Bill Adam (53) has absolutely no plans to stop driving taxis despite receiving a black eye and a bite on the cheek early yesterday in an assault by a taxi patron.
"I'm really impressed with the [taxi] emergency button. I always wondered if it would work.
"Taxis did come from quite a few directions."
Mr Adam, who has been driving for Dunedin Taxis for about five years, said he had just dropped a client off in the Octagon area when a young man and a female companion entered the taxi and he drove them to Rockyside Tce, Caversham, shortly after 1am.
Concerned by the male passenger's behaviour, he stopped and got out to ask the man to leave.
He was punched, but managed to restrain the man after a struggle.
Mr Adam waved down a passing taxi driver, who activated his taxi emergency alarm, which quickly produced a host of responding taxis, a police car and an ambulance.
The man ran off but was located by a police dog.
Mr Adam had escaped serious injury but still spent much of yesterday morning in Dunedin Hospital, receiving treatment.
A former taxi driver, who asked not to be identified, said the incident highlighted the risks taxi drivers faced.
Unpredictable behaviour by people who had been drinking clearly posed serious concerns for taxi driver safety in the city, despite the nationwide mandatory installation of taxi security cameras, the former driver said.
Sergeant Nathan White, of Dunedin, said a 23-year-old man had been arrested, and would appear in the Dunedin District Court.
