WORLDWIDE TAXI FOCUS from Japan


POLICE ARREST TOKYO CABBIE AFTER RUNNING OVER A PIGEON


A Tokyo taxi driver was arrested for deliberately driving into a flock of pigeons and killing one, the police said on December 5, reportedly because he was angry that the birds were on the road. Atsushi Ozawa, 50, “used his car to kill a common pigeon, which is not a game animal” in November, and was arrested for violating wildlife protection laws, a Tokyo police spokesman said. Ozawa sped off from a traffic light when it turned green, ploughing his taxi into the bevy of birds at a speed of 60kmh, local media said. A shocked passer-by reported the incident. Tokyo police had a veterinarian perform a post-mortem and determined the pigeon’s cause of death was traumatic shock, according to local media. “Roads belong to humans, so the pigeons should have dodged out of the way,” Ozawa was quoted by local media as telling investigators. Police said nearby CCTV cameras and the taxi’s dashboard camera had captured the incident. Police added that Ozawa’s behaviour was “highly malicious” and as a professional driver, he should be held to a higher ethical standard on the road.


from France


FRENCH CABBIES BLOCK HIGHWAYS IN NATIONWIDE PROTESTS


Unionised taxi drivers blocked main roads in major cities across France on 11 December, taking ‘go-slow’ protests against the new Social Security Finance law and causing severe traffic disruptions. The cabbies organised the demonstrations against the new requirement to simultaneously transport several patients going to doctors and a special procedure for booking such trips. They blocked roads in Marseille, Toulouse, Lille, Bayonne, Lyon, Bordeaux and other cities. The reason for the protest relates to Article 30 of the


PHTM JANUARY 2024


new law where pat- ients wishing to reimburse part of the cost of a taxi ride to a doctor under the insurance will have to book a car through private internet plat- forms, which them- selves will determine an appropriate taxi firm and offer to make a joint trip with other patients. At the same time, the passenger will be reimbursed a smaller amount for the trip if he refuses to travel with another patient in the absence of an appropriate certificate and if symptoms of another passenger prevent them from being in the same car. Currently, the state insurance reimburses 55% of the cost of the trip. The purpose of the new measure is to reduce budget expenditure by “encouraging joint trips.” According to the government, joint trips have saved €34m in transportation costs in 2022. However, such trips accounted for only 15% of the total, which is why authorities are trying to expand this practice.


from Malaysia


MALAYSIAN CABBIE CHEATS DEATH AS SEAT BELT SAVES HIM FROM KNIFE


A PH driver cheated death when a robber’s knife was deflected by his seat belt.


The


driver, 65, was carrying a boy, 13, in the state of Kedah, north Malaysia. The two can be seen chatting in footage taken from inside the vehicle before the boy reaches over and pulls out a knife to take money the cabbie has drawn from his pocket for change. Fortunately, the knife struck the taxi driver’s seat belt and didn’t penetrate his skin. The cabbie can be seen struggling to fight off the assailant and biting him as the teenager tries to steal the money from his hand. The boy ran off but was located and arrested. A 25cm knife was recovered from the victim’s car.


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