Taxi Driver Online

Aylesbury taxi driver fined for using license without insurance

Private hire driver Shahid Mushtaq of Victoria Street in Aylesbury has been fined for using his license without valid insurance.

Mushtaq had changed his vehicle insurance so that he was no longer covered to carry paying passengers despite continuing to work.

He pleaded guilty by post and was sentenced on 23 June 2021 at Wycombe Magistrates Court.

He was fined £440 (reduced from £660 in view of his guilty plea) with costs of £660 awarded to Bucks Council and a victim surcharge payable of £44; a total of £1,144 for which he was given 28 days to pay. Mr Mushtaq also received eight points on his DVLA licence.

An investigation by Bucks Council helped identify Mushtaq's wrongdoing. Councillor Nick Naylor commented: “Driving a vehicle without valid insurance is a serious offence.

"Compliance with road safety laws and the rules for taxi and private hire licensing are essential for keeping the public safe when they are using licensed vehicles.

“Council officers conduct regular inspections and investigations to ensure that drivers comply with the rules. Protecting the public is paramount and we will take all necessary action to ensure that drivers comply with the law and uphold their responsibility to keep passengers safe. Drivers who fail to uphold these standards can expect robust enforcement action.”

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IDFIMH

So this is in the same neck of the woods as the insurance claim scamsters from High Wycombe whose private prosecution was reported a couple of weeks ago.

So both these cases will come under the new Buckinghamshire unitary authority which came into being last year, I think, although not sure if they'd have come under the same local authority prior to that (Aylesbury Vale?).

At a rough guess maybe this latest case arose as an indirect result of the fraudulent claim case, maybe because of licensing officers being extra vigilant as regards checking policies etc?

this used to be very common but I thought these days insurance companies reported cancellations of policies to councils or have I got that wrong ?

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

Don't know, but I often wonder how our council knows that a hire and reward policy isn't cancelled soon after a three-year plate is issued.

If a driver cancelled a hire and reward policy and swapped it with an SDP one, would even an ANPR check pick that up?

I think h & R and PH insurance show up separately on the database to which the police have access

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

That would make sense. Just looked up my own car on the Motor Insurance Database, and as previously it just shows that it's insured, not that's it's insured for hire and reward.

I wonder what insurance information local authority licensing departments can access in that regard?

Down here most insurance companies will contact the council to say the insurance has been cancelled or down graded.

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IDFIMH