Oh, the irony - cross-border driver caught plying for hire in Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton council obviously hot on this - at least on their own patch
Taxi driver fined after undercover fare crackdown
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black- ... r-21152286
Mohammed Rafiq agreed to carry passengers who were not pre-booked
A taxi driver was fined after picking up a fare that wasn't pre-booked in a police and council sting.
Mohammed Rafiq picked up passengers in Wolverhampton city centre on September 28, 2019.
They asked to be taken to a hotel - but in reality were plain-clothes officers taking part in the City of Wolverhampton Council and West Midlands Police sting.
Rafiq was fined £1,000 after admitting driving without insurance and taking a fare that wasn't pre-booked. And picking up a fare that was not pre-booked also invalidated his insurance.
Officers from City of Wolverhampton Council interviewed Rafiq who initially denied any wrongdoing.
Rafiq, 46, of Deansfield Road, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to both offences when he appeared at Wolverhampton Magistrates court earlier this month.
He also received eight penalty points on his licence and was ordered to pay total fines and costs of £1,000.
Coun Philip Page, chairman of the council’s regulatory committee, said: “I am glad that our officers, working in partnership with the police, were able to take action against a driver flouting the law.”
The matter has now been reported to Shropshire Council who currently licence Mr Rafiq.
“We will take action against all taxi drivers who put the people of Wolverhampton at risk by driving without valid insurance, regardless of which local authority they hold a licence with,” Coun Page added.
City of Wolverhampton Council is running a ‘Get Home Safe’ campaign which aims to make sure members of the public are aware of the differences between hiring private hire cars and black hackney cabs on the street.
The campaign highlights the risks involved in taking an unlicensed vehicle and how to spot a legitimate taxi or private hire driver.
Image: Wolverhampton City Council/Birmingham Live
