A not unusual scenario, I'd guess. And he presumably made things worse by saying his plated car had just broken down, when the evidence confirmed he'd been using the unplated car for a while
No word of what has happened to his badge and plate, though.
Taxi driver fined after illegally picking up children from schoolshttps://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/cri ... ls-8741672“The use of an unlicensed vehicle is not only unlawful, but also poses wider risks”A man has been fined after being caught illegally picking up and transporting children to and from school in his vehicle as part of the Council’s school transport provision.
Keith Lambton, 53 of Henley Avenue, Pelton Fell in Chester-le-Street, was using an unlicenced and uninsured vehicle to carry out the pick up and drop off service for contracted work with Durham County Council.
As part of his contract, Lambton was allowed to collect up to five children, aged between 11 to 16 years old, from various addresses in County Durham, and take them to school, before later picking them back up to take them home.
However, although Lambton was a licensed taxi driver, he was observed by Council officers picking up children in an unlicensed vehicle.
Peterlee Magistrates Court heard that officers spoke to Lambton, who stated that he was aware the vehicle he was using was unlicensed.
He told officers that his fully licensed vehicle had broken down that afternoon, and he wanted to make sure that the contract was still fulfilled. In the meantime, he had submitted a new application for the vehicle he was currently using. After this, he was instructed to leave the area.
CCTV images were later obtained that showed Lambton using the same unlicensed vehicle to collect children the previous day. It was later confirmed with his insurance company that he was also not insured to use the vehicle for these collections.
During interview, Lambton admitted that he'd used the vehicle without the correct license and that it was not correctly insured. He made clear that he realised this was a mistake, but that it was his first in all his years as a licensed driver.
Owen Cleugh, safer places manager at Durham County Council, said: "The use of an unlicensed vehicle is not only unlawful, but also poses wider risks due to the lack of our usual safety tests, and it not being insured for this type of activity.
"Uninsured vehicles and journeys don't just put the passengers at risk; they also present a potential danger to other road users.
"We carry out enforcement of our home to school contracts to ensure that the drivers and vehicles are correctly licensed as we take the safety of our children and the travelling public very seriously. Hopefully this case demonstrates that we will take swift action against any driver without the proper license or insurance."
Lambton was fined £280 and ordered to pay costs of £288 and a victim surcharge of £80. Altogether, he was ordered to pay £568. He was also given six penalty points on his licence.
Login
Register
FAQ
