Taxi Driver Online

Hat tip to TaxiPoint for this, which is about three weeks old now (which is why I've left the date of the press release in).

In fact both appeals were heard over a month ago.


Taxi Driver Loses Appeal to Keep Licence Following Safety Concerns

25 November 2019

http://news.reading.gov.uk/taxi-driver- ... -concerns/

A HACKNEY carriage driver whose vehicle was kept in a poor condition has lost his appeal to retain his licence this month.

Moncef Barhomi, aged 39, of Creswell Close, Reading, had his taxi licence revoked by the Council’s Licensing Committee on 28 November 2018 and lost his appeal to Reading Magistrates’ Court on 11 November 2019. The court dismissed his appeal, confirming the licensing committee’s decision had been correct.

During a routine inspection exercise on the taxi ranks outside Reading Railway station on 31 October 2018, licensing officers initially noted four tyres below the legal limit on the vehicle driven by Mr Barhomi. On closer inspection of the vehicle’s service history, they also found maintenance of the taxi was inadequate.

Previously, in June 2018, a group of passengers had reported concerning behaviour by Mr Barhomi, who had used his phone inappropriately whilst driving and had refused to terminate his call to concentrate on his driving when challenged by his customers.

The registered owner of the poorly maintained vehicle, Mrs Ali, aged 49, of Creswell Close, Reading, also had her licence revoked by the Council’s Licensing Committee. Mrs Ali lost her appeal on 5 November 2019 at Reading Magistrates’ Court.

Cllr Tony Page, Lead Councillor for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, said: “It is essential that the behaviour of taxi drivers, licensed by Reading Council, meets the high standards expected and that the Council takes action when required.

“I would like to thank the Council officers involved for seeing this case through and helping to secure a satisfactory outcome. Thanks to the hard work of the Council’s licensing team, we are sending out a very clear message that drivers must ensure their vehicles are in good condition and that reports of the use of a phone whilst driving will be taken extremely seriously.

“I hope this case acts as a deterrent to other taxi drivers who may be tempted to flout the law and put their customers at risk in Reading.”

This maybe needs clarifying slightly. Looks like he lost his badge, while the above suggests he lost his plate and/or his badge.

The plate was presumably in the name of Mrs Ali, as below:


Both state the same address, so presumably fair to assume they're in some kind of personal relationship.

However, she's *Mrs Ali*, but that's not his surname, so who knows?

Anyway, slightly unusual for a badge holder to have it revoked because of the condition of a vehicle plated to someone else.

I think you will find that Muslims don't have Christian surnames Stuart!.

Yes, that's why I specifically avoided referring to Christian names, Ray

So if this woman is referred to as 'Mrs Ali' in court, what does the *Mrs* bit mean, and where does the *Ali* come from?

I was assuming that, under British conventions, the *Mrs* meant she was married, and that *Ali* is her husband's surname.

But not being an expert in such matters, I await enlightenment

I think it is quite common in muslim marriages for the wife to keep her family name nut I am not sure about this will ask a couple of my drivers and get back to you

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

The condition of the vehicle is the responsibility of the driver along with the proprietor.Revoking the drivers license along with the proprietors license was appropriate.

Any way, back to the tyres.

Were they bald, in that there was less than 1.6 mm of tread, or is reading one of those areas that insist on a minimum of 3mm on hire vehicles?

So, was this vehicle plying for hire in a public place with four illegal tyres, or with four tyres that did not meet the minimum standard required by the council?

If the tyres were below 1.6mm the police should have been called. 3 penalty points for each illegal tyre would have been an immediate ban for the driver.

Or did they let him drive away?

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Former taxi driver

And another thing. Is there a reading room in Reading library?

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Former taxi driver

Ask Otis.

If he was behind the wheel he was responsible for said bald tyres.

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IDFIMH

I thought the days of councils putting their own minimum tread depth limits (over and above 1.6mm) was outlawed years ago ?

Note that I wasn't questioning the decision here, just pointing out that it was an unusual scenario