An American tourist said she was left terrified during her dream trip to London after three rickshaw drivers allegedly harassed her in what she believes was an organised attempt to steal her phone.
Heather Ford, 39, said she was ‘ambushed’ last Thursday while travelling in one of the pedal-powered passenger vehicles after watching Phantom of the Opera at His Majesty’s Theatre.
The mother-of-two had travelled from Tampa, Florida, on her first solo trip abroad. She said she had ‘planned it meticulously’, even purchasing a strap designed to prevent phone thieves from snatching her device.
However, Mrs Ford said warning signs appeared just moments after she agreed to take the five-minute journey to The Clermont Hotel by rickshaw.
Rickshaw drivers have become notorious in the capital for allegedly overcharging tourists by hundreds of pounds. Last year, one passenger was charged a staggering £450 for a journey lasting just seven minutes.
Mrs Ford told the Daily Mail: ‘I heard the driver speaking to someone on the phone and mentioning that he was heading to The Clermont. But when we reached the hotel and I pointed it out, he turned right, went past the train station and pulled onto a small pavement.
‘He stopped and said the fare was £52, even though the journey had taken barely five minutes. He demanded £40 in cash and said he wanted the remainder paid by card.
‘Then another man pulled up beside him on a bike and began asking for my phone so he could take pictures.
American tourist Heather Ford, 39, said three rickshaw drivers harassed her during her visit to London last week
Mrs Ford shared this image with the Daily Mail, taken moments before she says she was ‘ambushed’
The incident followed the rickshaw driver’s alleged decision to miss the turning for The Clermont Hotel, where the American was staying
‘A third man suddenly appeared and said: “Give me your phone, don’t you want memories?” The driver I had been travelling with then began making the same request.
‘When I refused to give them my phone, one of the men demanded my physical card so he could pay on my behalf. I refused again, and all three became increasingly irritated. “That’s how you need to do it,” they said.
‘I wasn’t going to accept that. I began shouting and threw a £10 note at the man who had picked me up. Then I sprinted away because it suddenly clicked that this was not normal. They were clearly trying to rob me.’
Mrs Ford ran back to her hotel, where a receptionist reportedly told her that rickshaw drivers regularly target tourists in the area around Charing Cross.
The American had flown from her home in Tampa, on Florida’s west coast, to Edinburgh earlier that week before travelling south to London.
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She had described the holiday as ‘years in the making’ and ‘the opportunity of a lifetime’, but said the nighttime ordeal left her anxious about being in London.
‘As soon as I got back to the hotel, I was literally shaking. I threw up in the bathroom,’ she said.
‘It was my first time travelling abroad alone. I had researched everything and felt fully prepared for the trip.
‘It made me feel extremely unsafe in London. The next morning, I was on edge and constantly alert when I left the hotel. I just wanted to get back to America.’
‘That holiday was supposed to be empowering for me, I’d been planning it for years, and I left feeling like I’d screwed up a bit. I really wasn’t doing well – but I had no idea that could happen on one of those rides.’
Mrs Ford is only the latest in a list of hundreds, even thousands, of tourists to have been ripped off by rogue drivers who have turned the streets of central London into the ‘Wild West’.
Mrs Ford said her ‘dream’ trip to London was ‘ruined’ by the ordeal
One official price list seen by the Daily Mail this week revealed that customers can expect to pay fees of up to £10 per person per minute for a rickshaw ride – meaning a 15-minute journey for one person would cost £150.
Only months ago, Mayor Sadiq Khan launched a crackdown on drivers in a bid to eliminate extortionate charges, traffic jams and anti-social behaviour.
Under rules introduced by Transport for London in February, riders now have to pay for a license, pass a safety test and hold at least a driving theory test certificate before charging for rides.
Fare caps will also be introduced at the end of this month, which will limit charges to a maximum base fare of up to £5, plus a per-minute rate of up to £1 per minute for the first passenger, so a five-minute trip for one would be priced at £10. A further £3 can be added to the charge for each additional passenger.
During his announcement of the clampdown, Sir Sadiq said: ‘After years of campaigning, I’m pleased that TfL will be regulating pedicabs across the capital to ensure they meet proper operational standards.
‘Pedicabs should be a fun way to explore London, but too often people face rip-off fares, blaring music and unsafe behaviour.
‘We’re bringing in these new rules so that both customers and drivers can benefit from an industry that is more safe, reliable and professional.
‘This will play an important role in supporting our vital night-time economy and enabling more people to enjoy all that our great city has to offer as we continue building a safer, fairer, greener London for everyone.’