...FIT AND PROPER PLYMOUTH’S RUDEST TAXI DRIVER
LOSES BATTLE TO WIN BACK LICENCE
Plymouth’s rudest taxi driver has lost his legal battle to win back his licence. A court has ruled that Servet Bayar, 32, had been rude and aggressive to a string of passen- gers.
Plymouth City Council’s licensing chiefs said that the number of com- plaints against him was “unique”. HD driver Bayar ap- pealed that decision first to the Magis- trates and then to the Crown Court. But a judge and Jus- tices fresh to the case have now
thrown out his latest appeal.
Judge James Town- send, summing up the bench’s deci- sion, said: “We are satisfied that this appellant demon- strates a tendency to behave rudely and aggressively when challenged. “These traits are inconsistent with the standards of be- haviour rightly ex- pected of taxi drivers.” The bench did not make detailed find- ings on all 12 incidents between February 2017 and March 2019. The
judge said nothing about the kicking allegation.
But he added that they had found the six passengers who gave evidence to the two-day hearing “essentially credible”. Judge Townsend said some of the incidents were “rela- tively trivial” - but said that eight involved complaints of rudeness or ag- gression. The council’s licens- ing committee re- voked his licence in August 2018 ruling that he was no longer a “safe and suitable” person to
SANDWELL DRIVER WHO REFUSED TO CARRY WHEELCHAIR KEEPS LICENCE
A taxi driver who said he could not take a disabled pas- senger because their wheelchair was too heavy has been told he can keep his licence. According to the Birmingham Mail, Sandwell Council agreed to allow the unnamed man to continue working at its October meeting of the borough’s Licensing Sub Com- mittee. Referring to the driver only as Mr S S, the minutes of the meeting - which was closed to the public and press - revealed councillors were asked to review the driver’s licence after the
APRIL 2020
passenger com- plained to the council.
In a submission to committee mem- bers, he said be- lieved he was un- able to lift the wheelchair which he said was heavy and more like a scooter. He added that he called his base to ask for another driver to help transport it. In making their decision, the min- utes recorded coun- cillors decided not revoke or suspend his licence, noting: “The Sub Commit- tee considered the period of time Mr S S had been a taxi driver and deemed Mr S S to be a fit and proper person.
“The Sub Commit- tee suggested that it would be helpful to clarify with the base if Mr S S had concerns regarding lifting.”
In a separate case, councillors refused to issue a licence after hearing an applicant had been caught driving with- out insurance three times. Committee members were told guidelines recommended a licence should not be granted if a driver had more than one conviction in the last tenyears. Refusing the appli- cation councillors said they had no reason to depart from the guidelines.
have a HC licence. Bayar appealed that decision to Ply- mouth Magistrates’ Court. But a hearing there in February 2019 upheld the councillors’ decision and ordered him to pay costs of £2,696.98. The driver then appealed the ruling of the magistrates to Plymouth Crown Court. The court also heard that even after Mr Bayar’s revocation in August 2018, fur-
ther complaints were received by the council between September 2018 and February 2019. Bayar disputed de- tails of all 12 com- plaints, saying that he could not recall some of the inci- dents and denying any wrongdoing in the others. The first complaint came with- in weeks of Bayar getting his licence. Asked whether he had kicked the man in the back, he said: “No, that’s not true.”
But he accepted that he could have unknowingly “upset someone” while doing his job. The appeal panel ordered that Bayar should pay another £1,300 towards the costs of the case – adding up to just under £4,000 with the magistrates’ case costs. Judge Townsend said that he would have two years to pay after hearing that Bayar had lost his livelihood.
TAXI DRIVER IN THREE RIVERS ADMITS THREE COUNTS OF FRAUD
A taxi driver within Three Rivers has been ordered to pay a fine including costs totalling £2,110 after she admitted three counts of fraud According to My Local News, bet- ween September 2014 and May 2018, Manjit Kaur, 45, from Watford failed to promptly notify Three Rivers District Council of a change of circumstances which she knew would affect her entitlement to Hous- ing Benefit. Kaur had her private hire driving licence revoked after failing to notify the council of a change of cir- cumstances. Further to the sen- tence, Mrs Kaur then failed to disclose this conviction to
the licensing team at the council who were only made aware when an eagle-eyed licensing officer noticed the sentence in the Wat- ford
Observer in
early December 2019. Mrs Kaur was subse- quently interviewed and admitted to the conviction and fail- ing to disclose this information to the licensing authority as required by the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Pol- icy 2019. Cllr Stephen Giles Medhurst, Lead Member for Trans- port and Economic Development, said: “All licensed drivers are required to advise the licensing authority within 72 hours, or when is practicably possi-
ble, of any involve- ment with police. This includes inves- tigations and arrests so officers can undertake
an
assessment as to whether the driver remains fit and proper to
be
licensed. Three Rivers takes licens- ing of drivers and their vehicles seri- ously and we will not hesitate to revoke licences from those who don’t abide the rules.” After full considera- tion of the facts, Mrs Kaur’s private hire driver licence was revoked by Three Rivers, and she was subsequently issued with a simple cau- tion and her details added to the NAFN 9 National Anti- Fraud Network) database.
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