Taxi Driver Online

A Middlesbrough taxi driver has been fined for illegal fare pick-ups in the town.

Shabir Hussain was convicted of plying for hire in his private hire vehicle when he appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court .

While hackney carriage vehicles are allowed to ply for immediate fares, private hire vehicles may only lawfully operate under pre-booked arrangements and are insured accordingly.

During a taxi licensing exercise last August, council officers approached a private hire vehicle parked on Green Lane, Acklam.

When the officers spoke to the driver Shabir Hussain and asked him if he was ‘booked’, he confirmed he was not waiting for a booked fare and agreed to take them to the town centre.

On arrival, an officer asked the fare and Mr Hussain confirmed the cost would be £4.20, and both officers left the vehicle after paying for their journey.

Follow-up inquiries confirmed that Hussain had invalidated his motor insurance by undertaking the journey for ‘hire and reward’ without the journey being pre-booked through a licensed private hire operator.

Appearing before Teesside Magistrates on Tuesday, Hussain, of Thornfield Road, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough was fined £80 after admitting plying for hire in an unlicensed hackney carriage vehicle.


The 44-year-old was fined a further £120 for having no insurance to cover the use of his vehicle, and had six penalty points endorsed on his driver’s licence. He was also ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge and £200 towards prosecution costs.

Councillor Julia Rostron, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive Member for Adult Health and Social Care, said: “In the interests of the safety and welfare of the taxi travelling public, we are committed to ensuring that all operators, vehicles and drivers are properly licensed and that standards are satisfactorily maintained.

“As this case demonstrates, we will not hesitate to take formal enforcement proceedings should we find evidence of a serious breach of the relevant regulations.”

£430 smackers only got off lightly there

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