Police were called to Otara's Preston Road late on Friday night after the attack on the driver. Photo/File
Police were called to Otara's Preston Road late on Friday night after the attack on the driver. Photo/File
Police are yet to make any arrests after a taxi driver was stabbed with a screwdriver in South Auckland.
The driver was attacked after dropping two people at a Preston Rd home in Ōtara at about 11.20pm on Friday night.
Initial indications were that one of the people went inside the home, while the other told the driver to get out of the car and stabbed him with what was believed to be a screwdriver, police said.
The driver then escaped on foot and called for help before being taken to Middlemore Hospital by ambulance with moderate injuries.
He had since been discharged, a Middlemore Hospital spokeswoman said on Saturday.
On Sunday, police said inquiries were ongoing as they were yet to make any arrest.
New Zealand Taxi Federation boss John Hart said he didn't know which company the attacked driver worked for but confirmed he was not an employee with one of the federation's member companies.
These included Alert Taxis, Corporate Cabs, Taxis United and Western Cabs.
He said there were many smaller companies and individual taxi drivers operating in Auckland nowadays.
Blue Bubble Taxis chief executive Bob Wilkinson also said he didn't know which company the driver worked for.
However, the incident has led taxi bosses to call for onboard camera laws to be tightened.
Hart said on Saturday, the Government "absolutely had to" reinstate the legal requirement for all small passenger licence holders to have onboard cameras.
"The last government removed the requirement for all cars transporting customers to have cameras, which has increased the risks for drivers and their passengers," he said.
"It also removed the requirement for duress alarms, which mean someone back at the call centre knew where to send help and could hear what was happening."
The law change followed a spate of attacks on taxi drivers, including the killing of Hiren Mohini, who was stabbed to death by a passenger in the Auckland suburb of Mt Eden.
Taxi driver Hiren Mohini was stabbed to death in his taxi on View Rd in Mt Eden. Photo/Natalie Slade
The cameras cost about $1000 each which were paid for by drivers or the employers.
Police would not comment on whether there was an onboard camera in the latest attack.
Last year, the Land Transport Amendment Bill brought taxis, shuttles, private hire vehicles such as Uber, and dial-a-driver services into a single category.
