Taxi Driver Online

Unlicensed uninsured minicab driver 'grassed up' by other operators

A minicab driver on a council contract to take a child with special needs to and from school had been driving without any insurance, Truro magistrates have heard.

Ashley Stephen Blewett, 24, of Pendennis Road, Falmouth, pleaded guilty at Truro Magistrates Court to using a BMW for private hire without the appropriate licence, after other taxi drivers “grassed” on him, the court was told.

Without the proper private hire licence, Cornwall Council prosecutor Mark Andrews said, his insurance was invalid.

Blewett, from Arrow Taxis, had a contract with the council’s passenger transport unit to collect the boy from St Columb Major and take him to a unit at Penryn College for pupils with special needs, often students who were particularly vulnerable, and take him home later.

In July he had been seen most days with the boy, going to Penryn in the BMW, and had been reported by other hackney carriage drivers who recognised him.

On one occasion a council officer saw him with the boy and another passenger.

When he was spoken to he said he was in the process of getting the car licensed.

“That licence is extremely important for public safety and passengers, put at risk without insurance,” said Mr Andrews.

Blewett told the magistrates he knew what he had done was wrong, but did not know his insurance would be invalidated.

He said another car which previously had a private hire permit had broken down, and he could not afford to fix it, using the BMW in its place.

Chairman Fiona Roberts told him:”You were a taxi driver by trade, you blatantly operated, and would have known the insurance was not valid. If you had had an accident it would have been terrible, your girl friend as a passenger and a vulnerable child.

“You were grassed up by other taxi drivers.”

Blewett was told to pay £1,309.92 in a fine, costs and charges.

source: http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/n ... 4982926._/

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

I'm surprised the insurance wasn't checked by the council issuing the contract ?

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

Leicestershire county council have never checked mine. However in this case the chap had a properly licensed vehicle but it had broken down so he used his private car instead. He was a muppet.

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Grandad,

I'm guessing his normal licensed/insured car was off the road which is why he used his private car.

I suspect he is not alone in that, and the circumstances he found himself in are not unique.

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IDFIMH

so much for integrity and honesty within our trade then

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

I agree but drivers doing school runs in their private cars when their licensed cars go down, is something that happens all the time.

Not endemic, but not uncommon.

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IDFIMH

Not sure if it is the case now but Lincolnshire used to allow unlicensed vehicles on school runs as long as the carried liability insurance

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

It was the case up till a few years ago the school runs in Doncaster were dominated by a company from Lincolnshire called Amvale they used to be able to use unlicensed vechicles and unlicensed drivers but after persistent complaints from local drivers they now use vechicles and drivers licensed in South Lincolnshire.