Taxi Driver Online

Taxi driver fined in licence case

A TAXI driver will have to cough up more than £1,000 after it emerged he picked up passengers without a vehicle licence.

By law private hire vehicles have to get a special license from the council to prove it has been checked for safety and suitability.

On Friday, magistrates in Sudbury fined Steve Dove, who runs Steve's Cars, £300 and ordered him to pay £716 towards the costs of the case after he admitted failing to comply with license conditions and proper keeping of a bookings log.

Dove, of Sudbury, was reported to Babergh for picking up passengers outside of a hotel in Lavenham in March this year in a car that did not have a vehicle licence.

Lee Carvell, Babergh District Council licensing officer, said the offence could have had serious implications for any member of the public using the vehicle.

“Before any vehicle is given a licence it is subject to thorough safety and suitability checking that involves a test more detailed than a regular MOT,” he said. “Equally, driving a vehicle without the appropriate licence invalidates any existing insurance policy”.

James Buckingham, Babergh's principal environmental protection officer, said: “The Council is determined that the process of licensing private hire vehicles will be effectively controlled.

“The law and licensing processes are in place to protect the public from the use of vehicles that could be unsafe and unfit”.

“We are pleased by the outcome of this hearing as it also sends out a strong message to anyone else thinking of putting profit before the safety of passengers” added Mr Buckingham.

Dove was also told to pay a victim surcharge of £15.

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