Taxi driver loses appeal to St Albans council after driving offencesAn aspiring taxi driver has had his appeal for a license refused by St Albans district council as he failed to disclose his driving-related offences during the application process. Mohammed Loilu Miah, of Cranbourne Road, Hatfield, had applied to the council for a private hire driver’s license in January 2016. While the council was processing his application, he was convicted of failing to stop after an accident and driving without due care and attention.
The council dismissed Miah’s appeal at a hearing in St Albans Magistrates Court on Monday, August 7. Miah did not tell the council about his convictions, which was required and stated on the application form. The council only found out when Miah was asked to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
When assessing applications, the council has to establish whether an applicant is a ‘fit and proper’ person to hold a license. Council policy states that 12 months would have to pass following convictions for road traffic offences before a license could be issued. As this period had not expired, Miah was invited to give his account of the events leading up to the convictions, but no mitigating circumstances were found and the council rejected his application.
Miah then appealed against the council’s decision, but the appeal was rejected at St Albans Magistrates Court on the grounds that Miah did not meet the required standards for drivers. After rejecting Miah’s appeal, the court ordered him to pay £4,505 to the council in costs.
Cllr Beric Read, business and community portfolio holder for St Albans council, said: “Under the law, the council has to assess whether an applicant for a taxi licence is a ‘fit and proper person’. “Our application form states that applicants must keep the Council informed of any prosecutions or convictions. “This case shows that if an applicant fails to tell us of a subsequent conviction then it will impact their application for a licence.”
More information about the process for applying to become a taxi driver can be found at
http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/business/Bus ... -licences/
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