Taxi driver in Australia fired after faking heart attack to get out of trip

A taxi driver in Australia was fired after he tried to fake a heart attack to get out of driving a passenger to her desired location.

The driver picked up his passenger at Sydney Airport and appeared to be upset by the "short fare" that she had requested to Annandale, a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, according to Australia's 9 News.

After the driver pulled over in Sydenham, the passenger began to film him claiming illness, clutching his chest and falling to his knees.

He can be heard saying: "I am not driving ma'am. I'm not driving. My condition is not well."

The passenger to sent the footage to 9News Australia's A Current Affair programme claiming ;the driver wanted to clock off for the night.

"You're going to have a brilliant, brilliant Oscar award for this," she said in the video commentary as she filmed his behaviour.

New South Wales Taxi Council deputy CEO Nick Abrahim told A Current Affair that drivers were obliged to pick up a passenger regardless of the destination unless they are coming to the end of their shift.

"If a driver is finishing or terminating their shift and a passenger may not be going in the direction of where that driver may be heading towards ending their shift," Mr Abrahim explained as an exception.

13 CABS chief operating officer Stuart Overell confirmed to the broadcaster that the driver's employment with the company had been terminated.

He said the driver’s logs had matched the passenger’s story, adding: “He should go and get a career in acting, because cab driving is not in his future.”