Hey everyone. I myself do not know your situations but I just found out that I have much influence in our area. I am the only taxi company in our county. I opened Yellow Cab here 8 months ago. Since then two major factors had me debating on whether to pull my company out. One was being threatened by someone I didnt know. I was in a petrol station and some guy I didnt know threatened me. I could have pulled out my tire iron, wrench or whatever we all call it, and beat this guy senseless. But, being in the public eye I thought it best to call the police. But when the police responded, the officer yelled at me. He told me to leave the guy alone. I told him I did not know the guy and never seen him before but since local businesses werent protected then I might as well stop working here. The following monday, I went to the police station and filed a written complaint against the officer. Since then the police have followed me just to insure my safety.
The second was on New Years Eve, three people were advertising in our local pub, as drivers for hire. When I caught them I told the pub owners that since they had drivers, Yellow Cab was not needed and I would never allow any of my cabs to respond to the pub again. I again went to the police station, and filed a complaint, and again the police responded, sitting outside the pub watching for the non insured and non business licenced drivers for hire, only to arrest MORE people for drunk driving. The pub apologised, and begged me to return and said they would never allow this again. I lost hundreds of quid that night and I again considered re locating to another city and never working in this city again. Our county is large enough to have a cab company but this city isnt enough to support a taxi alone. So the City Council, and the police are working to stop any problems that might make them lose their only taxi. I never dreamed 8 months ago that I would have this kind of influence, but I have an idea that might just prove useful to all of you.
What if ALL of you drivers, threatened a strike? Atleast come up with a safer solution to insure even a little more safety for you. Pepper spray is a huge seller here among drivers and we, unlike you can carry weapons. So if you all came together, threatened a strike, and held to it if the council or whoever regulates your jobs denied your requests, Your cities would be in total mayhem if you stopped driving even for just one day. Not that I am trying to insite riots or any trouble, but maybe it would be enough to keep you a little safer. Even if you cannot afford to lose a days pay, do it. Do it in writing, and gather enough signatures of drivers who would help you organise and support driver safety. Stand Up. Please excuse my language but screw the people who do not allow you to defend yourselves. If the government here outlawed guns, only outlaws would have guns.
If is a big word but what if? I am sorry I am not there. I am one pushy yank and I would take it to the highest authority and I would not stop until they decided to at least hear us out. I would start with one letter a day, and if that went ignored for a week then I would write two letters a day, and on and on until I wrote twenty letters a day. Then I would threaten strike, and I would strike. I know a little about the UK and I know enough that a lot of UK citizens do not own cars and a percentage of the non car owners rely on the public taxis. If those taxis werent available due to safety concerns I strongly believe that some one, somewhere in authority, would take a closer look and respond. Please be safe and you have my blessings. We CAN shoot someone here and not be charged, if we really believed our life was threatened. Even though we have crime, we also have morally thoughtful lawmen as well. If I was on the jury, I would find you innocent of any wrong doing if you killed someone trying to threaten your life because of a few measley quid. But again I am here and you have totally different laws. God Bless you all. Another law we do have, if there are four or more people, and they were going to attack us, we can legally kill one of them. If there are three, and we kill one, then we will be convicted of murder but as far as a taxi, it is your shop, you take in large amounts of money and you have every right to defend yourself within reason. 
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