Taxi Driver Online

Private hire drivers suspended over illegal pick-ups

FOUR private hire cabbies have been suspended by Bolton Council after illegally picking up passengers who flagged them down. The drivers had already been given fines and points on their licences by Bolton magistrates after an undercover crackdown by police and council licensing offices.

They invaldiated their insurance because private hire drivers are only licensed to accept adanced bookings. The council's licensing committee has now suspended the drivers meaning they will be unable to ply their trade.

Mohammed Irshad Khan, aged 52, of Loxham Street, Farnworth, has been suspended for three months. Another three drivers were each suspended for a month.

They are Majid Dad, aged 28, of Bradford Road, Great Lever, Mohammed Samad Maroof, aged 38, of Sutcliffe Street, Halliwell, and Mohammed Irshad Khan, aged 52, of Loxham Street, Farnworth.

Bolton Council leader, Cllr Cliff Morris, said: "Picking up passengers illegally on the street is something which the council takes very seriously. "These drivers have blatantly disregarded their responsibilities to their passengers, the public and to other members of the taxi trade."

Chairman of the licensing committee, Cllr Colin Shaw, said the council and the police worked on regular crackdowns on private hire drivers. He said: "We conduct these checks with the police and independently several times a year to ensure that members of the public are protected. "The committee had no hesitation in suspending their licences in the interests of public safety."

Bill Williams, chairman of Bolton Taxi Drivers Association, which represents Hackney cab drivers, welcomed the suspensions. He said: "Well played to the council but they need to do more of that kind of thing because enforcement should be ongoing rather than an occasional crackdown. "People who do this kind of thing are taking trade away from law-abiding drivers."

_________________
IDFIMH

Tough luck, i have a HGV truck license, as well as taxi and private hire license which are all vocational, if i gat cought breaking the law in a truck be it speeding hours offences or overloads i would get fined and points, i am also requiered to inform the traffic commisioner for my area which is similar to taxi licensing, they could call me in, and if they want can suspend my HGV licence just as taxi licencing can for a period they seem fit.
You know the risks if you break the law, and yes we all do it but just hope we dont get nicked

_________________
now a licensed hackney driver

They were all aware of the law. They chose to break it. I don't have any sympathy for them.

_________________

http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Indeed, but is it the council's place to punish drivers?

The council can only take someone's license away if they are deemed not to be 'fit and proper'.

How can that council, or for that matter any council, guess that the driver who isn't 'fit and proper' today, will suddenly become 'fit and proper' in a months time?

_________________
IDFIMH

So you mean any driver who has his badge withdrawn can never drive again?

ie, if someone is considered not fit and proper, then does that mean they never can be?

_________________
Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

I think withdrawing their licence altogether would be a bit strong, don't you? Equally ignoring the fact that these guys have deliberately flouted the law and their licence conditions would be sending out the wrong message. This seems to be a reasonable comprimise.

_________________

http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

No they can set a review date, maybe the next committee meeting. Then they can decide if the driver is 'fit and proper' again.

Councils can only deem drivers 'fit and proper' on the facts that are before them. They shouldn't guess that they might be some time in the future.

TBH I don't think councils should suspend. I mean if a court of law didn't take away a drivers living, albeit for a month or so, then why should a council?

_________________
IDFIMH

Well to that extent no one would ever be denied a badge if they had a valid driving licence?

As for review dates, well, yes, it's not an exact science, but you could equally claim that a driver may become fit and proper before the review date, in which case he's being penalised unjustly.

It's clearly a difficult issue, but ignoring the procedural minutiae, there's nothing in principle to stop a driver being not fit and proper for a period and then becoming so?

_________________
Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

I agree, but how do the council know when that date will arrive?

_________________
IDFIMH

Councils know best

_________________

http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/