A taxi driver in Cork has opened up about an incident which has left him afraid to go to work.
Junaid Ayub is calling for more protection for taxi drivers, after a recent incident during which he was "battered" by a passenger who refused to pay their fare.
The passenger reportedly "punched and slapped" the driver while he was dropping them home, CorkBeo reports.
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A Pakistan native who has been living and working in Ireland for the past 15 years, Junaid said that he had started driving to a nearby Garda station to look for help after the passenger refused to pay their full fare and started repeatedly hitting him.
Speaking to the 96FM Opinion Line with PJ Coogan on Tuesday morning, Ayud opened up about the experience, adding that things could have been a lot worse if he hadn't been able to flag down another driver for help.
Thankfully, Ayub was able to hold up his arm to block a barrage of punches from the passenger before he eventually managed to beep his horn enough times for another taxi to pull over for assistance.
The cab driver explained: "I was just taking a man home, he handed me €20 while I was driving and I saw he had more money. I figured the remaining amount of the fare could be sorted when I finished dropping him off.
"When the drive finished it came to €37. I told him he owed me €17 more but he refused straight away, saying he didn't have the money. I told him I didn't want to argue and that we could sort it out at the Garda station.
"When I left the estate he said he wanted his €20 back. Then he just punched me, slapped me - I was bleeding straight away."
Ayub said that he is now afraid to do his job, adding that he is very cautious regarding which passengers he picks up since the incident.
"My doors are locked when I’m going through the city. I’m not picking up anyone until I talk to them and make sure they look okay.
"When I feel safe, then I unlock the door. I haven't been picking up people who are alone, or anyone who looks too drunk."
Bobby Lynch, who has been working in the area for decades and is a member of the Cork Taxi Council, commented: "Incidents like these aren't uncommon but they're happening, and they're happening too often. A lot of drivers aren’t reporting it cause there’s nothing being done about it.
"I’m telling drivers out there now to report everything and to be careful out there. What happened to that chap is an absolute disgrace."
Gardaí are investigating the incident.
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