Man defies police, taxi firm to pick people up from pub

Karl Anglem told TV3 he was always happy to offer friends a ride home from the pub. Photo / TV3

A Timaru man says he will continue to pick his mates up from the pub and drop them home - despite being forbidden to do so by police.

Karl Anglem said he was always happy to offer family and friends a ride home from the pub at night if they had had too much to drink, as he does not drink himself.

However, his do-gooder actions have landed him in hot water with a local taxi company which has reported him to police, claiming he is acting illegally.

Police have now issued Mr Anglem with an official notice which prevents him from operating an unlicensed transport service.

Timaru Taxis' chairman of directors Brian Christian said his drivers noticed Mr Anglem was picking people up on a "pretty regular basis" from Timaru nightclubs and pubs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for some time now.

"I don't work a lot of night shifts but when I did I monitored it myself. He would pick some people up, disappear to obviously deliver them somewhere, a quarter of an hour later he was back, and he would pick people up again and this went on and on from a couple of nightclubs in town.

"He's totally and utterly denying of course that he received any remuneration.

"Our main concern is the fact that it costs us a lot of money to own a taxi. How would people feel if he had an accident? Would he have public liability insurance - I think not.

"I don't mind people competing with us on a level playing field but when they don't have to do anything we have to do to comply, it grates on us a wee bit."
Mr Christian said he found it hard to believe Mr Anglem would be offering people rides for no reward.

"It's easy for him to deny, and hard for me to prove. I just can't imagine why the hell he would want to do it for nothing."

Despite Mr Christian's allegations, Mr Anglem vehemently denies he was accepting money from his passengers.

"I've been doing it for years, I don't drink so I just take the car to the pub."

He said when friends ask him for a ride home he is happy to lend a helping hand.

"I'm not getting money, that's the thing. They think I am getting money but I am not. No money at all. I'm just picking up friends, that's it.

"I'm still doing it - no one is going to stop me at all."