Taxi Driver Online

Fined: Old Trafford football fan taken for a ride by overcharging taxi driver

The football fan was travelling back to Manchester Airport after the game at Old Trafford

A TAXI driver has been ordered to fork out almost £600 after duping a football fan into paying double fare from Old Trafford to Manchester Airport – which he had claimed was the passenger’s idea.

Hackney carriage driver Farzin Kheshvari has been convicted of overcharging a customer he picked up earlier this year.

The victim, a football fan, had travelled with his son to watch Manchester United versus Arsenal back in February and hailed a cab to head back to Manchester Airport after the match.

Kheshvari refused to put the fare on his meter but instead insisted on a fixed fee of £35 upfront for the journey. If 8.3 mile journey had been on the meter, it would have cost approximately £19.

The passenger felt he had been taken advantage of and lodged a complaint with Trafford Council. Kheshvari initially refutes the claims, maintaining that it was the passenger who had insisted on paying £35 for the journey.

Kheshvari pleaded guilty at Manchester and Salford Magistrates on October 7. He was fined £80 for failing to engage the taxi meter, £40 for charging more than the metered fare, ordered to pay costs of £453 and a victim surcharge of £20.

Cllr John Reilly, executive member for economic growth, environment and infrastructure, said: "This conviction reinforces the Council's commitment to protect members of the public. The general public should be able to trust taxi drivers to comply with the rules and regulations and not to take advantage of them.

“The council has adopted byelaws that compel hackney carriage drivers to put fares on the meter when the destination is within the Trafford area or within four miles of the Trafford boundary, as is the case with the airport.

“The council investigates all complaints against licensed drivers, whether they are private hire or hackney carriage drivers, and will continue to enforce against those abusing their position of trust."

Kheshvari will now be referred to the council’s licensing sub-committee and may face further sanction.

Anyone wishing to lodge a complaint against a Trafford licensed vehicle are asked to email the licensing team on licensing@trafford.gov.uk.

source: http://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk/ne ... xi_driver/

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

which he had claimed was the passenger’s idea.

I've heard some pathetic excuses over the years BUT this has to take the dog biscuit !!!

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

I don't agree, how many times have you been really busy when an unbooked passenger says he'll pay far more just so he's taken?

I cant say that hasn't happened to me, of course when it has happened I've never accepted.

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

If the truth be known we've all done it.

I would pay £100s to get away from that pi** pot place.

And maybe more never to go there.

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IDFIMH

I certainly have never been offered double and only ever been offered more to break the law which of course i refused to do

This must be a northern thing because down south people are far too stingy to pay more

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector