Taxi Driver Online

Taxi driver fined over licence



A TAXI driver has been fined for operating without a proper licence after council investigators caught him in an undercover sting.

Arfan Ali Khan, 27, was clocked by licensing officers from Hartlepool Borough Council who were posing as a couple out on a Saturday night in a bid to catch rogue taxi drivers.

Khan was seen dropping off a customer outside Loons bar in Victoria Road, Hartlepool, and receiving what officers said appeared to be payment.

After they flagged down his Skoda Octavia, that can only accept pre-booked custom as a private hire vehicle, they asked for a lift down to the Lighthouse pub in the town's Church Street.

Hartlepool Magistrates' Court heard Khan abruptly stopped the car just seconds into the journey, saying he couldn't take them because he needed to tow a broken down company vehicle elsewhere in the town.

After being confronted, he admitted he did not have a licence to operate in Hartlepool, but falsely tried to claim the passenger he had dropped off was a "good friend".

Magistrates heard that when the incident happened, at around midnight on May 31 last year, Khan was the director of Thornaby Cars Ltd, which had been trading as Royal Cars, in Whitby Street, Hartlepool, for around 10 months.

Prosecuting for the council, Tony Macnab said: "Inquiries were carried out with the passenger Khan had just dropped off. He confirmed that he pre-booked the journey and had paid the fare, and he did not know the driver."

Talking about the night in question, Khan said: "We were short on members of staff in the office and short of vehicles, so I decided to take a vehicle out to make the drop myself."

He said he feels "completely terrible" and it was a "mistake".

Khan said he recognised the licensing officers and had intended to give them a free lift, and denied an accusation of plying for hire.

Khan, of Borough Road, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to operating the vehicle without a licence to trade in Hartlepool and received a £90 fine and the company also pleaded guilty to having a driver without a licence and received a £200 fine.

Royal Cars pleaded guilty to failing to record the passenger's journey in a record of bookings, and received a £100 fine.

Khan was also found guilty of giving false information regarding the licence and was fined £80 and pleaded guilty to giving false information about the passenger and received a £70 fine.

Magistrates dismissed the charge of plying for trade as a hackney carriage against Khan and Royal Cars.

A further charge of no insurance was dismissed.

As well his total of £240 in fines, Khan was also ordered to pay £250 in costs and the company was ordered to pay £350 costs on top of its total fines of £300.

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