Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers fined after plying for illegal trade

A total of seven taxi drivers have been fined after being convicted of plying for trade illegally in Staffordshire.

The men, aged between 22 and 49, all from the Stoke-on-Trent area, appeared at North Staffordshire Justice Centre in March this year after each pleading guilty to two offences: plying for hire when not licensed and driving without insurance.

The court heard how the men each plied for trade without being booked in advance, which meant they were not insured to carry out the subsequent journeys.

We identified the drivers as part of a proactive operation in late 2022 which saw us work with partners including Stafford Borough Council, Newcastle-Under-Lyme Borough Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

On each occasion, between 10.30pm and 11.50pm on 26 November last year, each driver was identified as not possessing the correct insurance for operating as a taxi and plying for trade.

A council officer, purporting to be a member of the public, was able to climb into each taxi as a passenger before being pulled over by a roads policing vehicle at a nearby check-point, where it was demonstrated that the driver was operating illegally.

During the recent court hearing, each driver was handed six penalty points on their driving licence and a fine of between £700 and £1,200. They have also each been referred to the relevant local authority’s taxi licensing committee for a decision over whether they are allowed to continue to work as drivers in the future.

PC Martin Randle of our Road Policing Team, who organised the operation, said: “This was a lengthy case that involved multiple individuals who were found to have put the public at risk by driving without insurance in order to supplement their income illegally.

“Though we understand times are tough for a lot of people at the moment, it is not acceptable to put the public in danger and I’m pleased the drivers admitted their offending in court.”

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IDFIMH

Odd turn of phrase for what's an official police press release

Anyway, not clear whether this is about out-of-area HCs or PHVs, or both. But I'm guessing the t-word is used generically. If the t-word is literally correct, it must be all about out-of-area HCs.

Not really sure if the 'fines' mentioned in the police press release were literally that, rather than the sums payable including costs. But the Stoke Sentinel's rehash certainly construes the word 'fine' literally:


Seven Stoke-on-Trent taxi drivers hit with huge fines 'for putting public at risk'

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/st ... rs-8482275

They were caught out in a police sting

Mind you, they use this photo to illustrate the piece, so I wouldn't read too much into what the Sentinel says



But the Sentinel's headline has certainly bigged up the police's mention of putting the public in danger/at risk, and there's 80 comments on the Sentinel's site, none of which provide much in the way of illumination. (Or at least if the 20 or so I had a quick look at are representative of the whole lot )

doesn't mention where the operation took place but I would not be surprised if it was Stone again

and that headline is very offensive ! to genuine cabbies

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

Yes, Edders - interesting that the police press release doesn't actually say where the offences occurred.

But I daresay that because the joint operation included Stoke City, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stafford councils, they may have actually been checking all three local authority areas. (And *Staffordshire* Police will encompass all three local council areas.)

On the other hand, the offences may have all been detected in the town of Stone (which is in the Stafford council area, for anyone unfamiliar with the area. And which, according to Edders, is very messy as regards cross-border working and illegal plying for hire etc).