Police were called at 8:50 a.m. yesterday after a woman called police to report she had been sexually assaulted in a taxi earlier that morning.
The victim called a cab and it is alleged the driver touched her in a sexual manner while she was in the vehicle.
At 9:14 a.m. Central Patrol Officers located the driver and arrested him without incident.
Due to a similar charge from December 2009, 50 year old Ravinder Pal Arora of Halifax was released by a Justice of the Peace on conditions, one of which is to not operate a taxi.
He is scheduled to appear in Halifax Provincial Court on March 2 to face a charge of sexual assault.
Taxi drivers provide a valuable service to our community. As with any service industry, potential for abuse of customers exists.
To help reduce the risk of incidents, citizens should make note of the company name and number on the taxi roof light, look for a taxi meter and check for the taxi driver licence and taxi owner licence, which should be clearly displayed inside the vehicle.
It is important to note that the majority of taxi drivers take pride in providing a safe and accessible method of transportation to citizens in HRM.