Taxi Driver Online

Undercover operation launched to crackdown on rogue private hire cars in city centre

Newcastle City Council licencing chiefs are warning private hire cars who pick up fares without a booking

Undercover council bosses are posing as punters in a bid to rid Newcastle of rogue cabbies picking up illegally in the city centre.

Licencing chiefs are warning dishonest private hire taxi drivers about the illegal practice of picking up passengers off the street without a pre-booking.

Only council-licenced hackney carriages are able to ply for hire and pick up punters in the city centre.

All other journeys must be pre-booked via a licenced private hire operator.

But it is understood the law is being flouted by private hire drivers from across the North East who flood Newcastle city centre of a weekend to exploit the busy night time economy.

In a bid to fight back against the rogue drivers, Newcastle City Council has been going undercover.

Officers from the council’s licencing team blend into the crowds of revellers of a weekend, posing as ordinary punters looking for a lift home.

The officers approach private hire taxis and ask if they will take them to a set location.

If the driver says yes, the officer will get in and go to the destination and note down the cabbie’s details.

The council will wait for weeks before bringing in the driver for interview under caution so they don’t blow their officers’ cover.

Often tips come in from hackney drivers who are losing business to the unscrupulous private hire drivers.

Now council bosses are warning any driver looking for an easy fare will be caught and prosecuted.

As part of the latest crackdown, seven drivers have been hauled before the courts.

Mohammed Yasin Qahar, 36, of Albion Road, Newcastle, Mohammed Zaedur Rahman, 35, of Hull Street, Newcastle, Amir Bajric, 49, of Lilac Square, Houghton le Spring, Philip Lockyer, 33, of Ponteland Road, Newcastle, Syed Iqbal Hussain, 30, of Cleveland Road, Sunderland, Azizur Rahman, 40, of Darnell Place, Newcastle, were all convicted of illegally plying for hire.

Geoffrey Matthew Burn, 45, of Rockwood Hill Estate, Greenside, was convicted of obstruction and failure to comply with reasonable request.
He was fined £440, costs of £325 and a victim surcharge of £44.

Coun Nick Kemp, Newcastle City Council’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods and regulation, said: “We are very concerned about this and are doing everything in our power to stamp it out by working with the police and carrying out our own regular test purchases to catch the culprits and carrying out safety spot checks on vehicles.

“The safety of the travelling public is our highest priority and as recent convictions show, Newcastle City Council will not hesitate to prosecute drivers who put people at risk by flouting the law.”

In partnership with Northumbria Police, Newcastle City Council has stop checked 1120 taxis since the start of 2016.

Of these, 111 were issued with Immediate Suspension Notices for vehicle defects, 178 Non-Compliance Notices were handed out for minor vehicle defects/breaches of condition and 254 verbal warnings were issued.

source: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor ... e-12748902

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

just about to post this you beat me to it

here's hoping they catch a few

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