Council officials say the unacceptable practice of ‘cherry picking’ usually happens late at night and into the early morning, and is on the rise in Gwynedd.

With many people out and about during the festive season, it is important that everyone has access to a reliable taxi service to get them home safely.

Council officials say the unacceptable practice of ‘cherry picking’ usually happens late at night and into the early morning, and is on the rise in Gwynedd.

This illegal practice of refusing to take short journeys occurs in the hope that the next customer in line will require a longer journey, which puts people wishing to take a short journey home, especially women who are by themselves, in a vulnerable and dangerous position.

If the taxi light is on, a driver is not allowed, by law, to refuse service, even if the customer is only taking a very short journey.

Councillor Dafydd Meurig, Gwynedd Council’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “It’s important to emphasise that the vast majority of taxi drivers in Gwynedd act in an honourable way and follow the rules, but there are a small number who ignore them in the hope of landing a bigger fare.

"Taxi drivers who ‘cherry-pick’ passengers in an attempt to land bigger fares face having their licences revoked. That’s the message we as a Council are sending out.

"This decision comes as a result of having received numerous complaints from members of the public who are being refused short journeys in some areas of the county.

“Only a minority of taxi drivers in Gwynedd ‘cherry pick’ customers, giving the taxi industry a bad name. This illegal practice not only endangers the safety of customers but also undermines the efforts of private hire and taxi drivers who work hard and operate within the law to deliver a high-quality service in Gwynedd."