Tony Pemberton, 29, threw himself from the vehicle while his girlfriend Sarah Perkins sitting behind him on theiy way home from a rugby match

A dad was killed after he jumped out of a taxi on a motorway after having an argument over a £70 fare.

Tony Pemberton and girlfriend Sarah Perkins were in the back of a cab on the way home from a rugby match when the dad-of-two flew into a rage.

He had started punching the ceiling of the taxi and kicking the seats before throwing himself out the vehicle travelling at 60mph.

Ms Perkins recalls how a few seconds after the building labourer had lost his temper, she felt 'cold fresh air' and realised that he wasn't sat beside her.

An inquest heard that he was hit by passing cars on the M4 and died from multiple injuries.

The pair had gone to watch a Wales v Australia rugby match at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

It was Tony's first time at the stadium and he was "excited" for the day.

Mr Pemberton, 29, who lived in Pyle, near Bridgend, had enjoyed a meal before the match and later drank lager, vodka and a Jagerbomb with his partner.

After the match the couple decided to get a taxi 26 miles to their local rugby club because the train queue was too long.

Miss Perkins said a £70 fare was agreed - and the taxi driver stopped for Mr Pemberton to get money at a petrol station.

But as they got onto the motorway Mr Pemberton became very angry with the taxi driver.

His girlfriend said: "The taxi driver said that the fare was changing and that he wanted more money. I think he said £80 and then he said £90.

"Tony was kicking the seats behind the driver. He was up and down.

"It was like a red mist. It was just a complete change in him.

"He was just angry. We couldn't get through to him. I've never seen him like that before.

"I was telling him to calm down. To sit down. I told him don't worry about the extra money. It doesn't matter.

"I tried to put my hands on his arm. He was hitting the roof with the side of his arm.

"He said he was going to walk, that he was getting out. It was as if he decided he decided he wasn't paying the taxi driver any more money and that was that."

The inquest in Pontypridd heard Miss Perkins had hold of her partner before he disappeared through the window of the cab.

She said: "I felt fresh air in the cab and there was a lot of noise. I had hold of his arm.

"He was moving around. I seemed to have lost my grip completely of him and he was gone. I couldn't understand where he had gone."

The inquest heard taxi driver Muhammed Jamil pulled over into the hard shoulder of the M4.

Giving evidence Mr Jamil said a £75 fare had been agreed but Mr Pemberton had only paid £70.

The taxi driver said he decided to take the couple without getting the further £5.

He said: "I never asked him for more money. Never on the way. Not at any time."

Witnesses described the moment they hit an object on the motorway before dozens of cars pulled over.

Driver Michael Smith said conditions were "drizzly and dark" before he hit an object in the road.

He said: "We thought it was a bit of wood at the start. Our heads hit the top of the van. Pretty much everyone was going over it."

The inquest heard Mr Smith pulled over and was approached by Miss Perkins who said: "Have you seen my boyfriend he's just jumped out of the taxi?"

The inquest heard Mr Pemberton died from multiple injuries on November 11 last year.

Police say the taxi window is likely to have come out in one piece as there was no glass inside the cab.

Assistant coroner David Regan recorded a narrative conclusion.

He said: "The deceased died when he fell from a taxi onto the M4 motorway in circumstances where his intentions were unclear."

After his death, his family said: "Tony was well loved by all of his family and friends. He was the father to two young girls whom he loved dearly.

"He was always the joker, high on life and there was never a dull moment when you were in his company. He will be sorely missed by his family and friends."

Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dad-two-killed-jumped-out-13274215

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An Uber passenger in India was forced to take the wheel earlier this month when his driver arrived to collect him from the airport three sheets to the wind.

According to posts on his Twitter account, Surya Oruganti had to drive himself home after his inebriated chauffeur was unable to keep his eyes open, Yahoo7 News reported.

Oruganti was picked up at Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore, but said the ride home “was not quite what I expected.” Posting on Twitter on September 9, the traveler said he had to push the driver into the passenger seat and drive the 20-mile homeward journey himself.

“The driver was drunk and drowsy. I had to pull the car over to the side and I drove all the way home.” He also said the man behind the wheel did not match the profile displayed on that app, raising more questions about who he was and why he was driving an Uber vehicle, let alone why he was so drunk while doing so.

Tagging the company in his tweet, Oruganti demanded they “fix this” and described the failure as a “serious safety issue.”

Indian news site The News Minute received a statement from Uber, which said the drunk driver—or whoever he was standing in for—had been removed from the company’s database of workers. A spokesperson went on to describe the bizarre journey as a “regrettable and concerning incident.”

“While we take all possible measures to ensure that drivers behind the wheel match the person shown on the app, in rare instances, when this doesn’t happen, we encourage riders to cancel their rides immediately and report the issue on the app,” the statement continued. “Upon learning about this incident, the driver profile was removed from the app and we are looking into the matter.”

Uber did not immediately respond to a Newsweek request for comment.

Though the ride-sharing service has become incredibly popular worldwide and arguably transformed personal transport, the professionalism of some drivers has concerned regulators and customers.

Sexual assault by drivers is a particularly troubling issue. According to a recent CNN investigation, at least 103 Uber drivers in the U.S. have faced accusations of sexual assault or abuse against passengers in the past four years.

Inadequate background checks on drivers were a sticking point for regulators in London, where Uber faced having its license revoked if it did not bring its processes up to standard. Though authorities have granted the ride-sharing giant a new short-term license to operate in the city, it must show continued efforts to adhere to regulations or face losing it once more, the BBC reported.

Source: https://www.newsweek.com/drinking-and-uber-driving-passenger-drives-own-cab-home-because-driver-too-1125629

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CCTV cameras may soon have to be fitted in every taxi in the city as the council floats the idea of making them compulsory.

With nine months of work already behind them, city council officers will continue to look at the idea before joining the likes of Hereford in adopting the mandatory camera policy.

But no decision should be expected soon as councillors voted to give more time to officers to draw up reports with further discussion expected sometime in the next year.

Currently, taxi drivers are not required to install cameras as mandatory but can do so if they want to. If the idea did come to fruition, every taxi in the city would be required to install CCTV cameras before they were handed a licence.

With nine months of work already behind them, city council officers will continue to look at the idea before joining the likes of Hereford in adopting the mandatory camera policy.

But no decision should be expected soon as councillors voted to give more time to officers to draw up reports with further discussion expected sometime in the next year.

Currently, taxi drivers are not required to install cameras as mandatory but can do so if they want to. If the idea did come to fruition, every taxi in the city would be required to install CCTV cameras before they were handed a licence.

Initial consultation by council officers found that taxi companies and drivers did not support the compulsory installation of CCTV – mainly because of the cost in purchasing, installing and maintaining the equipment.

The requirement to install CCTV in every taxi hopes to address three big issues – deterring passengers from making off without payment, preventing passengers from physically attacking taxi drivers and lastly to provide evidence when complaints are made against a taxi driver.

The debate over mandatory cameras was first proposed at a licensing and environment health committee meeting in January but further discussions and decisions were deferred until last week (September 10) so officers could cast a new eye over the idea following the GDPR overhaul in April – with particular attention paid to who would be allowed to store the footage.

Initial support for the cameras included Cllr Roger Knight, who said he was “very much in favour” both for the benefit of drivers and for passengers and looked forward to hearing the latest article.

“I hope it allows us to do what we should be doing,” he said.

"CCTV is nothing new. CCTV is everywhere. We look at it wrongly as an invasion of privacy rather than the protection of people."

The council has used an article by Kings Chambers barrister Ben Williams QC which has outlined a number of issues with GDPR and CCTV in taxis and is waiting for a follow-up article due to be published at the start of next year, as well as Local Government Association guidelines, before making any further decisions.

Source: https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/16885053.should-every-taxi-in-worcester-have-cctv-city-council-floats-idea-for-compulsory-cameras

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Kieran Boswell, of Portfield, Haverfordwest, appeared at Pembrokeshire magistrates court on Monday, September 17.

Boswell, 26, had previously pleaded guilty to driving without insurance, but attended the hearing to make a special reasons argument about why he should not be banned from the road.

The court heard that Boswell, who already had six points on his licence, was found to be driving a Seat Ibiza without insurance on City Road, Haverfordwest, at 9pm on May 11.

He stated he was unaware that his insurance had been cancelled on May 9, and immediately took out a new policy at the roadside.

Mike Kelleher, defending, told the court that Boswell was working as a delivery driver at the time, and was currently working as a taxi driver.

“He genuinely believed that the insurance policy was still in place.

“He is now a taxi driver, if he loses his licence he loses his job.”

Boswell told District Judge Martin Brown that he was the main breadwinner in his household, and he would struggle to pay rent if he lost his job.

Judge Brown said: “I accept that you were the victim of some misfortune in the policy being stopped, you are none-the-less responsible for making sure the vehicle is insured.”

He accepted Boswell’s exceptional hardship argument, and endorsed his licence with six points.

Boswell was fined £150 and ordered to pau £85 prosecution costs, plus a £30 surcharge.

Judge Brown added that Pembrokeshire County Council may ask to speak to Boswell, as it was unusual for a taxi driver to have 12 points on his licence.

“Twelve points will be very rare for a taxi driver to have on their licence and still be driving around.

“In keeping your licence here today, you may lose it elsewhere.”

Source: http://www.tivysideadvertiser.co.uk/news/pembrokeshire_news/16885518.taxi-driver-avoids-ban

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A taxi driver was left in a critical condition and his four passengers were seriously hurt after a crash with a 4x4 ambulance which was on an 999 call.

The crash happened at about 00:25 BST on the junction of Upper Nash and the A477 between Milton and Pemboke Dock, Pembrokeshire.

All five who were hurt, including two teenagers, were in the Skoda Octavia taxi and have been taken to hospital.

The ambulance had no patients on board and its driver was slightly hurt.

Dyfed-Powys Police said both vehicles were travelling in the same direction from Pembroke Dock towards Milton.

No arrests have been made.

Pembrokeshire councillor Paul Dowson, was first on the scene, arriving moments after the crash.

"It looked more or less like a head-on crash," he said.

"I couldn't believe there was anyone still alive. The front of the ambulance was smashed up.

"The ambulance driver crawled out of his car and tried to see to the driver of the taxi. He told me to get some gloves from the car.

"We had to climb through the back window of the taxi and I was hanging out of the back."

Mr Dowson, who had just finished working as a door supervisor at a wedding, said he and the ambulance driver attempted to help the injured passengers until the emergency services arrived.

He said the taxi driver had to be cut free from the wreckage and was taken to hospital as were the other passengers of the car.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45539813

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