A Glasgow taxi driver has narrowly avoided losing his licence after racking up nine penalty points for various traffic offences.

Arsalan Khan appeared before the city's licensing and regulatory committee, where he was issued a stern warning about his future conduct. His offences included failing to obey traffic lights, ignoring pedestrian crossings, and speeding.

Committee chair Alex Wilson expressed concern over Khan's driving record, stating, "You seem to be going through the list of driving contraventions." He questioned how Khan would manage to avoid further points and potential disqualification.

Khan apologised for his past behavior and promised to be "very careful" in the future. However, the committee granted him a restricted licence until October 2026, emphasising the need for strict adherence to traffic regulations.

• Share on Facebook
• Tweet about it

A 70-year-old taxi driver from Wellesbourne has had his licence revoked after continuing to operate his vehicle despite his car having twice failed its MoT.

The vehicle, which had been deemed unsafe to drive due to dangerous defects, was used to transport passengers, including children on their way to school.

Stratford DC's licensing panel was told the driver covered more than 1,300 miles, despite two MoT failures in eight months.

Councillors expressed serious concerns about the safety risks posed by the driver's actions.

The driver had received warnings for other breaches of his licence, the council said and concluded that he was no longer fit to hold a licence.

In a separate incident, a 52-year-old Stratford taxi driver was suspended for 28 days after he “caused a risk to the safety of himself and other road users”.

He was caught on CCTV double-parked, facing against the flow of traffic, causing other road users to brake and manoeuvre to avoid his vehicle.

He then drove against the flow of traffic, turned and parked facing against the flow of traffic on the opposite side of the road.

The council added that he “also failed to meet his duty of care and refused to take a fare without reasonable excuse to a potential passenger".

The driver received a 28-day suspension.

• Share on Facebook
• Tweet about it

A private hire taxi driver has been ordered to pay more than £700 after pleading guilty to illegally accepting passengers without a booking during Henley Regatta.

Shabuddin Parvas, 54, from Reading, pleaded guilty at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Friday, November 15 to unlawfully plying for hire in Henley and failing to wear his driver’s badge.

The court heard that on July 5 licensing officers from South Oxfordshire DC carried out checks to ensure that taxis were operating legally during the Henley Regatta. 

Mr Parvas was observed in a prominent location on Thameside, near the main pedestrian route between the Regatta site and Henley train station. 

When an undercover officer approached the vehicle, Mr Parvas agreed to transport six passengers to Reading train station without a pre-booking. 

According to South Oxfordshire District Council, Henley Regatta is persistently targeted by unlicensed drivers from outside the area and 16 have been successfully prosecuted for operating illegally over the last three years, with further court hearings listed over the next few months.

Taking mitigating factors and an early guilty plea into account, Magistrates fined Mr Parvas £145 and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £58 and £500 in prosecution costs. 

Councillor Georgina Heritage, cabinet member for communities at South Oxfordshire DC said: "We will continue to carry out checks to stop those who are operating illegally and we hope this conviction serves as a reminder to all drivers to understand and follow the terms of their licences.”

• Share on Facebook
• Tweet about it

Guernsey's minimum taxi fare is set to rise by nearly 5% from Monday 25 November, the States has announced.

Environment and Infrastructure (E&I) has agreed an annual increase of 4.75% as well as some changes to the tariff structure.

The changes mean a two-mile journey in the day for up to four people will rise by 40p to £6.50, while a five-mile taxi ride in the evening or on public holidays will increase by £1 to £24.10.

Deputy Adrian Gabriel, vice-president of E&I, said the committee had "taken feedback" on board.

E&I said the price rises took taxi operating costs into account as well as average earnings on the island.

Gabriel said the fares were the "absolute maximum" firms could charge but that they were "under no obligation" to change the top rate.

He said firms could decide to offer lower fares or negotiate deals with customers "to put themselves on a more competitive footing".

E&I said there were 13 responses to a recent public consultation on the changes, including feedback from people in the taxi industry and the public.

The committee agreed two changes to the tariff structure, including starting the higher evening rate at 18:00 GMT on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve and increasing the price for journeys involving seven passengers.

However, it rejected three other changes after "listening to feedback" from the public consultation, as the proposals could have resulted in fewer taxi drivers choosing to work late at night.

• Share on Facebook
• Tweet about it

Barnsley MBC is consulting on installing free CCTV in all taxis after successfully gaining funding from the government's Innovation Fund.

Cabbie are currently being urged to take part in the consultation which could see the council install FREE CCTV cameras in all 500 taxis from as early as April 2025.

Councillors will meet on 5 March, following the consultation, and then will implement the mandatory requirement at a full council meeting later that month.

Council Statement:

Barnsley MBC has updated its Statement of Taxi and Private Hire policy to include the draft requirement for all hackney carriages licensed with the council to install CCTV. We now seek your views in respect of this.

This consultation will run for ten weeks commencing on 25 October 2024 and finishing at 12am on 3 January 2025.

The focus of the CCTV requirement is to promote the safety of drivers and members of the public.

You can view the draft amendments to the policy on our website: https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/public-notices/

Alternatively a hard copy can be made available for viewing at Library @ the Lightbox - please email licensing@barnsley.gov.uk.

You can submit your responses via:

Email: licensing@barnsley.gov.uk - Subject Title: CCTV Taxi Licensing Policy

Post: Licensing Regulatory Services PO Box 634 Barnsley S70 9G

• Share on Facebook
• Tweet about it