Taxi Driver Online

Taxi driver drove passengers around Plymouth with no insurance

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/l ... nd-3865854

Grzegorz Sliwka made nearly 600 journeys without being insured

A private hire taxi driver in Plymouth who picked up and ferried passengers without any insurance has been disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £500.

Grzegorz Sliwka, 39, of Cranbourne Avenue, Lipson, was found guilty at Plymouth magistrates to two charges of driving without insurance over two periods, July 17 to August 23 and August 30 to September 17 last year.

In total he made 581 journeys carrying fare paying passengers during periods when he did not have any vehicle insurance for his private hire vehicle.

The case was bought following an investigation by the Council’s taxi licensing team, which was awarded £1,000 towards its costs of the case.

Sliwka was ordered to pay £500 in fines and a £32 victim charge.

The council will now review the status of his private hire driver licence at the next Taxi Licensing Committee hearing.

Councillor Sally Haydon, Cabinet Member for Customer Focus and Community Safety said: “Most of us would be really worried if we realised we were travelling in a car which was not insured, so it’s doubly shocking to learn that this was a professional licensed driver who failed to have his vehicle insured.

"Our taxi licensing team exist to ensure that all passengers who use taxi or private hire vehicles can do so knowing that they are safe and that they are abiding by laws which are there to protect us.

"We can and do investigate issues.”

To report an issue about a taxi or private hire driver/vehicle visit www.plymouth.gov.uk/licensingandpermits ... complaints

Obviously no detail provided regarding how this came about, but wonder what these dates are all about? Why was he insured for seven days inbetween, or was he just not working?

As worrying is the fact that a private hire operator gave him these jobs whilst uninsured,it would appear the Council have closed their eyes to this fact when they know that the operator is at fault also.
Councillors and licensing department should hang their heads in shame.

You are assuming that the operator knew.
The driver may well have had insurance when he began and deposited a copy with the council and operator but that doesn't stop him from cancelling it straight after. He may well have took out another policy when he got caught the first time but when he realised he may well lose his license, he cancelled it again.

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Grandad,
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Ignorance of the fact is not a defence in the operators case,it is their duty and responsibility to ensure every vehicle they operate is fit for purpose.

If he hasn't got a DVLA license then he might struggle to keep his PH license.

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IDFIMH

Maybe out of the country, or driving someone else's car as his was off the road.

Or he is one of those folks who gets insurance, and then cancels it once he has got his PH license.

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IDFIMH

Maybe he has an EU licence, no record of him on the DVLa unless he gets a PCN fr something like speeding. Points are put on a ghost licence. He could be banned from driving in the UK but on an EU licence that ban only applies in the UK.

How often should an operator check a drivers insurance?

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Grandad,
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This will likely be the crux of Uber's appeal against TFL. Do you check with the council that each of the licences your drivers give you are actually genuine and not a sophisticated fake?

Enough for a court to view those checks to be reasonable, and absolve the operator of any fault.

Down here the systems will not allow work to be given to a driver if the insurance has run out.

Also most, maybe all, of the taxi insurers will inform the council if the policy is cancelled during the time of the policy.

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IDFIMH

But who tells the system that the insurance has ran out? If a driver provides an insurance certificate saying it is valid from jan 1st until dec 31st and that information is put in the system, how will the system know if the policy has been cancelled on jan 7th? I can't believe that all the taxi insurers would be bothered to contact a local authority to tell them that fred bloggs has cancelled his policy.

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Grandad,
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Indeed. Didn't realise that happened at all (as Sussex states), but how often it actually happens in practice would be interesting to know.

If it doesn't really happen much, then as far as I can make out, the council here in Fife only checks for valid insurance every three years if you get the three-year plate, but if what Sussex states is correct then that's certainly an additional safeguard.

Of course, to tax a car you'd need valid insurance at the annual renewal, and obviously you'd be in the [edited by admin] if picked up by a speed camera, ANPR or involved in some sort of police incident.

But if you're an independent HC here the basic insurance check by the council will only happen once every three years, as far as I'm aware.

(Both HC and PH offices need a licence here, but I'm not sure to what extent that includes keeping an eye on the insurance of cars working for them.)

If any of us have an indication that someone is acting illegally, be it an insurance issue or any other crime, then we have a duty to report it to the authorities. Why should insurance companies be any different?

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IDFIMH