Taxi Driver Online

10 Jan 2008

Hire driver fines for picking up fares

A PRIVATE hire taxi driver has been successfully prosecuted by St Albans
District Council for collecting passengers without bookings.

The council took the action against Askar Younis, aged 44, from Luton,
after he was found to contravene licensing laws by picking up passengers
who had not pre-booked, which voids the vehicle's insurance.

The prosecution followed a number of complaints from the hackney
carriage trade about private hire drivers like Younis breaking the rules.

Younis pleaded guilty to the offence of plying for hire when he appeared at
St Albans Magistrates Court and the bench gave him credit for his early
plea.

They imposed a fine of £200 along with an order to pay £200 in costs but
they warned him that the maximum fine for such an offence was £2,500.

Following the hearing, the council stressed that they would continue to
monitor the situation and prosecute private hire drivers who plied for hire.

Cllr Anthony Rowlands, portfolio holder for community engagement and
support, said: "It is only fair on the hackney carriage trade that the
council's licensing department are vigilant in deterring private hire
operators from breaching licensing regulations by plying for trade."

In another case, the council have also successfully defended their decision
to refuse a taxi licence to a man convicted of a serious dishonesty offence.

Shoukat Ali Khan, aged 39, from Luton, had his licence revoked when he
was convicted of perverting the course of justice in 2006.

He was unsuccessful in appealing that decision and the latest hearing was
the result of another application which was turned down by the council.

The magistrates dismissed the appeal, upholding the council's view that
Khan was not a "fit and proper person" to hold a hackney carriage driver's
licence.

Senior licensing officer at the district council, Paul Holden, said: "We are
very pleased that the court has supported our view that dishonesty is a
serious concern for taxi drivers who will be in a one-to-one situation with
members of the public."

Cllr Rowlands said: "The applicant has been found guilty of a serious
offence. The decision of the court to refuse the applicant's appeal is to be
welcomed and sends out the right message that a high degree of honesty
is required of hackney carriage drivers by the council.

Source: Advertiser 24

GOOD..... MINISCAB [edited by admin]

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FORUMS ARE A GOOD PLACE TO LET OFF STEAM ! DONT TAKE LIFE TO SERIOUSLY ..

Never had minicabs outside of London.

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IDFIMH

hang on isn't deregulation supposed to prevent this type of behaviour?

Deregulation is supposed to stop many things ...................... the fact remains that it raises more questions than it answers.

B. Lucky

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

No.

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IDFIMH

Don't you mean de-restriction?

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Grandad,

No de-restriction is the termanolgy of those who want a world that suits them.

The correct term is deregulation of numbers.

and lets not forget how it works so well on our busses and trains????????

B. Lucky

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

What you mean the billions of taxpayers money that goes into the deregulated buses and trains, yet f*** all goes into the cab trade?

I wonder how many of the taxi/PH trade would say no to the billions given to the buses and trains?

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IDFIMH

In the Taxi trade and I say that collectively for expediency, where a clear "opportunity" presents itself in the guise of an illegitimate hire then a high proportion of drivers on both sides of the trade would think nothing whatsoever of accepting the hire, even if a hackney cab driver was outside their own licensed area.

I say that because I see it on a regular basis.

We have a situation here in Manchester and I might add that I think Manchester might be typical of the rest of the country, where private hire drivers blatantly pick up flaggers off the street. They also rank up outside nightclubs and other places of entertainment in speculation of obtaining work.

On the other hand it is quite common for me to see Manchester cab drivers picking up passengers in other licensed areas, after being flagged.

Therefore if enforcement officers wanted to go shopping for hackney cab drivers picking up outside their licensed area then I know for a fact that they would have a field day, certainly in Manchester.

Any hackney cab driver who has ever picked up an illegal fare outside their own licensed area cannot really condemn anyone else for doing the same. I would has at a guess that few cab drivers in the country can say they have never been tempted to take an illegal fare from outside their own area when a safe opportunity presented itself.

I think the main beef of hackney carriage drivers is the way some private hire drivers blatantly and openly ply for hire.

Regards

JD

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