A young Wellington woman has spoken out about the terrifying morning a taxi driver took her to a park when she couldn't produce exact change.
Sam Heath, 20, was picked up from the Vivian St taxi stand at 2:20am on Tuesday.
"There was only one taxi at the taxi stand. He noticed me and called out. I thought he was just friendly."
But when they started driving, she claims the driver started touching her arm and asking "fairly personal" questions.
"He reached over me a few times and brushed across my chest area. That's when I thought okay, this is a bit weird."
When they arrived at Ms Heath's house, she offered a $50 note. But the driver became "frustrated" because he didn't have the correct change, she says.
"I pulled out all of my coins which came to about $8, and my fare was around $13."
The taxi driver then became "insistent" with Ms Heath that to make up the fare, she had to sit down and have a cigarette with him.
"I thought, okay, at least we are outside my house."
But she says the driver then pulled out of her driveway and drove around the corner to a nearby park.
"This is the point where I just about had a heart attack. I thought, 'Oh boy, I'm going to finish this as fast as possible and leave.'
"He gave me a hug which was unwanted, sat down on the park bench. He sat very close to me.
"He noticed my tattoos and used them as an excuse to keep touching me on my arms."
Ms Heath says in hindsight she shouldn't have gone for the cigarette with him, but in the moment felt pressured to.
"I felt obliged to stay because I couldn't pay the full fare, even though I had enough money so that wasn't really my fault.
"But I try my best not to piss people off."
Newshub contacted the company the driver works for earlier this week, but is yet to get a response.
Ms Heath spoke to the police the following morning. She says they did an "amazing job" in seeing things from her perspective.
"Police said they talked to [the driver] and he's maintaining he was just being nice."
While she doesn't blame the taxi company for what happened, she says other women have shared similar experiences.
After a friend posted the ordeal to Facebook on her behalf, "people came to her saying 'this isn't the first time'… Which made me think.
"I may have been smart enough to take down the taxi number and make a visual note of his details and go to the police.
"But if some young drunk teen got into that taxi it might have been a different situation.
"Take note of your surroundings and who you're talking to. And have the guts to realise no, this isn't right."
Newshub.
