Yellow London Taxi will be discussing proper conduct with its drivers after one was fired for making an inappropriate comment to a passenger.
Company spokesman Kayoumars Alipoor says their 300 contract drivers will attend a general meeting next week to discuss company policy and proper conduct.
The cab company was thrust into the spotlight Sunday after a passenger in one of the company's cars claimed the driver said "rape should be legal" after seeing a woman in tight fitting clothing. The passenger, Benjamin Van Dorp, took to Facebook to complain about his experience. His post was shared hundreds of times.
After seeing the post, Alipoor says Yellow London Taxi immediately launched an investigation into the incident. The company reached out to Van Dorp, who was unavailable, and spoke to the driver.
"He admitted that he said it in a way that was a joke," says Alipoor. "We took action and we fired the guy. We don't tolerate this sort of thing, not even in a joke manner."
Van Dorp has since updated his original post to thank the company for taking a stand. He went on to say he means no personal harm to the driver and hopes those who know him will counsel him on the error of his ways.
Alipoor says when the company hires new people to drive for them, they are put through an intense six hour orientation session and given a driver handbook outlining the company's policies and procedures.
"This type of thing can happen to any organization but action has to be taken," says Alipoor. "We took the matter very, very seriously. We did our investigation, we dealt with the driver, he is no longer with us."
Screen capture from Facebook of Benjamin Van Dorp's complaint to Yellow London Taxi.
