The boss of Bradford’s biggest private hire taxi firm has threatened to boycott an area of the city after a series of incidents in which drivers and vehicles were attacked by passengers.

Shahid Iqbal, of Girlington Private Hire, states that he is considering refusing to drop off or pick up non-regulars in the Lower Grange area after a string of serious unprovoked attacks on his drivers.

The latest incident involved a group of youngsters kicking in the headlights and smashing the wing-mirror of a vehicle, after trying to punch taxi driver Usman Khalid in the face.

Usman, who has been a taxi driver for fifteen years, believes that he would have been in serious danger had the youths managed to get back in the vehicle.

“Some of the youths left the taxi, and the others didn’t have any money and so had to run after them for the money. But then they came back, and they started attacking the vehicle. Luckily I closed my window. If I hadn’t, I think they would have done me some serious damage.”

But other victims of abuse in the area were not so lucky. Taxi driver Zaheer Iqbal had bricks put through his window and his tooth knocked out after a gang of five boys attacked him.  

He commented: “I have been attacked in that area twice now. I don’t like dropping of groups of people in that area anymore.”

Girlington Taxi’s has been a family business for thirty years, and their fleet of around 130 vehicles is responsible for the picking up and dropping off of passengers all across Bradford. Owner Shahid Iqbal says that for the moment the firm will at least be very cautious when accepting passengers travelling to Lower Grange late in the evening.

“I think that these people are drinking in the local area, or in the city centre of Bradford. We don’t mind regulars or the elderly, but we will be keeping an eye on everyone else travelling to the area. We will be very cautious about which fares we accept from now on.”

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