5 Safe-Guarding Tips to Protect yourself when Riding in a Taxi

Peace of mind is what you most desire when you travel with a taxi firm, right? But sometimes you may find yourself uneasy with your chosen taxi driver and as-you-should - there’s always the concern of criminals posing as honest taxi drivers to take advantage of you financial or, at worst, physically. It’s a stain on our profession, so Ajax Chauffeurs and Taxis - the first-pick for airport transfers in Farncombe - feel obligated to caution and safeguard you as potential future clients on how to stay safe when hiring a cab.

1. Ensure you Plan your Journey

Make time to plan your journey ahead and be familiar with the most direct route that can be taken. This is to make sure you may instantly know if the driver is erring from the route expected. Also feel entitled to direct the driver. Whenever possible, ride with other - Women should as much as possible never ride alone and make sure to always have the means or knowledge on how to defend yourself, such as pepper spray or martial arts training.

2. Take note of reputable taxi companies.

Reputable taxi companies work to rules and regulations including safety measures for both the driver and the passenger. Companies like Ajax Cars are fully licensed and regulated by local authorities while all of our drivers are fully C.R.B. checked on a consistent basis to protect you and insure ourselves.

3. When Alone, Always take the backseat - also lock the doors and check the windows.

This is not a sign of disrespect but a precautionary measure. Lots of sexual assaults and kidnaps rely on being able to easily get a hold of you, and once the driver requests that you sit up front do not hesitate to sit at the backseat.

Do not also think to twice to hail another cab when this happens, as it is really strange and fishy once a driver requests his passenger to sit beside him. Do not also forget to lock the doors once you sit down. After locking the doors check again the doors if they are indeed locked from the outside, and check too if they can be indeed opened again after unlocking, as some vehicles have central locking. Also see if the windows are accessible and controllable from your side of the partition.

4. Remember the taxi vehicle’s coloor and plate number.

Whenever possible, take note of the number and color of the car. Get the number plate before you get in, as the information inside the cab might be different. Doing this is not just for safety purposes but for taking complaints. Log it on your cellphone and pass along the information to the police or your friends if a situation should arise. Always take note of your current location as the taxi number plate and colorr won’t help if your whereabouts are unknown.

5. Ask for ID.

When you feel something is wrong, do not hesitate to ask for identification from the driver. Taxi cab drivers should always carry with them a taxi license ID. Make sure the picture and the name match their driver’s license, and note their full names and taxi companies they belong to along with their appearance. Should the info not match, ask to be dropped off.

Just in case the driver ignores your request, consider escaping by force, with the last option being to step out of the moving cab, which is risky but it is better this way rather being at the drivers mercy. Make sure there are no oncoming cars, then jump clear, go with any roll whilst protecting your face. Once safe, ask for help and report the driver to the police!

Keywords

Taxi Waverley

Airport Transfers Farncombe

Summary

When you hire a cab service, you want to have the peace-of-mind to travel to your destination without concern. Whilst we at Ajax maintain a reputation of high-standards of customer service and only hire properly certified and background checked drivers, we know there are more shady and risky cab firms in operation. With these 5 Safe-guards, we hope to equip you on how to deal with them.