Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers fined for illegally soliciting fares


A TAXI driver has been made to pay more than £2,000 after illegally operating in Reading town centre.

On Saturday May 15 Arshid Mahmood, of Henry Street, Katesgrove, attempted to solicit trade on the King's Road in Reading, despite only having a license for South Oxfordshire.

The 62 year-old, who also did not have insurance, attempted to cover his tracks by providing licensing officers with a handheld computer and mobile phone which contained false booking information.

Mahmood appeared in Reading Magistrates Court on November 11 and was fined £1,350 and made to pay £1,224 in court costs for the transgressions.

On the same day Mohammed Orangzaid, of Lundy Lane, west Reading, appeared in the same court charged with plying for hire outside of South Oxfordshire and driving without insurance.

He was fined £200 and made to pay £200 costs.

Councillor Paul Gittings, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Consumer Services, said: “Well done to the council’s licensing officers for pursuing these cases and working with our legal team to secure a successful prosecution against these drivers.

“It sends a clear message that the council takes a strong stance against unlicensed drivers plying for hire in the borough and we will not hesitate to take tough action against them.” 

source: http://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/ ... ing_fares/

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

This should be posted to all those councils that say that they can't do enforcement against vehicles that are not licensed by their borough.

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Grandad,

Just a thought did this council actually have the authority to carry out this prosecution ?

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

sect 222 LGA act 1972

222 Power of local authorities to prosecute or defend legal proceedings.

(1) Where a local authority consider it expedient for the promotion or protection of the interests of the inhabitants of their area—

(a) they may prosecute or defend or appear in any legal proceedings and, in the case of civil proceedings, may institute them in their own name,

and

(b) they may, in their own name, make representations in the interests of the inhabitants at any public inquiry held by or on behalf of any Minister or public body under any enactment.

(2) In this section “local authority” includes the Common Council [F1and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority] .

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

so with that wording surely all councils can take action against any driver or vehicle irrespective of where they are licensed

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

We are assuming, rightly or wrongly, that just because the case was heard in Reading that it was Reading who prosecuted.

Also it might have been the case that the licensing authorities involved undertook a joint enforcement action on the night.

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IDFIMH