Unlicensed taxi driver took vulnerable children to schoolhttps://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/26699 ... en-school/An unlicensed taxi driver continued to ferry vulnerable to and from school in Oxfordshire has been named and shamed.
Tariq Mehmood continued to drive a licensed Hackney carriage without a Hackney carriage driver's licence.
The 48-year-old also did not have valid insurance and failed to return his council-issued driver's badge when South Oxfordshire District Council suspended him.
High Wycombe Magistrates' Court heard how Mehmood held a Hackney carriage driver’s licence with South Oxfordshire from May 2023.
All licensed drivers must have an enhanced criminal record check, known as a DBS check, and stay signed up to the DBS Update Service.
This lets the council see straight away if a driver’s record changes, so it can be sure they remain safe to carry passengers.
When Mehmood’s Update Service subscription lapsed, the council suspended his licence in December 2024.
Despite this, the 48-year-old continued to work as a taxi driver between December 9 2024 and January 8 2025.
During this period, he was carrying out school transport work, taking vulnerable children to and from school.
The council had been alerted to this unlicensed activity when Mehmood was involved in an "altercation" at the school.
Because he was not licensed, his insurance did not cover the journeys he made. He also failed to return his licensed driver’s badge to the council while his licence was suspended, as the law requires.
Mehmood, of Hamilton Road in Reading, pleaded not guilty to all three charges but did not attend his trial at High Wycombe. The court found him guilty in his absense.
District Judge Sharma fined Mehmood £660 and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £264 and £1,000 towards the council’s prosecution costs, a total of £1,924.
Eight penalty points were also added to his DVLA licence.
Mehmood is no longer licensed to drive taxis or private hire vehicles by South Oxfordshire District Council.
After the hearing, South Oxfordshire's communities boss Georgina Heritage said: “Our licensing checks exist to make sure that anyone who gets into a taxi in South Oxfordshire is in safe hands.
"That’s why we require every driver to keep an up-to-date criminal record check, so we can be sure they remain safe to carry passengers.
"When Mr Mehmood’s lapsed, we suspended his licence and he knew he could no longer work, but he kept on driving, leaving his passengers, including vulnerable children, uninsured and at risk.
“When we take a driver off the road, they must stay off it - and anyone who continues driving can expect to face prosecution.”
A spokesman said: "South Oxfordshire District Council is committed to keeping the public safe by only allowing properly vetted and authorised drivers to operate across the district."
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