You hear of cab drivers getting robbed. In fact, robbing cab drivers is the kind of stuff that legends, okay, stories are made from. If you live in New York or a major urban environment, you are reminded of the stickups cabbies face as they careen about town, struggling to make a buck. So for most of us we see cabbies more as the victims than the predators.
But now there is growing concern about passengers and the owners of the cabs they are climbing into. While airport drivers have undergone background checks and sexual offenders registry background searches, plain city cab drivers were not subjected to these searches in Arizona. Until now. Arizona Senate Bill 1375 mandates background checks for all taxi drivers. No, not taxi dancers…taxi drivers. The guy, usually the guy, anyway, who wheels you all over town while you prod him to speed up and advise him on the best routes he should take.
So, according to KPHO.com passengers will now feel that much safer, knowing their cabbie has been dutifully vetted for criminal background checks. Smart move on the part of Arizona.