I OWE YOU: ‘Pay later’ taxi fare option recommended to help young people travel safer at night

A 'pay later' taxi service has been proposed in Lincolnshire to help young people feel safer at night.

The recommendation was included in a Lincolnshire’s Youth Commission (LYC) report to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire (PCC) Marc Jones.

The LYC is a local group of 14-to-25-year-olds funded by the PCC which allows them to raise issues on policing and crime relevant to their age group.

One of the recommendations to Mr Jones was to create transport schemes that enable young people to get home safely at night. That includes the creation of discount or partnership schemes that allow a ‘pay later’ option for taxi services.

Other recommendations put forward in the review included improving street lighting across Lincolnshire and assess whether busy student locations could have streetlights on over-night. The introduction of ‘Night Cafes’ for young people to access that provide details on transport links, also creating a safe waiting spot.

There was also the recommendation of improved young person education on night-time safety and hand out free ‘drink toppers’ or ‘cup covers’ to use on nights out to protect drinks from spiking.

It is not known at this stage how the ‘pay later’ option for taxi services would operate and who would cover the liability of lost income should the customer not pay further down the line.