My friend was denied a taxi because she was having an anxiety attack

For some, going out on a Friday night is something to look forward to. Others may be indifferent, and others may be uncomfortable with even the thought of doing so.

My friend Sophie has always struggled with anxiety, a mental condition that affects 15 per cent of the UK’s population, but she tries her best to not let it control her. On Friday night, she decided to go out for a Development and Chemistry social, and to give it a go rather than ‘sitting it out’ as she usually does.

Having been at the Waterfront for a couple of hours, it all got a bit much towards the end of the night and we called a taxi to take us home. Sophie’s anxiety had become too great and she wanted to leave.

We thought a taxi would be the easiest and fastest option. Clearly, we were wrong.

The cab arrived and point blank refused to let her enter the vehicle. The driver, operating for one of Norwich’s largest taxi companies, immediately said “She’s absolutely wasted, I’m not having her be sick in my cab” as soon as he saw her. This took me by surprise and I explained on behalf of my friend that she was not drunk but suffering from an anxiety attack.

She was not even slightly drunk, but she was clearly in distress. She just wanted to get home, yet a barrier had been put up right in front of her.

“I don’t want her in my cab.”

Sophie, having heard the driver’s comments, had walked away as the event had escalated her anxiety. To have someone refuse to acknolwedge your distress and to suggest that she was spiralling out of control due to her own wrong-doing, drinking too much, was never going to help the situation.

Even having explained to the driver that she just needed to get home, he refused to let her into his taxi. I eventually told him to just go; he was clearly not going to change his mind and was content with being ridiculously unhelpful and stubborn.

Upon emailing the taxi office the next day, I was informed that all drivers were self-employed and have the right to refuse anyone a ride that they deem as a threat or that they feel uncomfortable with having in their vehicle. This would be understandable had she been “absolutely wasted” like the driver had incorrectly presumed, but she wasn’t. By categorising Sophie’s anxiety attack as a “threat” or something that made the driver “feel uncomfortable”, the driver was effectually blaming Sophie for her own distress and as a result further victimising someone who just needed a helping hand.

Their policy makes sense, and I understand that the company want to keep both their drivers and their vehicles safe — especially when operating at night. However, the vague and ambiguous response I received from the person I spoke to on Saturday morning wasn’t a good enough reason. Sophie wasn’t a threat. Their vague policy allowed a person experiencing extreme distress as a result of her mental illness to be left in an upsetting and compromising situation.

Nightclubs can be an overwhelming experience for some people. Demonstrating compassion and sympathy is not difficult

An alteration of company policy could be a way forward in reducing the chances of this sort of situation from occurring again. If not as a taxi driver, but as a compassionate human being, a quick question asking what is wrong and listening to the reply of the individual would be infinitely more beneficial that outrightly and defensively refusing to help. Mental health is an issue which should be acknolwedged and accommodated for in the same ways as physical disabilities.  It was the driver’s jumping to conclusions which escalated this situation, rather than his trying to protect himself or his car.

The night ended as well as it could with Sophie returning home on the last bus and she was back to her normal self the following day, but she was left upset by the actions of that one person.

I would urge anybody who finds themselves or their friends in such situations to make their voices heard – the more mental illness education and awareness there is, the better.