A taxi boss allowed a wheelchair user to be regularly transported by an unlicensed driver with no insurance.
ChronicleLive reports that Andrew Michael Bird, 53, has been slapped with eight driving licence penalty points and ordered to pay £2,183 after being prosecuted by Durham County Council at Peterlee Magistrates' Court.
The court heard how council officers were carrying out an operation in July last year when they saw a minibus arrive at the Pathways Centre in Pity Me, Durham.
The officers watched the passenger, a wheelchair user, exiting the vehicle and being taken into the centre by the driver and a passenger assistant. The minibus had Birds Taxis branding on it and was plated as a private hire vehicle.
Checks were carried out on the vehicle, including of the straps holding the wheelchair in place, and the driver and passenger assistant were asked for their private hire driver licence badge and authorisation badge respectively.
Magistrates were told neither the driver or passenger assistant had badges with them, with the passenger assistant having forgotten hers. The driver said he did not have a licence from Durham County Council.
The court was told that Bird has held a private hire operator licence since around 2001 and holds a number of contracts with Durham County Council to transport children through home to school contracts, and vulnerable adults to either school or work placements.
As a private hire operator, Bird is required to keep detailed booking records. However magistrates heard the booking records he produced had little of the information required.
The court heard Bird had allowed the wheelchair user to be driven by the unlicensed driver on an almost daily basis for over six months. That driver had not undertaken the knowledge and locality tests set by Durham County Council and there had been no DBS or medical check.
Magistrates heard there was no insurance in place as the defendant was allowing an unlicensed driver to drive a licensed vehicle.
Bird, from Shildon, County Durham, pleaded guilty to three charges. He was fined £1,320, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £528 and costs of £335, and given the driving licence points.
Ian Harrison, the council’s business compliance manager, said: "Mr Bird had no way of knowing if the driver was a fit and proper person to carry out this kind of work, potentially putting the passenger at risk.
"We know that most taxi companies in County Durham comply with licensing law but we hope this prosecution will serve as a reminder to any that might be to tempted to take shortcuts, that we will take action where legislation is not followed."
Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/county-durham-taxi-boss-allowed-28850529
Taxi drivers have slammed price hikes that will see them charged more to operate in Spelthorne. One driver called the increases 'shocking' while another said the move was 'unfair'.
SurreyLive reports that Spelthorne Borough Council licensing bosses agreed to increase the cost of taxi licences by 5% and other related charges to ensure taxi fees are cost neutral so taxpayers are not subsidising the service.
However, taxi drivers say they have been ‘neglected and taken for granted’ by the council in asking for change.
Taxi fares have remained frozen in the borough since 2015 with a planned review failing to go ahead. Drivers fees will now increase by £16 for driver's licence in a private hire vehicle to £204, while one-year operating fees have increased by £17 to £366.
Jon Barlow of BlueStar Taxis said: “There’s nothing happening here. I don’t know why they want to increase the fee. There’s no [taxi] rank for us, no security for us, hundreds of drivers next to Heathrow [who make up traffic]."
Costs to change vehicles, which Jon said several drivers have done to avoid the extra ULEZ charges, have also increased by £8 to £175. The increases were confirmed at licensing committee earlier this month and will be introduced from April 1.
The committee heard that fares have not risen in line with 2024's level of inflation, representing a 31% drop in value.
Officers said the licensing department had intended to review fare tariffs in the financial year 2023/24 but due to issues with staff absences from long term illnesses and two vacant posts, this has not been possible.
Taxi drivers who submitted responses to the council's proposed fee increases claimed the service from the licensing department was ‘poor’, with one individual calling the department a ‘joke’.
Complainants also argued removing tinted windows and replacing cars when they reach 10 years old would restrict business and cause great expense to drivers and firms.
Considering the feedback, the licensing committee decided it would review the restriction on 10-year-old vehicles with the taxi licensing policy in summer 2024.
The main reason Jon said he liked working in the taxi industry was the ‘flexibility’ it provided. However, he said new ULEZ charges and council rules against tinted windows makes his taxi operating service increasingly constrained.
“We’re struggling but we’ll keep on going,” Jon said.
Drivers' comments recieved during the consultation labelled the price hikes as ‘an abuse of common sense’ and ‘unfair’.
Dominic, another taxi operator, described the increase as ‘shocking’ and said it will have a ‘knock-on effect’.
Licence holders criticised the limited taxi ranks available in the borough, as well as the ‘poor’ condition of faded markings on the Gresham Road taxi rank in Staines causing confusion with other drivers.
Councillors on the committee agreed to review the condition of Gresham Road taxi rank in the coming financial year.
The licensing committee also suggested that Shepperton Train Station could benefit from having a taxi rank.
Source: https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/spelthorne-taxi-drivers-slam-price-28760115
A drug dealer was caught by armed police after he took a taxi for just a 100 metres.
The Argus reports that officers from the tactical firearms unit on plain-clothes patrols spotted Fiorent Muharremi acting suspiciously in Clifton Road, Brighton, at the junction with Clifton Hill.
The 20-year-old got into a taxi and was taken just 100 metres before getting out of the vehicle again.
He was stopped and detained by the officers for a search. They found packages of white powder in Muharremi’s jacket pocket.
Muharremi was arrested and charged following the search on February 7.
At Lewes Crown Court on Thursday, March 7, he admitted possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply and a Class B drug with intent to supply.
Muharremi, of no fixed address, was sentenced to two years in custody in a youth offenders' institution.
TFU Inspector Oli Fisher said: “Our highly trained officers conduct a variety of duties above and beyond armed response and regularly carry out patrols to assist our colleagues across the force.
“This includes proactive operations to help disrupt the supply of drugs, which cause so much harm in our communities.”
Source: https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/24192764.sussex-police-catch-drug-dealer-brighton-got-taxi/
Lichfield District Council has revoked a taxi operator's licence in the "interests of public safety" – the taxi operator and driver cannot be named as they are both subject to a separate criminal investigation by licensing officers.
The Express & Star reports that the local authority's Regulatory and Licensing Sub-Committee heard on March 7 that a local care home contacted the operator on January 11 and booked a taxi to take a vulnerable person and their carer to a supermarket.
The operator was already under investigation, and licensing officers headed to the supermarket to apprehend the taxi having received a tip-off.
They found that the operator had given the job to an unlicensed driver, who had not had a required medical examination or criminal records check and was using an unlicensed and uninsured vehicle that had not had the necessary safety checks.
Officers suspended the operator's licence the same day.
The sub-committee of three elected councillors determined that the operator, who had been called to the hearing, was "not a fit and proper person" to hold the licence.
They noted that their 'paramount consideration' was the protection of the public, and that the same should have been true for the operator.
Instead, the sub-committee found he had 'put profit before public safety' and, by not keeping accurate records, thought that he would 'get away with it'.
The operator also held his own combined hackney carriage and private hire vehicle drivers’ licence, which the sub-committee revoked and his details will be added to a national register to prevent him from being granted a licence elsewhere.
Following the hearing, cabinet member, Councillor Alex Farrell, said: "This disgraceful conduct falls well below what we expect from the taxi drivers and operators that we license.
"Protecting the public is our first consideration and I hope this sends a strong warning to any other operator or driver who is considering cutting corners."
Police have released an image of a woman after a taxi driver was attacked in his car.
KentOnline reports that officers are investigating the assault of the man in Cheriton Road, Folkestone.
The incident happened shortly after 10.30pm on Monday, March 4.
A police spokesman said: “Officers are investigating and have released an image of a woman who may be able to assist with their enquiries.”
He did not sustain any serious injuries.
Anyone with information, or who recognises the woman, should call police on 01843 222289 quoting reference 46/36471/24.
You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or use the form on their website.
Source: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/folkestone/news/image-released-after-taxi-driver-attacked-303614/
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