Delta are now charging customers upfront for fares above £20

You better not make a run for it lad


The Sefton taxi firm is changing its policy to tackle the problem of “runners” by introducing a new protocol where journeys costing £20 or above must be paid for beforehand.

This action has come as a consequence to an increasing number of customers refusing the pay after the journey.

The firm say that they have been left with no choice but to introduce the policy after the”mounting challenges posed by runners.”

A Delta spokesman said: “Drivers can estimate the fare in advance with a sat nav, smart phone or operator assistance and request payment before setting off. In doing so drivers can therefore weed out everyone who is unable or unwilling to pay for longer journeys.”

Once the journey is complete, any adjustments to the price of the fare will be made.

The spokesman continued: “To minimise the risk of customers taking offence, this is after all a major change for passengers, we have provided stickers for drivers to all display on their dashboards.”

Delta have given a number of reasons for the new £20 and above rule, firstly due to the increased number of runners and the fact the police cannot help as there are larger crimes to tackle.

Additionally, Delta’s compensation scheme was dropped after being too difficult to monitor and police.

“Whenever thieves walk away from journeys over £20 without paying it hits the driver hard. We don’t want to offset driver losses by charging honest customers more… so we tackle the problem head on” the spokesperson explains.

The firm also claim it is no different from paying upfront for other services such as the cinema, theatre, sporting events, night clubs, fast food, bar drinks and petrol, and it only applies to more expensive fares, leaving the vast majority of bookings unaffected.

Delta insists the cost of the fares remain the same, the only change being that some fares will have to be paid at the beginning of the journey as opposed to the end.