It is the latest in a number of incidents for Warrnambool Radio Taxis drivers who don’t feel safe going to work.

The Standard spoke to manager Andrew Watson and drivers Josh Knight and Ron Warren and two other drivers who wished to remain anonymous. 

They told of their fear as aggressive customers, many who are drug and alcohol-affected, have threatened to kill, stab and rape the drivers, who have also been punched in the face or to the back of their heads.

The most recent incident was early Sunday morning when Mr Watson refused to take two men through a fast food drive-through because it was a busy night.

“The bloke in the back lunged towards me and the guy in the front stopped him,” Mr Knight said. “I was just shaking and I had to stop work. It’s just scary.”

It comes after an incident earlier this month when a passenger accused Mr Knight of looking at his partner. “He threatened to kill me and put his hands around my throat. He said ‘I’ll stab you I’ll shoot you’.” 

Mr Knight took the next three days off and then worked two half shifts. “I was that stressed and I didn’t want to get back in the cab,” he said.

“The thing is you go to work and you’re supposed to feel safe. How many people have been assaulted in their job three times doing their job in two years?”

Another driver said he had been assaulted three times in two years, including a punch in the face. “It was so unexpected I couldn’t defend myself.” In another, a passenger verbally “abused me from the start to the finish, he said he was going to rape me”, he recalled, visibly upset. 

In another incident eight months ago he picked up a “severely” drug-affected passenger who was hallucinating. “He was yelling at me and seeing things, throwing himself from one side of the backseat to another and I was basically sh…..g myself the whole way because this guy was so unstable.”

When they arrived, the Cab Charge system went down momentarily and the passenger thought his card had been charged twice.

“He jumped out and tried to get in the front seat to belt me. He said ‘I’m going to f…... kill you, you ripped me off. I just took off. He chased me for 250 metres up the road yelling and screaming. You just don’t know what to expect. Even during the daytime you pick people up and they’re just as crazy.”

Some of the incidents have been reported to police. The drivers said often customers “want an argument or want to stir you up”. “They want to be heroes,” another driver said. “I’ve had a few occasions where you take them through a fast food drive-through and they pour their drinks over you. Twice now I’ve had Coke poured down my back or tipped over my head just because they’re with a couple of friends and they think it’s funny.” 

Mr Watson said the number of instances were dramatically increasing “and nothing is really happening in terms to curb it” for men who were “just trying to make a living”. They have had a passenger punch and dent their vehicle and cans and bottles thrown at the cars.

“It’s going to get to a point where no-one’s going to want to drive of an evening which puts the public at large in a hell of a position,” Mr Watson said. “I don’t blame these guys if they don’t want to drive because who wants to cop a beating?”

The men said their livelihood and physical and mental health was being compromised. “Ninety-nine per cent of people are good people. It’s just that one per cent who can upset you.”

13CABS Warrnambool director Rodney Woodbridge said they hadn’t had any trouble. “None of our drivers that I’ve heard have had any issues for quite a while but that could turn, tomorrow that might change,” Mr Woodbridge said.

“Our last real bad one was when a bloke was stabbed with a screwdriver which is going back but that bloke’s been to court and fined.”

Call to restore rank order

Safety concerns are prompting Warrnambool’s two taxi companies to call for a supervised rank to be reinstated. 

Warrnambool Radio Taxis driver Ron Warren says someone will be seriously hurt or killed if the Gilles Street rank remains unmanned on Saturday nights.

It is a year since Warrnambool City Council cut the $32,000 annual funding for late-night security guards, blaming state government rate capping for its demise. 

Prior to 2010-11, council and licencees shared the cost. Before the change, staff would supervise the rank, stop people from pushing in and other anti-social behaviour.

Warrnambool Radio Taxis director Andrew Watson said security was necessary to get revellers home safely and restore order. 

“It really has turned to hell and I really believe the cost of running that for the benefit of the public of Warrnambool is far more beneficial than the millions of dollars spent on the street (CBD renewal),” he said.

One driver said they locked their doors “to suss out” customers before picking them up because they didn’t feel safe. 

Driver Josh Knight said it was a challenging environment. “Everyone there wants to get into a cab, they push in front and then there’s arguments, they push each other,” he said. 

“When they jump in the cab they’re pissed off and take it out on us. When security was there they monitored it and they put people heading in the same direction in cabs which freed up the safe rank but now it’s just turned to s....”

13CABS Warrnambool director Rodney Woodbridge wants to see the return of security for the safety of drivers. He said both companies’ workers avoided the rank due to its lack of order, as did patrons who felt unsafe. He suggested ratepayers contribute to a 50 cent security levy: “Every household, every mother and father out there would be happy knowing their daughter or son is going to go out and is able to line up and there’s going to be security there.”

Warrnambool City Council corporate strategies director Peter Utri said funding security guards was “not considered a core part of council operations” and the suggested 50 cent levy wouldn’t be permitted under the Local Government Act.

He said the licensees were asked to reinstate their commitment to funding at the program’s closure but they declined. “Council and the Victorian Government (have) invested significant resources into creating a safer environment at the taxi rank,” he said. “The new taxi rank and toilets are brightly illuminated at night, there are CCTV cameras which allow police to monitor the area and the design of the taxi rank assists in creating a more orderly queue of taxi customers.”

Increased nightspot patrols set to begin

NIGHT shift patrols have been doubled by Warrnambool police this month with two divisional vans on duty after 11pm. 

Responding to Warrnambool Radio Taxis drivers who said there was a limited police presence since CCTV was introduced and security staff were removed, Senior Sergeant Shane Keogh said an extra van was operational seven days a week and provided back-up should there be two separate police call-outs.

“There might have been some issues prior to the start June where they (taxi drivers) might not have seen as many patrols down there because those nights were getting busier,” Senior Sergeant Keogh said.

“We’ve counteracted that by having that extra vehicle starting between 9pm and 11pm.”

He said assaults in the CBD had decreased since the CCTV was installed. 

“There has been an increase in assaults but not in the CBD area. It’s in the outer areas. If our taxi drivers are suffering assaults or abuse, by all means, come and report it. As far as we’re concerned the CCTV is working well. I do know council has committed to have security there during busy periods, like the May Races or New Year’s Eve, but I haven’t seen any other evidence that it’s not working.”

He said police conducted regular patrols: “After 11pm we’ve got two vans and a supervisor plus our traffic units. We’re in the CBD a hell of a lot on Friday and Saturday nights.” 

He said there would be an increased police presence on Friday and Saturday nights with a licencing unit visiting hotels and clubs from July. 

Senior Sergeant Keogh said police would be monitoring behavior around the 1.30am lock out, underage drinkers and intoxicated people on licenced premises and to ensure licencees “who are doing a great job” continued to adhere to liquor legislation and regulations.

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