Taxi Driver Online

Conviction of illegal cabbie fuels council


BURNLEY Council has vowed to crack down on rogue taxi drivers after a man was convicted of posing as a cabbie.

The moves comes after Peter Slinger, 52, of Snowden Street, Burnley, pleaded guilty to using an unlicensed vehicle and acting as a private hire driver and operator without having the appropriate permission from the council.

Slinger, who was said to have been operating a one-man private hire taxi service, was caught after he picked up a Burnley Council licensing officer in his unlicensed car.

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He did not have a licence from the authority to operate.

He was fined £390 and ordered to pay £125 costs by Reedley Magistrates Court. Slinger also had eight points put on his driving licence for having invalid insurance.

Coun Charles Bullas, executive member for community safety said: "In the interests of public safety, the council will continue to robustly enforce the legislation in respect of unlicensed operators, drivers and vehicles. Drivers of unlicensed vehicles are putting the safety of the public at serious risk.

"Legitimate, licensed, drivers and operators have to undergo regular, rigorous Criminal Records Bureau checks and medicals and their vehicles must be fully insured, MOT tested and relicensed every four or six months - dependent on their age.

"To be assured of their safety, the public needs to be confident that the journey they have booked will be carried out through a licensed operator, by a licensed driver, in a licensed vehicle."

People can use Hackney carriages, also known as black cabs, by hailing them down in the street or from a taxi rank.

Anyone wishing to use a private hire vehicle must phone up the firm before.

Habib Rehman, chairman of Burnley Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Association said he was pleased the council was taking action against unlicensed cabbies.

He added: "It is very dangerous to get into unlicensed taxis. As the association we don't approve of this and are very much against this.

"I am pleased the council are sending people out and they will find people driving unlicensed taxis."

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

Strange, the fine this guy and put points on his license, in Penrith they gave a guy a license who was found to be driving a PHV whilst unlicensed, imprisoned for a road rage attack and had serious allegations made about him by another LO

CC

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

The points were for driving without insurance so he must have also pleaded guilty to that charge too, even though there is no mention of such a charge in the article. If he pleaded guilty and the magistrates decided to issue points then the scale is 6 - 8 points.

Regards

JD

I wish more LO would take note of this tale.

The fines mean f*** all, but the points for having no insurance are the way forward.

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IDFIMH