for sexual offences. Most ‘other sexual offences’ are sexual assaults, which can include offences such as:
- Intentional sexual touching of another person without their consent
- A driver attempting to kiss or grope a passenger
- A driver grabbing a passenger’s hand to kiss it
Offences recorded by the police in 2019 that resulted in a charge are outlined in Table.
These figures were correct at the time of publication and may be subject to change. Taxi and Private Hire journey-related sexual offences data is updated and published annually.
2019 – Taxi and Private Hire journey-related sexual offences where a driver has been charged.
| Journey Type | Driver’s TfL licence status at time of offence | Total offences by driver and journey type | Rape | Other sexual offences | Court outcome |
| Not booked | Unlicensed driver | 2 | 2 | 0 | Awaiting trial |
| Not booked | Unlicensed driver | 2 | 1 | 1 | Convicted |
| Not booked | Licensed Private Hire driver | 1 | 1 | 0 | Awaiting trial |
| Booked via operator | Licensed Private Hire driver | 6 | 0 | 6 | Convicted |
| Booked via operator | Licensed Private Hire driver | 4 | 0 | 4 | Not guilty |
| Booked via operator | Licensed Private Hire driver | 5 | 0 | 5 | Awaiting trial |
| Taxi | Licensed Taxi driver | 1 | 0 | 1 | Not guilty |
| Totals | All | 21* | 4 | 17 | – |
*Involving 20 individual drivers https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/safety-and-security/security-on-the-network/tph-related-sexual-offences
A staggering 11% of taxi drivers in combined areas of London, Birmingham and Glasgow as sourced on the independent PH Statistics and TfL reported that their firm did not provide any form or adequate form of training and that unlicenced drivers overwhelmed areas especially through Uber in London.
Recorded crime figures for Taxi and Private Hire journey-related sexual offences 2002-2019
| Year | Rape | Other sexual offence | Total |
| 2019 | 26 | 209 | 235 |
We expect the highest standards of behaviour and any sexual behaviour by a licensed driver whether it be a male of female driver is absolutely and unconditionally unacceptable towards a passenger of any age, race, gender, or religion.
This all been said over the recent period we have seen a scary trend of an astonishing figure of only reported cases that a total of 294 sexual offence and allegations against taxi and private hire drivers in London in 2018 alone have been recorded. Statistic 81% increase reported increase between the years 2017 and 2018 reported but the industry yearly statistics, TFL, Metropolitan Police and City of London Police (CoLP).
Twenty-five of those cases were rapes, down from 34 in 2017. Other offences included intentional sexual touching of another person without their consent, a driver attempting to kiss or grope a passenger, and a driver grabbing a passenger’s hand to kiss it.
Transport for London (TfL) themselves said the increase in reports were “anticipated and welcome” after the government body issued guidance to all private hire operators in 2017, emphasising the importance of reporting criminal conduct to the police and broadening awareness of these key issues. But what are the individual drivers and the private hire firms doing about it?
The private hire industry would not exist if it wasn’t for the custom that is received from the public, and it is the duty of all firms to uphold impeccable standards and imbed assurance, safety from any nature of events that imped upon anyone’s person.
Safety as a Standard (SaaS) programme is an exceptional training tool for all people not only in the private hire but also the wider transport industry. So, what are the benefits to undertaking and being part of SaaS.
Firstly, crucial subjects like sexual harassment are detailed in depth to give anyone part of the program the tools and understanding of all concerning matters.
Secondly it educates the drivers of conduct of right and wrong and by the end of the course earn a recognised diploma that shows the firm and the public your commitment to these important issues of safety standard especially sexual harassment.
The firms themselves also benefit from showing the public you serve and all other private hire firms and businesses of your commitment to protect and stamp out any form of sexual harassment.
The SaaS course starts from only £1 a month and is a vital investment for anyone and any firm now and for the future, and from personal experience in seeing first-hand in the past the diabolical nature of people and how they operate, the time now is to STOP, educate and develop the private hire industry and the Safety as a Standard (SaaS) programme is the place to start for a brighter future ahead.
