LONDON

Sex attacks carried out by private hire and taxi drivers in London skyrocketed by more than 80 per cent in just a year. Transport for London (TfL) said 294 incidents were reported to police in 2018 – including 25 rapes and 269 other sexual offences, mostly consisting of groping incidents.

 Some 17 drivers were charged, including 15 private hire drivers, a taxi driver and an unlicensed driver, but there have only been six convictions in the 12 cases that have been through the courts. The figures represent an 81 per cent increase on 2017, when 162 offences were reported.


None of the drivers currently hold an operating licence. Journeys with private hire vehicles such as Uber must be pre-booked, whereas taxis – also known as black cabs – can be hailed in the street.

The Metropolitan Police and City of London Police data was published by TfL, which licenses taxi and private hire drivers in the capital. TfL said the rise was linked to new guidance issued to private hire operators in late 2017, which stressed the importance of reporting criminal conduct to police immediately. Its head of transport policing and community safety, Mandy McGregor, said: ‘We expect the highest standards of behaviour and any sexual behaviour by a licensed driver towards a passenger is completely unacceptable.

 ‘We would urge anyone who experiences this to report it immediately to TfL and the police so it can be taken seriously and investigated.’

 https://metro.co.uk