Surrey cabbie gets 90-day prohibition after ending up on lawn

When some young women in Surrey called cabs,Friday night, they thought they were doing the right thing for a safe night out.

But they were soon shocked to discover thecabbie that picked them up was so out of ithe ended up on the neighbour's lawn.

Jessi, 23, whoasked her last name be withheld due tosafety concerns,said she and several girlfriends were heading out to celebrate her birthday, so they called Pacific Cabs for two taxis

But after she got in one of the cabs with her friends, they quickly realized something was wrong.

The driver seemed unable to find his way out of the cul-de-sac, she said, so they told him to turn around.

"So he started backing up, and my friend yelled at him to stop and there was a truck inches away from us," she said.

Then he almost swerved into another car. And after that, things got worse.

"He went to leave the cul de sac and drove onto someone's lawn and he hit the 'For Sale' sign right there."

Time to get out

By this time, the women realized they needed to get out of the cab, but the driver refused to stop, even when they opened their doors, she said.

"Finally we yelled at him enough that he stopped the car. It took him quite a while to figure out how to unlock the doors. Nothing was registering for him," Jessirecalled.

Shortly afterwards, the father of one of the women arrived home and blocked the cab's exit with his truck.

When the father confronted the driver, the cabbie allegedly admitted he had been drinking. That's when one of the women called police.

Surrey RCMP confirmed the driver failed two breathalyzer tests.

He was given a 90-day roadside suspension and the taxi was impounded for 30 days, said police.

That penalty normally includes a $500 penalty and a mandatory referral to remedial programs.

But the RCMP said the driver would not be facing a criminal charge of impaired driving and his name was not released.

When CBC News called Pacific Cabs to ask about the allegations a manager said they would not be commenting.

But it has been reported that the driver is no longer working for the company.