Fearful South Lakeland driver won't take fares after 1am (From Lancaster And Morecambe Citizen)

Fearful South Lakeland driver won't take fares after 1am

8:10am Friday 19th June 2009

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A MINIBUS driver has put a stop to driving in the early hours because he claims he is getting physically and verbally abused.

Gordon Welsh, of Abfab, has been providing a minibus service in South Lakeland for the past three years after moving to the district for a ‘quieter’ life.

But he claims that in that time he has been made to feel very vulunerable while driving his 16-seater vehicle - and he believes that drunk women are his worst passengers.

Mr Welsh, of Crooklands, has now decided not to take any passengers after 1am because he claims that taking fares at 3am and 4am is putting his life at risk.

He said that drunk passengers have opened the back doors while he has been driving down the M6, have had fights in the back of his minibus and other ‘dangerous’ acts, which have put himself and other passengers at risk of injury.

He said last weekend a group of women became very abusive towards him and then started fighting between themselves in his vehicle.

He said the incident was the final icing on the cake.

He said: “ Drunk lads mess around but normally having a word with them sorts them out but with groups of drunk women it is a different kettle of fish and there seems to be no reasoning with them.

"They become very abusive but I am trying to drive. I have been verbally and physically threatened by drunk women in my minicab.”

He said that in stopping his service at 1am residents in the area will suffer because of the behaviour of the minority.

Mr Welsh, who moved to the area three years ago from the North East, said: “I have to stop because driving in the early hours is putting me in danger.

"I am just trying to run a business and earn some money.

"I have contemplated giving it up but I do not want to lose my livelihood because of a minority of people.”

Colin Haworth, a director at Princess of Kendal - a minibus, bus and coach company in the area - said the company had not experienced major problems with drunk fares.

He said: “In 14 years we have not had that much trouble at night but we do not do that many at night because it is harder and do more during the day.”

Tony Houlihan, licensing enforcement officer, said that South Lakeland District Council had not received reports from private or hackney taxi drivers about problematic drunken behaviour in the early hours.

He said concerns had not been raised and that no instances had been brought to light.

He added: “We have not received reports but undoubtedly it will happen sometimes but we have not heard reports of drivers stopping night work or winding hours down.”

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