Taxi Driver Online

The Sentinel (Stoke)

November 20, 2006 Monday

HEADLINE: Dodgy drivers are kicked out of their cabs

Eight Stoke-on-Trent taxi drivers have been stripped of their badges in the past year because of unacceptable behaviour.

One of the drivers has been deported after providing suspect identification and giving false information to the police.

Another was convicted of speeding, dangerous driving, using a taxi that was in a dangerous condition and driving without due care and attention. Others have been found guilty of a range of motoring offences including driving without due care and attention, driving without insurance and road tax, speeding and illegally plying for hire.

The city council is responsible for monitoring Stoke-on-Trent's 1,256 Hackney Carriage and private hire drivers and for vetting new applicants.

Peter Devaney, assistant director of regulatory services at the council, said: "The local taxi trade provides an invaluable service to the public with licensed and reputable drivers.

"We have a duty to protect the public and therefore my officers regularly work undercover to catch the few drivers who illegally ply for trade. "Members of the public can also help by not getting into private hire cars that haven't been pre-booked."

As well as individual drivers being approved, taxi firms must have a separate licence from the city council for each vehicle. In the past 12 months, the authority has revoked the permits of five of the city's 1,076 private hire and Hackney Carriage vehicles.

In addition, 14 strict warnings to drivers were given out by the council's licensing and registration panel. Nine were warnings to new applicants, and four were given to existing permit-holders.
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Wouldn't it be an idea to check these things before a license is issued?

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IDFIMH

lol maybe they got one of those Eastern European style CRB checks but serioulsy how did this driver get through the system without a proper background check?

Regards

JD

8 out of 1076?

scary headline for a fraction of the trades.

I wonder how many reporters were convicted of minor offences and were dismissed during the same period?

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin