Taxi Driver Online

Broadstairs limo company has licence suspended


​A BROADSTAIRS limousine company has had its licence suspended after 15 women were crammed into a limousine only licenced for eight passengers.

Chapel Hill Limousines was licenced by Thanet council in July 2009 for 12 months.

David Crow, 41, from Stone Road, Broadstairs, was granted the operator licence and was also granted a private hire vehicle driver's licence in June 2009, which was valid for 12 months. The licence covered a white Ford Excursion stretch limo to take up to eight passengers.


In January 2010, the council's Licensing Department received a complaint from a member of the public that 15 women had booked two limousines with Chapel Hill to take them on a shopping trip to Harrods in London in December 2009. Only one limousine arrived at the pick-up point.

The driver, Mr. Crow, told them that only one vehicle would be taking them and all 15 were taken to London and back in one vehicle.

There were not sufficient seats or seatbelts in the vehicle, with some of the women having to sit on the floor. In particular, one woman described how four of them sat on the floor in the rear of the vehicle. It was so uncomfortable that they had to stop at Farthing Corner Services on the M2.

She moved to the front of the vehicle beside the driver, but again had to sit on the floor because there was no seat.

Booking records were obtained from Chapel Hill Limos and photographs taken of the vehicle. Mr. Crow was interviewed under caution and confirmed that he was the driver and that the booking records were not up-to-date. If the vehicle had been involved in an accident, any insurance covering the vehicle would have been invalid.

As a result, both the operator and driver licences were suspended by the council on 28 January 2010. This was subject to a right of appeal to the Magistrates' Court within 21 days, which has now expired.

source: http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/broadstairs/

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I read this one on a limo forum. What a complete plonker. Now that is one limo operator that I think we can all agree on. I can't see anyone standing up for this one.

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Grandad,

Say to your license fool.

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IDFIMH

You have to wonder about the size of brain this fool has.

He goes to all the trouble of getting his motor and himself licensed, only to gamble on keeping it by taking crazy liberties.

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IDFIMH

I would think you would have trouble gettting 15 in a limo and no way anyone standing up .

as with the scum that do self drive limos it is all down to greed .
PS I hear ALL the insurance companies are Stopping self drive insurance..
So Grandad do you still cliam it is legal

Good bye scum bags

The fact that a company will offer insurance or not has no bearing on wether that company has an "opinion" that the use "is" legal. The situation now is simply that the insurance companies may think that the risk is too great. They are only interested in making money and are probaly now more worried about being complicit in a possible illegal use (which has still no legal precedent) which may make them liable under the corporate manslaughter rules if any fatal accident happened.

It is a fact that you can self drive any vehicle you are licensed to drive if you can find a company or individual willing to hire a vehicle to you. E.G. all the truck hire companies I have ever used have only asked to see the drivers licence (LGV etc) but have never to my knowledge asked to see an operators licence or enquired if the use of the vehicle is for a legal purpose.

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you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

I think you will find that you have a 28 day window before you have to have a truck on a O license to cover the odd days hire etc. But it is a bit differnt to carry passengers on a regular basic . this practise of DRY Hire as VOSA call it will end now ,But what ever just as long as it gets rid of the scum bags .

Do you honestly think that stopping self drive insurance will get rid of the how you say "scum bags"? Don't forget that most of these so called "scum bags" don't even operate the self drive system correctly now. These "scum bags" will simply get private insurance, if they can be bothered to even get that, and carry on working. Most of the decent operators have already got or are in the process of getting their vehicles COIFed and running on "O" licenses. At the end of the day, it will be down to enforcement and with the exception of a few, VOSA have not got a very good record in this field, not just with limousines, but with any vehicle.
I can give you a prime example from my borough. A couple of months ago the council and VOSA did checks on the local taxis. 2 taxis were given immediate PG9 prohibition orders. VOSA then allowed the drivers to drive the vehicles home. One of these drivers then continued to work the car without getting the prohibition lifted. VOSA were powerless to prosecute because they themselves had allowed the vehicle to be driven on the road whilst prohibited.
So Unless VOSA can get their act together you will still be talking about "scum bags" for a very long time yet.

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Grandad,

I have no problem with any Limo company running with O license weather it is under 8 or over just as long as it is done right with COIF vehicles etc,

Grandad you seem to have stopped your support for the Self drive ( Dry HIre) mob

On the contrary, I fully support the people who operate self drive correctly.

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Grandad,