Leam taxis NOT driving you round the bend?
**Two weeks ago now, after attending the first ‘Notorious’ of Term 2, a friend and I stumbled out of Evolve at around 1.30am, intoxicated, sleepy, and well and truly ready for bed. Our house on Dale Street is just a ten minute walk away, but it was dark and late, and as two, far-from-sober and arguably underdressed girls, we were aware of our vulnerability. **
A row of taxis lined Spencer Street, so we decided to put our safety before a Viallis and spend the remaining cash we had on a lift home. Unfortunately, we found that this was not possible.
Absurdly, all seven taxis that we asked refused to give us a lift, on the grounds that our house was ‘too close’ and hence not worth their time when there was potential that students wanting a lift back to campus would require their services. They believed that, by taking us home, they might miss out on these valuable customers and therefore make £5-£7 instead of £25. Perhaps you can understand their rationale, but were there queues of students lining up to get back to campus? No: it was over an hour before Evolve shut, and we were the only students in sight.
Were we willing to pay up to £10 for a two minute journey home? Yes. Could the taxi drop us home and get back in time to take students back to campus, when they began to filter out later in the night? Absolutely.
{{ quote It seems that it is common practice amongst the majority of taxi drivers to refuse people lifts if they live too close by, however late the hour }}
An annoying incident, but probably a one-off, you might assume. Unfortunately not: many of my friends living in Leamington have also recently experienced the same situation, and it was not the first time that it has happened to me. It seems that it is common practice amongst the majority of taxi drivers to refuse people lifts if they live too close by, however late the hour. I find this extremely problematic on numerous levels.
Firstly, refusing students lifts subjects us to obvious danger. The _Boar_ has reported several cases of Warwick students who have been subject to sexual assault, mugging, hospitalisation and severe psychological trauma after being attacked on their way home from nights out. It is notable that one Leamington taxi driver is heading a campaign to turn the Leamington street lights back on, in particular to improve public safety. Unfortunately, it seems that this good example has not inspired other taxi drivers to support student safety by giving people lifts regardless of the distance of their destination.
My second issue concerns the rationality of their decision to refuse us lifts. A taxi from Dale Street to Spencer Street costs between £5 and £7 for a two-minute journey, which many would argue is a rip-off. However, as lazy students not wanting to walk down to Evolve in the cold weather, we willingly pay and the taxi companies make a substantial profit. I therefore find the taxi drivers’ decision to choose to wait around for another hour for freshers wanting to return to campus, over dropping Leamington students home in five minutes, earning a substantial amount and returning to wait for campus students, quite inconceivable. The situation can only be explained by group processes like conformity and informational social influence: in that the taxi drivers’ see other cabs refusing Leamington students lifts and therefore believe such an act is appropriate in the social context, despite it not making sense rationally.
As well as putting students in danger and hindering their money-making opportunities, fundamentally by refusing to give paying customers lifts, the taxis are providing a disservice to the community. We rely on cabs to give us lifts to make our lives safer and easier – so what’s the point in them if one cannot get a lift? It’s really not good enough.
> The Boar contacted taxi firms in Leamington and were told that this was not something their companies would do themselves, however they will speak to their drivers about it.
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