Taxi Driver Online

Looked like a fairly bog standard headline on news website - "Taxi driver caught driving suspended vehicle in MK" - but several quite interesting aspects to this case

South Northamptonshire driver caught driving suspended vehicle in Milton Keynes

https://www.mkfm.com/news/local-news/ta ... cle-in-mk/

A private hire driver has been prosecuted after being caught using his suspended private hire vehicle in Milton Keynes.

MK Magistrates’ heard the case yesterday (26 July 2018) following taxi enforcement patrol work conducted at CMK Train Station on 29 November 2017.

Junaid Yaqoob of Green Keepers Road, Great Denham, Bedford attended court and pleaded guilty to using an unlicensed vehicle and driving without valid motor insurance on 3 occasions in November 2017. He was fined £211 for using an unlicensed vehicle and £635 for invalid insurance. He was also given 6 DVLA penalty points and has to pay costs of £900 with a victim surcharge of £63.

At the time of the offences his vehicle was operated by Speedline. Mr Yaqoob is currently licensed by South Northamptonshire District Council, which will take appropriate action concerning his licence.

The court heard that on 29 November 2017 an MK Council Taxi Patrol Officer was on duty at the CMK Train Station when he conducted a compliance check on Mr Yaqoob’s vehicle. During the inspection he noted that the brake light was not working and issued a written notice to Mr Yaqoob suspending the vehicle for use as a private hire vehicle. The patrol officer advised Mr Yaqoob that the vehicle could no longer be used to provide private hire services until the defect was repaired and then presented to South Northants Council who would inspect the vehicle and lift the suspension.

Later that day the patrol officer saw Mr Yaqoob’s vehicle again at the CMK Train Station and noted that the defective brake light had not been repaired.

The patrol officer then obtained booking records from operator Speedline who confirmed that Mr Yaqoob’s vehicle had completed three private hire bookings after the patrol officer had suspended his vehicle.

Cllr Catriona Morris, Chair of the Council’s Taxi Licensing Committee, said:

“This case further illustrates the on-going problem of cross-border hiring where vehicles and drivers licensed by other councils work in Central Milton Keynes on a daily basis.

“However, Milton Keynes and South Northants councils worked closely in sharing powers and information in order to effectively prosecuting Mr Yaqoob.

“I would like to specifically commend our Taxi Patrol Officer for his vigilant work at the CMK Train station in identifying this defective vehicle, taking appropriate action, and then having the awareness to realise that this vehicle was continuing to work and therefore placing the safety of MK residents at risk.

“This result will hopefully send a strong message to all drivers who want to ignore Council Officers as they will be caught and prosecuted.”

Not clear whether it was just a single bulb out or what - would seem harsh to suspend for a single bulb or the high level light out if the others were working, but maybe he had no brake lights at all. But the article refers to *light*, not *lights*, suggesting it was just the one. On the other hand, it says *the* brake light rather than *a* brake light, which maybe suggests there was nothing working

Anyway, in the end it cost him nearly £2k, six points on his licence, and he's still to be dealt with by South Northants council

But by the look of things he lives in the sizeable town of Bedford, works 15 miles away in Milton Keynes, and is licensed by a council headquartered in Towcester, another 15 miles away. Interesting

In law as long as two out of 3 brake lights working the vehicle is deemed road worthy

if the vehicle was NOT licenced in MK would the MK officer have the power to suspend the vehicle ?

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

By the sounds of things there must be some kind of enforcement protocol between the two councils, as seems to be increasingly common, for obvious reasons.

Why didn't, and why doesn't, the licensing officer just ring the operator and tell them not to give work to the driver until such times as the issue has been resolved?

And isn't this issue more evidence of a complete lack of drivers giving a sh**.

Now I think his final bill seems high for merely a bulb or bulbs out, but it would have cost him pence to sort, so he is his own worst enemy.

It looks like he defo p***ed the LO off though.

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IDFIMH

Why drivers don't carry spare bulbs or at least the bulbs that can be changed at the roadside?

It also not hard to find a petrol station.

Halfords do a pack of bulbs, as do many others, so really the fella with the massive bill above has no excuse.

In short he is an utter knob head.

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IDFIMH

Interesting that there is no mention of the bookings that this chap did passing through an operator in his licensing district.
I also think that there is probably a problem with vehicles from other districts working in MK so the enforcement team have a zero tolerance policy towards them.

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Grandad,

Of course, the brake light problem could have been about more than just a bulb out.

So won't Speedline require some sort of ghost operator presence in South Northants?

I'm assuming their main business is as an operator in MK, but for the triple-lock to work and for the MK operator to sub-contract work that the driver does, presumably Speedline require a PH operator's licence in South Northants?

have any of you ever had to do a fare to MK railway station ?

there is usually about 50 to 100 cars choking the approach roads I suspect that this one was actually attempting to rank up which out of town hackneys cannot do

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