Taxi driver’s $100 threat after passenger accidentally leaves her phone in his cab

A university student has issued a dire warning to taxi passengers after her driver allegedly threatened to throw her phone “off a bridge” if she didn’t pay him $100 to return it.

A uni student has issued a dire warning to taxi customers after a taxi driver allegedly threatened to throw her phone “off a bridge” if she didn’t pay him $100 to return it. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

A university student is pleading with a taxi company to crack down on its management of lost items, after a driver allegedly threatened to throw her phone “off a bridge” if she didn’t pay $100 after leaving it in his car.

The 19-year-old from Melbourne accidentally forgot her phone and a few other non-sentimental belongings in the back of a cab which used a “payment solution” with GM Cabs, just after 3am on Sunday following a night “bar hopping with friends”.

But an evening of fun suddenly took an anxiety-ridden turn when she got back to her hotel room and realised she couldn’t find her phone, which also contained some important documents, including her ID.

In a desperate attempt to locate it, the woman who didn’t wish to be named, frantically called all the places she visited that night in hope of finding the missing device.

The uni student kept an eye on where her phone was by using Find My iPhone on her mum's phone.

“We called the company and bars we were at but GM cabs consistently ignored our advances to call,” she told the Herald Sun.

“All the other places were quick to help so that’s when we realised where I misplaced my iPhone.”

The uni student was able to confirm her phone was in the back of the cab after using Apple’s Find My iPhone feature.

After getting in touch with her mum who lives interstate, the pair was able to mark the student’s phone as lost on the app, which enabled anyone who found the phone to call her mum’s number.

“Immediately I saw the location being in the (Melbourne) CBD,” the student said.

“I remember discussing in the taxi cab that he lives in the CBD too, so I informed my mum to put (the phone) on lost mode and she discussed with me that if he calls she would advise him to drop it off at Bourke Street Police Station.”

The woman said the driver eventually called her mum as expected, presumably after seeing the number on her phone’s lock screen.

“He (said he) wouldn’t drop it off and would only take $100 to deliver it to me,” she said, before explaining the driver allegedly demanded she pay by bank transfer and not cash.

“His reasoning was that he was in Shepparton and residing there, so the $100 would be subsidising him for travel.”

While she understood the driver would be giving her his time and it would take petrol to deliver the device, she couldn’t justify the $100 fee given they were both in the CBD based on her phone’s location.

“I messaged my mum saying that he was in the CBD so she called him back and demanded he drop (the phone) off,” she said.

“That’s where he angrily threatened he was going to throw it off a bridge. Ten minutes later my iPhone’s location disappeared.”

Determined to get her phone back, the uni student got her friend to dial the taxi driver’s number.

“He gave her the whole spiel that he was located in Shepparton and … would only hand deliver it (if I) transferred the $100,” she said.

“Being a broke uni student, obviously $100 is hard to come by especially with $2000 rent.”

The woman then gave the driver the option to post the phone in the mail with tracking, all expenses paid however the driver allegedly declined this request.

When her phone was returned her screen wasn't working properly.

Feeling helpless, the woman said she went to the Bourke St police station the following day to understand her options.

It’s understood officers there tried to contact the company and driver to no avail.

“Frustrated, I went home. I couldn’t access my bank due to (having no) IDs and I had no food or groceries so I pondered at home,” she said.

“Fed up, I searched the company’s social media accounts and messaged them. I still haven’t received a reply.”

By Tuesday, the woman’s friend received a text from another police station about 20km out of the CBD saying a phone had been dropped off with their number written on a sticky note next to it.

“I travelled out excited to get my phone back … but to my frustration when I received the phone back the entire screen was infused with dead pixels,” she said.

“I questioned the constable if charges or something could be placed and he said they couldn’t prove if it was him or myself that destroyed the screen.

“Defeated, I went home again feeling failed and more than livid at this whole situation.”

After sharing her story to social media to alert others about her ordeal, a kind-hearted samaritan lent her a phone until she could afford to fix her screen.

She is still awaiting answers from GM Cabs to understand how her screen got shattered and to make a complaint.

The Herald Sun has contacted GM Cabs and Victoria Police for comment.