ROSE Lane’s father fears for her safety and has repeatedly urged her to give up the job she loves.
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His pleas have fallen on deaf ears – until now.
The Warrnambool woman is the latest taxi driver victim of a terrifying attack while behind the wheel.
She was punched three times by an intoxicated passenger about 10pm last Wednesday night.
When Ms Lane arrived at the address the man asked to be taken, his friend vacated the vehicle.
“I looked over my shoulder and the next thing I know he sort of whacked me on the shoulder. He then hit me on the side of my head above my left ear. I was wearing glasses and they went flying,” she said.
The man punched her to the side of the head one more time before his friend interjected.
Ms Lane, 49, said she was lucky to escape with no bruising or broken skin.
“I was very lucky,” she said.
“It shows how volatile some situations can be.”
Ms Lane, who works for Warrnambool Radio Taxis and has been driving for 13 years, said the incident had left her wondering whether she should find another job.
“It really seriously makes me wonder if I should continue doing it,” she said. “My dad had told me ‘you need to find a new job’, but I love it.”
Ms Lane said the attack left her shaken and it was the worst thing that had happened to her as a taxi driver.
“It was pretty scary,” she said.
Ms Lane said barriers were often discussed as a safety option for drivers, but it saddens her that drivers had to consider this. “I think if we have to go to that extent, things are seriously wrong,” she said.
Less than a month ago, The Standard spoke to a number of taxi drivers who had been physically and verbally abused. 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.
Warrnambool Radio Taxis manager Andrew Watson told The Standard the number of incidents had increased in recent years.
“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?”
