Wombourne Taxis & Minibuses

Called in advance to arrange taxi for New Year’s Day 2015, requesting an 8:45am pick up to Wolverhampton Train Station. No idea what time the driver arrived — he didn’t knock at the door. He was just sitting in the drive when I walked outside at 9am. He didn’t greet me & helped with my bags by opening the boot.
No meter seen. Taxi permit not displayed. If it was I didn’t see it. METERS ARE LARGE & can’t be missed. On the way to Station driver was flagged down by a couple on the street & he proceeds to pull over to speak with them. Unacceptable. I was not paying him for this.
When I arrived at the train station he told me my fare was £15. My fare should have been NO MORE than £8. When I asked him why the price gouge he said EVERYONE in England knows fares on NY day are fare + half.
Then why didn’t his dispatch advise me of this when I called? And WHY when I asked other taxi’s in the cab line about higher fares on NY day tell me that was a lie & I’d just been taken? I gave this driver the last £10 I had & told him to bugger off.
I told him I work for a cab company in Vegas & while I wasn’t in Vegas, taxi’s are regulated in both locations and the appropriate office would be notified. Whether or not fares & permits are to be displayed in England I don’t know, but I do know the meter should be visible & ON? THERE WAS NO METER.
Oh, and he helped me unload the boot by popping the door.
AND the couple that stopped him? He told them their fare would be £15 too.