Third of taxi users in Lancashire feel unsafe, study finds
'Only transport option'
The study saw 600 people taking part, with nearly half using taxis a few times a week, mainly in the evenings.Two thirds said they would feel safer if they could check the driver's licence number on a website.Professor Joanne Westwood, from the university's connect centre for international research on interpersonal violence and harm, ran the survey with Dr Helen Richardson Foster. Professor Westwood said: "To have a third of all participants state they felt unsafe is worrying because taxis are a key cog in our transport system and sometimes they are the only transport option for many people."What is also interesting is that Lancashire is populated with diverse communities with different ethnicities and who speak many languages, so it is unclear why this makes respondents, who came from a range of ethnic groups, feel unsafe.""We must ensure that no woman ever feels unheard, unsafe, or unwelcome in a space that should offer peace of mind," Shaz Malik, chair of the Chorley Taxi Association said.
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