Private Hire Driver was Uninsured
22nd June 2009
A Private hire driver who made nearly 100 journeys with passengers as an uninsured driver has been fined.
Malcolm Pitt, 57, of Coach Road, Throckley, pleaded guilty to three offences – two of driving without insurance and one of having no private hire driver's licence – at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court.
Mr Pitt, who was fined £600 and ordered to pay £150 costs, was awarded 12 penalty points but only avoided a driving ban after magistrates accepted a plea of exceptional hardship that he would lose his job and therefore be forced to sell his home.
A routine investigation by North Tyneside Council's licensing team revealed that from January 1 to January 14 this year, Mr Pitt had been working without a current private hire licence.
He was issued a renewal notice when his previous licence expired on December 31, 2008, but no contact was made by the defendant.
Booking records from the private hire office from where he worked showed he undertook a total of 86 journeys over the 14 days.
The defendant admitted receiving a renewal notice five weeks prior to the licence expiring, but said he had forgotten about it, only realising when he needed a letter from his GP regarding a medical condition, which added to the delay.
Further enquiries also confirmed Mr Pitt's insurance was invalid for the period he failed to hold a licence.
Mr Pitt will now appear before the council's regulation and review committee.
Source; News Guardian. Location; Whitley Bay
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