Taxi Driver Online

This isn't particularly interesting, but the headline is certainly a bit different. I thought council press releases were supposed to be serious


Private hire driver fined for playing taxi

https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/32866 ... aying-taxi

A Newcastle private hire driver has been ordered to pay over £800 after he was found plying for hire in County Durham.

We took legal action against Babar Shahzad, of Florian Drive in Newcastle, after our licensing enforcement team received reports that drivers of private hire vehicles licensed by neighbouring local authorities were plying for hire within the county.

Private hire vehicles

Private hire vehicles are only allowed to carry out journeys which have been booked in advance through a licensed operator. In contrast, hackney carriages, also known as taxis, are allowed to ply for hire on the street or at a taxi rank.

Peterlee Magistrates Court heard that, during a test purchase operation in Chester-le-Street, two of our officers approached Shahzad's private hire vehicle and requested a journey.

Shahzad transported the officers for a payment of £10, and did not check whether the officers had made a booking with his vehicle.

The journey was recorded using surveillance equipment, the footage of which showed officers approaching Shahzad's vehicle where he accepted the fare for cash payment without questioning whether a booking had been made.

Licence checks

Magistrates heard that Newcastle City Council also confirmed the registration of the vehicle was licensed with them as a private hire, and that Shahzad was the licence holder.

Further checks then found that the vehicle was only insured to accept private hire bookings.

Shahzad was found guilty at Peterlee Magistrates Court of plying for hire without a hackney carriage licence and driving without appropriate insurance cover.

He received eight points on his licence and was ordered to pay a £200 fine, £555 costs and a £80 surcharge, totalling £835.

Public safety

Ian Harrison, business compliance manager, said: "There is an important legal distinction between hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in order to keep the public safe.

"Hackney carriages are identifiable by their official taxi signage and council-issued plates and are licensed and insured to pick up passengers without a prior booking. In contrast, private hire vehicles must be pre-booked through a licensed operator and are not permitted to pick up passengers directly from the roadside or ranks."

another chancer getting caught. Serves him right

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