Taxi Driver Online

Revocation in Bristol for the same thing, wasn't it?

(Or failure to renew, or whatever - amounts to the same thing...)


'Pirating' Glasgow private hire driver hit with eight-week ban

https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glas ... r-34526357

A complaint was made by a taxi driver who had witnessed the incident.

A private hire driver who picked up passengers without a prior booking has been hit with an eight-week ban.

Isshak Sharif was called before Glasgow’s licensing committee following a complaint from a taxi driver. Enforcement officers were told Mr Sharif had negotiated with three girls who were looking for a cab in Glasgow city centre.

The complaint stated one of the girls had approached the taxi driver after negotiating with a private hire driver. The girl started to “tell me the address” when another girl shouted that the private hire driver was willing to take them, the taxi driver added.

During an interview with enforcement officers, Mr Sharif said he had not been working on the Uber system that night and had just finished a shift at a bike shop when he was approached by the girls.

He said: “One of them was very drunk and asked me to take them to Buchanan Bus Station.

“I felt sorry for them so I took them to the bus station but did not charge them any money. I realise I made a mistake, I will not take anyone without a pre-booking on my system.”

After watching a video of the incident, Cllr Alex Wilson, SNP, the licensing committee chair, said: “It’s quite conclusive that three female patrons entered your vehicle and you weren’t on the Uber system so you were plying for trade or you’ve taken females in your car when you shouldn’t have.”

Plying for trade, or ‘pirating’, is where a private hire car driver picks up passengers off the street who have not booked in advance.

While black cabs are allowed to take people without a booking, private hire cars are restricted to passengers with a pre-arranged booking. When drivers ‘pirate’ for trade, their insurance is invalidated.

The driver reiterated one of the girls as “very drunk” and he felt sorry for her. “I made a mistake, I shouldn’t be doing this but I just want to help her,” he added.

Cllr Wilson said: “Your licence is one of your main things for earning money and taking people round the city. You’ve abused that licence.”

He added: “Is it not just the case that you were sitting in the city centre and you were approached and you thought ‘I can make some money here’ and you took three females in your vehicle?”

Mr Sharif denied the claim, adding: “I have been doing private hires for almost six years, I have never, ever been in this situation.”

The committee decided to suspend his licence for eight weeks.

He must be a very charitable sort

I mean, he's taking an incredibly drunk female in his car without charge (allegedly) because he feels sorry for her?

And he's been in the trade for six years?

Don't want to sound sniffy, but the precise term is 'plying for hire'. That's the second article in two days to use that incorrect term

The problem is that the term 'plying for trade' is often used more widely to simply mean doing business, or whatever.

So the Ubers in Cornwall yesterday were said to be 'plying for trade' in the sense that they were simply working there, while the perception was that they shouldn't be. 'Touting' was also used similarly. But all they were doing was working legally cross-border.

Of course, there were accusations that the Ubers were sitting on and taking hires and unbooked fares from taxi ranks etc. Which would, of course, be plying for hire in the more precise sense.

_________________
IDFIMH

translation: never, ever been caught in this situation until now.