Woman raped after getting in a black cab in Manchester

marleyboy

Manchester: Taxis & Rental Cars

Taxis are available widely across the city centre, at transportation interchanges and throughout Manchester's suburbs. They provide a mostly quick, if a little expensive, method of getting around town when you're unsure of how to get to an attraction, a shop or museum.

The only cabs you should be flagging down on the street or boarding from a taxi rank are the famed Hackney carriages (usually black, with a distinctive body shape). Do not get into private hire vehicles, even if the driver okays it. They will be uninsured against any injury, loss or damage suffered during the journey.

Always look for the license plate below the vehicle's rear, or to the side of the front, registration plate. If the license is not present or is out-of-date, DO NOT get in.

The license plate will carry the metropolitan borough emblem, with validity details matching the vehicle. Once in the vehicle, look for the driver's personal license, usually displayed to the left of the steering wheel on the dashboard. Again, if it's out-of-date or not present, DO NOT allow the journey to continue.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g187069-s304/Manchester:United-Kingdom:Taxis.And.Rental.Cars.html

hollydays

thriftymanc wrote: »

Maybe it depends on where you're from, then. Where I grew up it was standard for the taxi driver to give your surname so you knew the taxi was yours. In Manchester it seems 50/50 whether they give your name, or ask you for it. I see what you mean though about being in a busy place, hadn't thought about that - in Manchester the only time I ever use a taxi at a busy place is at an actual taxi rank so you just jump in anyway (I mean a proper taxi rank not a random street before anyone says anything!). The instances I'm talking about is when it's been fairly quiet e.g. getting picked up from someone's house rather than outside a club or something. Some taxi companies don't have their names written clearly on hence wanting to check, as the subject of the thread indicates you can never be too careful.

I rarely use taxis but this thread has got me doing a bit of googling.

Once good piece of advice seems to be to ask the taxi company for the drivers name/colour/type of car/whether its black cab or private hire.

ALIBOBSY

I suppose I was lucky when I was younger and going out with the girls. We lived in a relatively small town and so the local cab firm were all guys most of us knew very well (many of them knew me or my dad or mum by name). They also had a wonderful lady driver who we could prebook ahead of time. Her co driver was a massive rottweiller who was gorgeous, but well trainer and guarded his mum well.

Best to book with a local well known firm like others have said, or get a lift off the parents.

ali x

Buttonmoons

Some of the taxi companys here (Aberdeen) text you the license/model/colour of your taxi, so you know it's yours, which is a really good idea

donquine

thriftymanc wrote: »

What gets me is that you prebook a taxi so you know you're getting a proper taxi with a record of you booking it - and it turns up, you ask who it's for, and the taxi driver says "no, you tell me your name so I know if I'm here to collect you". Erm? It doesn't work that way! The taxi driver is supposed to give my name so that I know they've come from the firm that I rang (if I tell them my name they could be any old perve saying "yeah sure that's who I'm here for"). It drives me crazy the number of taxi drivers who don't seem to grasp this concept. When they do this, I'd make them wait while I ring the number back and ask for the registration plate of the car that was sent for me. Some of the drivers get rude and drive off, which just makes me think they're either incredibly stupid or were definitely trying it on and I had a lucky escape. I don't use taxis anymore because I can't be bothered with the hassle.

I always give my name to the taxi driver, so they know that the cab is for me and not for the pushy idiot trying to jump into my pre-booked taxi. They then tell the pushy idiot to get lost and help me with my luggage.

The taxi firm I use either gives me an automated phone call or sends me a text with my taxi's make (means nothing to me!) and car registration (that helps).

I don't think getting a taxi from a taxi rank is any more safe than hailing a black cab. If you have a licenced cab, you just drive to a taxi rank and pull up there. Same driver.