Wonder what advice Sussex will proffer to wangle out of this one?
No word of any criminal charges, though, so it'll presumably just be a licensing exercise. Slapped wrists for most of them, I'd guess, unless they have a history.
But 14 in one night seems quite a lot, particularly since word of the sting would have gotten round the circuits pretty quickly...
Operation to crack down on private hire drivers accepting passengers illegally
https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/news/o ... -illegally
An operation between West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and Northamptonshire Police to crack down on private hire drivers illegally accepting passengers in Northampton without first taking a booking catches drivers not adhering to the rules.
The operation, which took place on the evening of Friday, 11 October and caught 14 drivers who will now face a review of their private hire drivers licence, follows an increase in intelligence suggesting that drivers were illegally plying for hire and unlicensed vehicles were operating in Northampton town centre.
Special Constables, Safer Roads Team officers and WNC staff acted as customers, approached private hire vehicles parked in areas around the town and asked the drivers if they were free. If they said they were, and the driver moved off after being asked to drive to a location outside the town, the licensing officers identified themselves.
Private hire vehicles can only pick up passengers if the journey has been booked through a private hire operator. Drivers are acting illegally if they carry out the journey without it being pre-booked. All private hire drivers are trained when they first apply for a licence about the difference between hackney carriages which can lawfully be flagged down and private hire vehicles which must only carry out pre-booked fares.
"“Working in partnership with Northamptonshire Police we were able to identify drivers who were operating in an illegal matter. The Council takes these matters seriously and all those drivers caught will now face a review of their licence to consider the most appropriate course of action that should be taken against their private hire drivers licence.”"
WNC’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Regulatory Services
“Working alongside our Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance partners, our priority remains to keep people safe when using our roads. Private hire vehicles must be pre-booked and cannot pick up fares as this not only breaches their licence conditions but also invalidates their insurance.
“As part of the operation we not only checked that private hire drivers were following all laws and regulations when carrying members of the public but also that they had the correct documentation to reduce the risk to vulnerable people who may fall prey to unlicensed drivers in the night-time economy.”
PC Maureen Allsopp-Clarke of Northamptonshire Police Safer Roads Team