Glasgow, Scotland — Taxi driver Dalbir Singh made headlines last Friday after avoiding and refusing to stop by a wheelchair-bound woman.
The incident happened at Glasgow Central Station, where the woman was reportedly waiting at the front of the taxi queue. Eyewitnesses claimed she was calling to the cab driver, but instead of coming to her, he left the taxi rank and put on his hazard lights. He then proceeded to pick up a different passenger from further back in the queue and drove off.
The disabled woman had no choice but to wait at the queue again for another cab driver.
Several frustrated and disappointed onlookers went forward to report the incident to the City Council, describing Mr. Singh’s actions as “completely unacceptable”.
Licensing convener Alex Wilson said: “This, if true, makes for shocking reading, that you would leave a disabled passenger on the rank.”
Mr. Singh defends himself by insisting that he only positioned his vehicle forward to make room for the ramp. He claimed he even signaled the woman to move to a dropped section of kerb.
“The wheelchair lady didn’t come to me.” He insisted.
However, Mr. Wilson said: “You could have got out and said you needed to move forward.”
Mr. Singh adds that a different passenger suddenly hopped inside his cab. And when he turned around, the lady had already been picked up by another driver.
Despite his plea, the licensing committee has already ruled in favor of suspending his license for six weeks with immediate effect.
“One of my parents was in a wheelchair and the same thing happened,” Councillor Gary Gray stated. “To my 46 years today, I do not forget the upset my parent felt because of an ignorant taxi driver.”
