Taxi Driver Online

Why a private hire driver from Manchester got in trouble for a Bold Street pick up

A private hire taxi driver was landed with a £250 bill after he unwittingly picked up two undercover council officers on Bold Street. Kasigwa Mashombe, from Manchester, was targeted as part of a council crackdown on private hire drivers who pick up passengers from the street.

Under council laws, private hire taxis are only allowed to pick up passengers who have booked in advance. In the council sting operation, Mr Mashombe agreed to take the plain clothes officers to Bromborough when he was parked on Bold Street, in the city centre, last August. Private Hire drivers who pick people up from the street without being pre-ordered are effectively not insured to drive for their journey.

Mashombe, who is actually licensed as a driver with St Helens Council, admitted the offence when he appeared before magistrates this week. He was fined £160 and ordered to pay £90 costs, and was handed six penalty points on his licence.

Liverpool City Council prosecuted 53 private hire drivers during 2017 , figures show, including many “plying for hire” prosecutions. Other drivers were prosecuted for driving without insurance, driving without a proper licence, and failing to return a badge after their licence was revoked.

Most of the drivers prosecuted were from Liverpool, but some were from as far as Blackburn and St Helen’s. Last year, an ECHO investigation saw first-hand that scores of private hire drivers were acting incorrectly, parking in disabled bays, on pavements and plying for hire.

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IDFIMH

A driver licensed by St Helens, living in Manchester, gets caught plying in Liverpool.

Welcome to 2018.

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