Three women returning from a night out left ‘uncomfortable’ after scary late night taxi ride

Three women who were enjoying a weekend out in Adelaide were soon trapped in a taxi nightmare, after the driver allegedly turned aggressive towards them.

A weekend in Adelaide turned terrifying for three women when their taxi ride back to their hotel became a harrowing ordeal.

Lisa O’Malley and her two friends, Leah Terry and Kelly Illingworth, were heading back to their motel from Sky City Casino in Adelaide when they decided to hail a taxi instead of an Uber.

“We thought we’ll just get in one of (those taxis) and we needed to go about a kilometre to our hotel,” she told the Advertiser.

“Obviously it’s dark and cold and we thought it’s safer to get in the taxi.”

Leah Terry (left), Lisa O'Malley and Kelly Illingworth faced an alleged terror cab ride after a night out. Picture Facebook

However, when Ms Terry gave the taxi driver their hotel address, he allegedly ‘slammed his hands on the wheel’ and said “that’s 500 metres away”.

Ms Illingworth described the ride as turbulent as the driver kept slamming the brake and accelerator on corners, despite the ride lasting about five to seven minutes.

“He was aggravated,” she said.

“He kept like mumbling to himself, I could see his hands gripped on the steering wheel.”

Upon arriving at their hotel, the women soon realised the car doors were locked and requested the driver unlock their doors.

“His whole physical body language (was) aggressive,” said Ms Terry.

“I’ve gone for my door handle and trying to open the door, and it’s not opening.”

Ms Terry, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, asked for her door to be unlocked about three times before she finally was able to leave.

The driver, according to Ms Terry, allegedly yelled, “f**k you”, as she closed the door of the car.

“I said, “there’s no need for that. That’s not okay.” And then he said, “f**k off”,” she said.

Ms Terry added that the incident felt ‘a bit of a violation of her rights’.

“I still feel very uncomfortable, extremely uncomfortable and shocked that it happened,” she said.

“I am so fortunate that there were three of us in the car … It shouldn’t have happened.”

Ms Illingworth said that this incident showed the level of disrespect extending to all ages, not just young women.

“You know we’re women in our 50s and I’d like to think pretty street smart,” she said.

“I would hate to think any young girls getting into a taxi with that man.”

A complaint was filed with the taxi company, Adelaide Independent Taxis, and upon contact, the company have told the Advertiser that they are looking into the complaint.

SA Police have also been contacted for comment.

This comes on the back of another taxi-abuse incident with popular SA media personality Ali Clarke, after she was verbally abused by a taxi driver in March.

Ms Clarke was also exiting SkyCity at 1.30am, following a function, when she hopped into a taxi and was told to get out.

The driver claimed that the fare was too short, even though Ms Clarke offered to pay extra, and began hurling vile abuse at her.

Following the incident, the driver was sacked from his job at 13cabs.

Ms O’Malley also detailed the incident in a Facebook post, where she described a great weekend being ‘tainted’ by an ‘unacceptable incident’

“Women and girls deserve to feel safe in taxis, just as safe as they would in a car with their dads, carers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers, or first responders,” she wrote.

“This driver does not deserve his job.”

Ms O’Malley also brought up Ms Clarke’s incident, having attended the same event with her in March, and now is facing the same experience despite the media coverage.

“There are a lot of good men in our community but they are constantly let down by those who act like this.”

Originally published as Three women returning from a night out left ‘uncomfortable’ after scary late night taxi ride