Taxi drivers in Chatham consider town centre boycott after youths jump on moving cars

A group of youths jumped onto moving taxi cabs in Chatham, Kent, prompting cab drivers to consider a boycott of the town centre. Police were called to the Waterfront Bus Station on Monday after drivers were assaulted, and officers imposed a dispersal order as part of the response. The disturbance occurred shortly after 7 p.m. on Sept. 22 as drivers reported attacks and interference with vehicles in the area around the Pentagon shopping centre and Waterfront Way.

Footage shared online shows youths dressed in all black clinging to a white car’s roof as it travels along a busy route near the Pentagon and Waterfront Way. The vehicle passes a line of large buses while bystanders react with screams or laughter. In the footage, a youth on the bonnet is seen losing his grip and briefly crawling along the road before his companion, who remains on the car, runs after it. The incident underscores the risk to drivers and their passengers, and the scene drew concern from witnesses who described it as alarming and bizarre. It is believed that one taxi driver was injured and taken to hospital during the episode. With the spate of similar incidents, cabbies in Chatham say they fear for their safety and the durability of their vehicles, potentially affecting service to the town centre.

Nigel Jackson, chairman of the Medway Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, called the wave of thuggery “very disturbing.” He said he had been made aware of four incidents and that police had been informed, urging authorities to review CCTV footage and bring those involved to account. “It’s very unfair. Our drivers already get abuse, especially racial abuse as well as physical abuse,” he said. “They are just doing their job. They have a duty of care to our customers to get them safely from A to B. If their vehicle is damaged, they are out of action, and this is their livelihood.”

A police spokesman said: “We were made aware of a disturbance near to Waterfront Bus Station in Chatham shortly after 7pm on Monday (September 22), where it is alleged that a group of teenagers were behaving in an antisocial manner and preventing taxis and buses from moving safely around the area. Two drivers were reportedly assaulted. Officers attended, and a dispersal order was put in place while enquiries into the incident are ongoing.” The police note that the investigation is continuing and that CCTV is being reviewed as part of standard procedures following reports of a spate of similar incidents.

The video and related reports have circulated widely online since they first appeared, prompting calls for safety measures and accountability for those involved. While investigators pursue leads and await further information, taxi drivers and local officials are weighing the best path forward to ensure safer operations in Chatham’s town centre.