LLANELLI: Unlicensed taxi driver who drove children with additional learning needs to school fined £2,700https://swanseabaynews.com/llanelli-unl ... ined-2700/A man who drove children to Ysgol Heol Goffa in a taxi without holding a taxi driver’s licence has been ordered to pay £2,702.50, Carmarthenshire Council says.
Derrick Lewis was convicted at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on 4 September of driving a licensed private hire vehicle on a school run on 9 February without the dual hackney carriage and private hire driver’s licence the law requires, according to the council.
He did not attend court and the case was proven in his absence.
Magistrates fined him £660 and ordered him to pay £1,778.50 in prosecution costs and a £264 victim surcharge, the council says, payable within 28 days.
The offence came to light when the council’s licensing and school transport teams carried out compliance checks at the school, which teaches pupils with additional learning needs, and found Mr Lewis at the wheel of a licensed car he was not licensed to drive.
Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen, the council’s cabinet member with responsibility for enforcement, said: “The safety and wellbeing of pupils travelling to and from school is of paramount importance. Licensed drivers are required to meet strict standards and undergo the necessary checks to ensure they are suitable to transport members of the public, including children.”
He added: “This prosecution demonstrates the council’s commitment to enforcing licensing legislation and taking appropriate action where individuals operate outside the law. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure school transport services remain safe, reliable and compliant.”
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