Final warning for Somerset taxi driver after he used personal vehicle to charge passengers for liftshttps://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/som ... er-1935029A panel met to discuss whether the driver was still a "fit and proper person" to hold a taxi licenceA Somerset taxi driver has been given a "final warning" by councillors after they admitted using a personal vehicle to carry a fare-paying passenger.
The driver, known only as Driver L, was brought before a licensing panel at Sedgemoor District Council alongside the taxi company operator, referred to as Operator A.
It emerged that Driver L had used Operator A's personal vehicle, rather than a licensed private hire car, to pick up an elderly lady from a doctor's surgery.
The panel met in Bridgwater in confidential session on Monday (August 20), with its decision being published in full on Thursday (August 23).
Its members met to decide whether Driver L could still be considered a "fit and proper person" to hold a taxi or private hire licence in view of the breach.
The panel said that "public trust and confidence was vital" in private hire vehicles, and that the operator would be held to the same standards as the driver.
Driver L admitted that they had driven an unlicensed private vehicle and had not displayed their private hire badges while doing do.
They said that they "accepted full responsibility" for what they called an "executive decision" to attend the pre-booked job using Operator A's personal, unlicensed vehicle.
They said that they recognised that what they were doing was unlawful, but that their main concern had been for the safety and well-being of the elderly passenger, whom they had been contracted to collect from a doctors' surgery.
Operator A also admitted that they had breached council licensing regulations in allowing this to occur.
They added that arrangements had been put in place and "lessons learnt" to ensure that this could not happen again.
The panel said that it "could not over-state the seriousness of this matter", arguing that it was a criminal offences which "raised serious safety issues" and could have resulted in "significant insurance issues" had anything befallen the driver or passenger.
However, in light of the mitigation provided by both parties, and the actions they had taken since the incident, the panel decided not to suspend their licences on this occasion.
Operator A received four points on its private hire operator's licence, while Driver L received eight points on its driver's licence.
The panel said that both the driver and operator "should consider this a final warning", adding: "Any breach of the regulations within the next 12 months will result in them returning before the panel, when due consideration would be given as to the suspension or revocation of their licences."
Both the driver and operator were reprimanded by the panel, who warned that any further offences within the next 12 months could lead to their licences being taken away.
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