The Prince Albert Police Service has been in contact with a Prince Albert taxi company after a woman posted a video of a driver harassing her during a ride.
In a press release on Tuesday, the PAPS said they were aware of the video, which was posted to the WTF Prince Albert Facebook page and has been shared by more than 500 people as of press time.
The PAPS said they received a third party complaint about the incident on Nov. 23, and have been in contact with the taxi company, as well as the woman who posted it. The matter is still under investigation.
In a 10-minute video posted at 5:35 p.m. on Nov. 21, a cab driver tells a female passenger to stop recording with her phone while she asks to be dropped off. The woman continues to ask the driver to drop her off, and tells the driver he is driving away from her destination.
The woman eventually tells the driver she wants to be dropped off “right here.” The driver says it’s “no problem, just want to delete that video.” The driver continues to insist the passenger delete the video, calling her “sister” multiple times, before he will drop her off while the woman asks him to pull over, saying she can “walk from here.”
The woman exists the taxi at around 5:50 into the video and appears to enter a second cab.
The driver of the second cab then tells the woman to “come to the front of the vehicle.” The woman then sits in the passenger seat, as the driver tells her not to cry and asks her where she wants to go.
The second driver again asks the woman to stop recording. She says she is taking it for her safety. Once they resume travelling, the driver says he thinks he knows the woman, saying “isn’t your name Kayleigh?” The woman denies that is her name.
The second driver also continues to ask the woman for her phone. He later asks her to stop recording because he is “cooperating” with her, and taking her to the correct destination. The driver also says it’s disrespectful to turn the phone one “for no reason.”
He later asks her to delete the video, asks her for her name, and pulls over. The woman gets out of the taxi and begins walking down the road before the video ends.
The woman who posted the video, Lily Christian, also wrote that one of the drivers “whipped his dick out and tried to make me touch it.” She also wrote that the driver kept taking the phone out of her hand and wouldn’t give it back.
Christian also wrote that the driver took her to the wrong destination.
The Daily Herald attempted to contact Christian, but did not receive a call by press time.
The post was viewed more than 87,000 times on Facebook and generated more than 300 comments. One commenter urged Christian to call the police and file a lawsuit against the cab company. Another female commentator advised girls to not take Ubers or cabs by themselves.
Christian identified the cab company as Checker Family in her Facebook post. In an email, Checker Family owner Pardeep Saggar wrote that they have seen the video, and one of the drivers has been “taken off the road.”
Saggar also wrote that all information, including “in car videos”, had been forwarded to police.
“All drivers have guidelines to transport passengers from point A to B in a manner so they feel safe and secure,” Saggar wrote. “I am sure police and (the) legal department will deal with this matter and bring justice.”
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
