Unlicensed taxi driver caught by council officialsA PAINTER and decorator who was using his car as a fake taxi had a stroke of bad luck when the two people he picked up turned out to be undercover council officials.
Aslam Arfan, of Oxenham Court in Whitehall, had two signs on his grey Volkswagen Passat saying he worked for two separate established private hire firms.
But a court heard the 40-year-old had no association with either and was driving without a taxi licence in a vehicle unlicensed for hire.
Defending Arfan at Bristol Magistrates' Court, Andrew Gregg said he had made the decision to pick people up in the car on the way back from collecting a pizza for his family.
Using his car, which he said his friend had been using as a taxi while a sale was agreed, he made the split- second decision to take on board two people at the Robin Hood's Retreat on Gloucester Road to make an extra £10 on his way back home.
But those two people happened to be council officers helping officials on routine taxi checks.
Prosecuting, Ashley Clark said: "On September 8, Bristol City Council was undergoing an enforcement day of action. At 11.21pm two officers were stood outside Robin Hood's Retreat on Gloucester Road when they saw a grey VW Passat draw in to pick them up. They saw a sign for Cabot taxis on the side of the car."
Officers Louise Walters and Paul Blackmore got in and asked if the driver was available to take them to the Dynasty restaurant in the city centre. On Arrival they were met by enforcement officers Andrew Lyle and Albert Swaby who asked for identification and a badge.
"It was put to him whether he was a taxi driver," said Ms Clark. "He said 'No, please let me off'."
But officers had already noticed two signs on the car – one for Cabot Taxis and one for Bristol Arches Taxi – indicating a crime had been committed: misleading the public with false information.
Arfan was also charged with driving an unlicensed taxi, using the vehicle without applicable insurance and driving without a private hire licence.
Mr Gregg said Arfan had given the car – which was still in his name – to his friend who had put the signs up.
He said he was out picking up pizza in the car when he saw two people waving down the taxi and took the "opportunity to earn some extra money".
Magistrates fined Arfan £150 for the offences, ordered him to pay a further £615 in costs and £20 as a victim surcharge, and disqualified him from driving for six months.
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