Taxi Driver Online

This is the fifth broadly similar news release from Reading Borough Council this year. They're obviously quite hot on this sort of thing down there


Taxi driver fined and banned from driving after offering illegal rides in Reading

https://media.reading.gov.uk/news/taxi- ... in-reading

• South Oxfordshire driver to pay over £1,000 after operating illegally in Reading
• Driver is also subject to 6-month driving ban from April 2025

A SOUTH OXFORDSHIRE licensed Private Hire and Hackney Carriage driver has been ordered to pay more than £1,000 in costs and given a six-month driving ban after operating whilst his licence was suspended and illegally plying for hire in Reading.

Mr Talal Bin Mumtaz Raja, of Russell Street, Reading, was found guilty at Reading Magistrates Court and convicted of four offences on 7 April 2025.

Magistrates heard how, on 23 March 2024, Reading Licensing officers conducting an undercover test purchase operation flagged Mr Raja’s vehicle down outside the Penta Hotel on Oxford Road, Reading, where he agreed to take an officer to an address in Tilehurst for £12 without prior booking.

Although Mr Raja is licensed as a Hackney Carriage driver, this only entitles him to pick up customers without a booking in the borough where he is licensed.

During their investigation and liaison with South Oxfordshire District Council, it was discovered that Mr Raja’s driving and vehicle licences were suspended at the time of the test purchase, as he had failed to complete mandatory disability training.

Presiding Magistrates imposed fines of £700 for the offences of plying for hire and operating without insurance. Mr Raja was also handed costs of £1,000, and the victim surcharge of £280, and is now subject to a six-month driving ban.

Cllr John Ennis, Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said:

“This is the second successful prosecution of a taxi driver illegally plying for hire in Reading in just a few weeks, thanks to the hard work of Reading’s Licensing team.

“This result emphasises our message that behaviour of this kind will not be tolerated. Private Hire and Hackney Carriage customers are entitled to trust that the person driving is properly vetted, authorised, checked, and licensed.

“Unlicensed drivers undermining that trust will be robustly dealt with to maintain public confidence and ensure safety.

“I hope this and the other recent successful prosecutions serve as a deterrent to drivers who are tempted to work opportunistically and outside of the law in Reading.”

ENDS


Notes to editors

Mr Ali was found guilty and convicted of:

- Plying for Hire during the suspension period of a Hackney Carriage Licence, contrary to Sections 46 and 47 of Town Police Clauses Act 1847.

- Permitting the use of a Hackney Carriage while the Hackney Carriage Licence was suspended, contrary to Section 45 of Town Police Clauses Act 1847.

- Use of a motor vehicle without insurance, contrary to Section 143(1)(a) and Section 143(2) of Road Traffic Act 1988.

- Displaying a roof sign on a vehicle which was not a licensed taxi, contrary to Section 64(1)(b) and Section 64(2)(a) of Transport Act 1980

Maybe I'm being a bit too nitpicking, but it doesn't actually say in the main body of the press release that he was driving an HC vehicle - the paragraph above just states what he was entitled to do as a licensed driver.

However, the Notes to Editors below the main text does state that a HC vehicle was used (albeit suspended). Of course, newspapers tend to rehash the main part of the news release, and the Notes are really the fine detail. But I'd guess the fine detail would end up lost in the translation anyway

Interesting to note that they also did him for the roofsign offence, presumably because the HC he was driving had been suspended

And nothing specific about what happened to his badge and plate, but he was suspended anyway, and now he's banned from driving...wonder if he's been revoked?

(And presumably he wasn't banned for this per se...a points thing, or is all this worthy of a DVLA ban?)

And those out of town drivers are a thick as pigs poo.

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IDFIMH

Bit of overkill in my view.

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IDFIMH

so he wouldn't do the training got suspended and thought he could get away with going x border

we definitely need this one booted out of the trade !

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