Taxi Driver Online

Another Trafford Council news release with the usual type of background detail which simply wouldn't appear in the vast majority of the stuff churned out by the typical local authority

And certainly no hiding place for dodgy drivers in Trafford - imagine if every driver who did something like this was hauled through the courts

No mention of his badge, though, but if the council are as gung ho about that as actually prosecuting drivers...

On the other hand, maybe they think it's just better to prosecute rather than suspend, because that's more of a punishment. And maybe revocation would be over the top for this sort of stuff, or at least for an isolated case.

But who knows - if we need national standards in terms of quality control, then a more uniform approach to this kind of stuff is surely required?


Taxi driver who charged a Manchester United fan nearly twice the correct fare fined by magistrates

https://www.trafford.gov.uk/residents/n ... rates.aspx

A Hackney Carriage driver was found guilty of overcharging a football fan, who had travelled from Ireland with his son to watch Manchester United, after court action by Trafford Council.

Manchester Magistrates heard that the pair checked in to Hotel Football on 1 March, the night before Manchester United played Fulham at Old Trafford.

They were heading into the city centre for food and got into Mr Mandeep Singh’s Hackney Carriage after spotting him waiting in the rank on Sir Matt Busby Way.

During the journey, the complainant noticed the meter wasn’t on but trusted that Mr Singh, 43, of Mellor Street, Stretford, would charge him appropriately.

However, when they pulled up outside the Hawksmoor steakhouse on Deansgate, Mr Singh asked for £15, despite the roads having been quiet.

Shocked, the complainant paid up, so as not to miss his restaurant reservation, but subsequently reported the matter to Trafford Council’s Licensing Enforcement Team.

During an interview at Trafford Town Hall, Mr Singh said that the fare should have been about £8 and that he should have used the meter but ‘forgot’.

In fact, Council officers calculated that the fare was 92% higher than it should have been, according to Trafford Council’s Table of Fares for Hackney Carriages.

Magistrates found Mr Singh was found guilty of failing to engage his meter and charging more than the legal fare. He received a fine of £440 plus a £176 victim surcharge and £180 towards costs.

Cllr Rose Thompson, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Communities and Safety said:

“We are pleased that the customer brought this matter to our attention. This case shows that the public and the Council will not tolerate behaviour that does not meet the required standards, from anyone who is licenced to trade in Trafford.

“Trafford’s Hackney Carriages play a vital role in transporting customers and this activity undermines the hard work and consideration that our drivers give every day.”

Even if he genuinely forgot to use the meter you'd think that if he was being honest he'd make a conservative estimate of the fare and attempt to recover that.

Almost double what the fare should have been is a smoking gun that he was simply just being dishonest

Amazed they prosecuted him for that.

Maybe they have history with his iffyness, and this was the final straw.

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IDFIMH

It goes on all the time in Trafford on match days

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

When I forget to put the meter on I always charge under the actual price . Just to cover my back.