Taxi Driver Online

Private hire driver fined

A cab driver who picked up a plain clothed police officer in Peterborough has been fined at court.

Private hire driver Mohammed Zia Afzal (45) of Thistlemoor Road, Peterborough picked up the officer in September, during an undercover operation.

Yesterday Afzal appeared at Peterborough Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to unlawfully plying for hire and driving with no insurance.

He was fined £100, ordered tp pay costs of £150 and a victim surcharge of £15. He was also given six points on his licence.

The court heard that during the operation in September, plain clothed police officers targeted private hire vehicles parking outside local supermarkets and other public places, to establish if any of the drivers would pick up customers without a booking. If passengers are picked up by a private hire car without a pre-booking, the driver commits an offence and the insurance is usually invalidated.

Officers posing as shoppers left Morrisons on Lincoln Road and approached Afzal’s private hire vehicle which was parked outside. They asked him to take them to Bretton and he agreed. On reaching the destination they identified themselves and were met at the location by members of the city council’s licensing team.

Ian Robinson, Taxi Enforcement Officer at Peterborough City Council, said: “The operation took place following alleged reports of private hire drivers illegally ranking without bookings outside local supermarkets. Although these venues may have an agreement with a particular private hire firm, in order for any journey to be legal, it must have been booked in advance.

“If a private hire driver picks up a passenger without a booking, it is a real safety issue. The insurance is generally invalidated, and from a personal safety point of view there is no record of that journey.”

Councillor Peter Hiller, Cabinet Member for Housing, Neighbourhoods and Planning, said: “Licensing officers continually monitor the taxi trade to protect the interest and safety of passengers and will not hesitate to prosecute any private hire driver who is found to be unlawfully plying for hire or ‘flagging’ as it is known in the trade.

“The law makes a clear distinction between a Hackney Carriage that can be legally stopped in the street and private hire cars that must be pre-booked.”

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news ... -1-4600294

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