Taxi Driver Online

Spot the oddity here

(And I don't just mean the slightly different layout below - just trying to echo the layout of the official council press release...)


Council reiterates importance of travelling safely after taxi driver fined for operating illegally

https://media.reading.gov.uk/news/counc ... -illegally

• Uber driver Muhammad Imran Bajwa fined £568 and given eight points for illegally plying for hire in Reading

• Caught in an undercover operation by Reading Council Licensing Officers

READING’s Licensing team reiterates to residents the importance of catching a taxi safely after officers catch another unlicensed driver plying for hire in the town centre.

Mr Muhammad Imran Bajwa, licensed by New Forest District Council as an Uber Driver, was only licenced to accept pre-booked fares. In the early hours of 1 June 2024, licensing officers approached him in an undercover operation on Oxford Road, Reading. He agreed to take them to Dee Road, Tilehurst, for a fare of £15 without the required prior booking.

Mr Bajwa was not wearing his taxi driver’s badge and he had not attached the taxi licence plate to his car, causing his vehicle to look the same as any ordinary private car.

Appearing at Reading Magistrates Court on 17 January 2025, Mr Bajwa of Kenavon Drive, Reading, pleaded guilty to illegally plying for hire, and operating without the correct insurance. The court levied fines of £80 and £120 respectively, a reduced sum due to Pleading guilty at the first hearing.

Two further fines of £40 each were ordered for failing to wear his licence badge and failing to exhibit his licence plate. Prosecution costs of £176 and a victim surcharge of £112 will also be paid, bringing the full financial penalties to £568.

The court also endorsed Mr Bajwa’s driving licence with eight penalty points for using a motor vehicle without valid insurance.

Cllr John Ennis, Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said:

“This result highlights the tireless work of our licensing officers, conducting covert operations to detect illegal plying for hire in Reading and bringing those who fall foul of the law to prosecution.

“Private Hire and Hackney Carriage customers are entitled to trust the person driving is properly vetted, authorised, checked, and licensed. Unlicensed drivers undermining that trust will be robustly dealt with to maintain public confidence and ensure safety in our nighttime economy.

“Don’t forget, black cabs can be hired at a taxi rank, flagged down, or pre-booked. Private Hire Vehicles cannot be flagged down on the street, these journeys must always be pre-booked for them to be properly insured.

“Before starting your journey, always check the licence plate at the rear of the car and the driver’s badge.

“Any customer with concerns about taxi or private hire drivers can report them, in confidence, to us at licensing@reading.gov.uk or via the Council Contact Centre on 0118 937 3787.”

...of course, unusual in plying for hire reports to actually name the operator

Shades of tall poppy syndrome again?


Same again, perhaps - he was licensed as a private hire driver, not as an Uber driver per se


I'm somehow guessing there were other markings indicating it wasn't an ordinary car, or do they test purchase plying for hire just by asking any car on the street if they'll take them?

Aye, but wasn't it Reading who were involved in the court case claiming that the representation of an Uber car on the app amounted to plying for hire?

So maybe they're trying to get their own back by specifically mentioning the operator here.

(...but maybe that's how the LOs identified the car as an Uber )

I suspect they merely open the Uber app.

It would be interesting if he had no markings as I'm not sure a plying for hire charge would succeed. Clearly an unlawful booking charge would, but I do wonder how you can ply invisible, so to speak.

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IDFIMH

Isn't the fact he accepted the run prima facie evidence that he was plying for hire, Sussex?

The markings and positioning stuff are simply contributory factors, I'd guess - I mean, you can be deemed plying for hire without actually accepting a passenger, I think, and that's maybe more where the markings and whereabouts are more important things. But, normally, unless a passenger is accepted then there's not enough evidence for an actual prosecution...

But at a rough guess I'd say he'd have had other more obvious markings, and the news release is a bit misleading...it majors on lack of plate, but from personal experience I wouldn't put that much weight on the plate dimension, because it's rare for people to actually look at it. It's a bit like Wolverhampton saying door stickers should be dumped to stop impersonation, and the emphasis should be on punters looking for plates instead. But, in reality, punters don't really look for plates, thus to that extent maybe not so relevant in evidential terms regarding plying for hire...

As for the LOs finding the car via the Uber app, I've no experience of that beyond screengrabs...but if it was outside a nightclub, say, with lots of cars, taxis, Ubers and other PHVs milling around, I'd guess it wouldn't be that easy to pick out a car, particularly if it was, as claimed, unmarked.

And if it all happened out in the middle of nowhere, and thus the car on the app could easily be picked out in real life, then maybe shades of entrapment in such a scenario

It would only be hard to find him if he was parked up with a load more Uber vehicles, and then the LO’s would basically choose the first one they see.

If he was parked up alongside taxis or private cars then he would be the only one showing in that area on the Uber app.

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IDFIMH

But they wouldn't be able to see that particular one, because according to the council he had "not attached the taxi licence plate to his car, causing his vehicle to look the same as any ordinary private car."

But, aye, I suspect you're right, and to that extent you underline that the council's narrative is a tad misleading - maybe no plate, but probably had door stickers etc

It's a fair point. Maybe one of the officers booked a job to get his details and then cancelled it.

But I don't think it's that hard. The mapping is incredibly accurate, and the Uber data app would be clearly on view.

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IDFIMH