Campaign targets illegal minicabs

The campaign warns of the dangers of unlicensed drivers and the use of touts

A campaign to encourage women to avoid using unlicensed minicabs and not to accept journeys from touts, in the run up to Christmas, has begun in London.

TV, cinema and print advertisements warn it is against the law to get into a minicab if has not been pre-booked.

As well as being illegal it is "a threat to your personal safety," said London's mayor, Boris Johnson.

Police will also target known touting "hotspots" around London, as well as the minicab drivers who break the law.

Transport for London (TFL) has been running annual campaigns of this nature since 2002.

Citing figures supplied by the Metropolitan Police, it said in that time the number of minicab-related sexual offences against women had fallen from an average of 15 a month to eight.

'Real danger'

It is illegal for any minicab company or driver to tout for business on the street or to carry out a journey that has not been booked.

When a journey is arranged with a licensed driver, and vehicle, a record of that journey is kept for extra security, police said.

And Chief Superintendent Joe Royle of the Metropolitan Police added that minicab drivers who touted for business "pose a real danger to late-night travellers".

It is not the licensed minicabs - they pick up passengers who are pre-booked Mohammad Hashmi Knightsbridge Car Service Ltd

"Our Cab Enforcement Unit's dedicated anti-touting initiatives will help reduce crime in the run-up to Christmas," he added.

But one licensed operator said it was important to remember that legitimately-run minicab companies did not tout for business or begin journeys which had not been arranged in advance.

"It is not the licensed minicabs - they pick up passengers who are pre-booked," said Mohammad Hashmi, director of Knightsbridge Car Service Ltd, which operates the licensed company West One.

And he warned that "lots" of those behind the wheels of unlicensed minicab drivers did not have valid driving documents or insurance, increasing the risk for passengers.

Earlier this year London taxi driver John Worboys was jailed indefinitely for drugging and sexually assaulting female passengers in the back of his black cab.

At the time, however, Commander Mark Simmons of the Metropolitan Police said it was "highly unusual" for someone to abuse their position of trust in this way.