Author under fire over book comments

THE head of the Irish Taxi Federation, John Usher, has hit out at remarks made by Cork cabby Ken Cashman in a book he published last month.

In the self-published book, Mr Cashman refers to some of his passengers as “butch looking lesbians”, “stunning blondes” and “busty brunettes”.

He also refers to a cross dressing gentleman as “it” and says he refuses to carry Travellers in his car at night.

While the book, Taxi Diaries — The Legend That is Car 16, is considered humorous by some, it has incurred the wrath of human rights organisations and the head of Cork’s Sexual Violence Centre.

Mr Usher said refusing to carry a member of any community without good cause was totally at variance with the policies of the taxi federation.

“Everyone is entitled to a taxi as long as they behave themselves. I would be totally opposed to refusing a far to someone solely on the grounds that they happen to be members of the Travelling community.

In the controversial book, which is on sale in Eason’s on St Patrick’s Street, Cork, Mr Cashman also describes an incident in which he brought a drug dealer in his car at the request of two prostitutes.

Mr Usher said it was disappointing to hear of any taxi driver behaving in such a manner.

“Considering the way in which drugs can destroy lives, I would encourage any taxi driver to inform the Gardaí immediately if they have reason to suspect that a passenger may be a drug dealer.”

He added: “If this book is meant to be taken seriously, I would have a lot of objections to some of its contents.”

Mr Usher’s view was shared by Mary Crilly, director of Cork’s Sexual Violence Centre.

In one chapter of Mr Cashman’s book, the author claims to have spoken with a sexual abuse survivor while driving her home, noting that she was a “lovely looking girl and a temptress in her fishnet tights”.

According to Ms Crilly, such comments serve to damage the trust that parents have in taxi drivers.

“When young students go out on the weekends, dressed up as they do, their parents trust taxi drivers to care for them.

“These comments destroy that trust. How dare this man sexualise these girls,” she said.