FIT AND PROPER
WILTSHIRE TAXI DRIVERS WARNED COULD LOSE LICENCE IF THEY OVERCHARGE PASSENGERS
Taxi drivers have been warned that they could be stripped of their licences if they add their own charges onto fares to pay for the soaring cost of fuel. According to the Wiltshire Times, council officials are investigating complaints that some Wiltshire drivers have broken the rules by overcharging pas- sengers. The cost of a litre of unleaded fuel went up by 20p last month, helping to push inflation to a 40-year high. Wiltshire Council has offered to increase the fares drivers can charge by ten per cent. But it says drivers should not be making their own decisions on prices,
unless they agree a higher fare with the passenger before setting off. Its cabinet member for transport Coun- cillor Dr Mark McClelland said: “We’ve had some reports of taxi drivers adding charges to the tariff as a way of meet- ing rising costs, and it’s important for passengers to understand that they cannot do this.” At the moment, between 7am and 10pm on every day but Sunday, drivers can charge a basic £3.50 plus £2 per extra mile The council says it is prepared to raise this rate by ten per cent between 6am and 10.30pm. A consultation exercise on its plans has just come to an end.
Dr McClelland added: “We do recog- nise the cost pressures faced by taxi drivers. We’ll know the results of this consultation soon and will take action once we have considered the feedback. “Part of our business plan mission is to have vibrant, well-connected communi- ties and growing economies, and a thriving public transport network is part of that. It’s for this reason that we’re listening to the views of hackney carriage licence holders here in Wilt- shire, while also ensuring that taxi users are charged according to the law.” Taxi firm owners say the rising cost of fuel is a big issue – but the bigger prob- lem is a shortage of drivers.
ROYAL BOROUGH TAXI DRIVER BANNED AND FINED FOR PICK-UP OUTSIDE HIS LICENSED DISTRICT
A taxi driver has been banned from driving and ordered to pay almost £3,000 after plying for trade illegally during last year’s Henley Royal Regatta. According to the Henley Standard, Sharafat Anayat, 39, from Maidenhead, was found guilty of illegally picking up passengers outside of the district where he is licensed. He was also driving without the required insurance, failing to wear his council-issued driver’s badge and of obstructing council officers in the course of their duties. At Oxford Magistrates’ Court, the district judge heard how on August 13, 2021, council officers spotted Anayat’s car parked on double yellow lines in Thames Side with his taxi roof light on, which means it is available for hire. But Anayat’s car was licensed by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maiden- head and so cannot pick up within another district without a prior booking.
AUGUST 2022
A council officer asked Anayat if he could take him to an address in Slough and he replied saying he could do the journey immediately for £50 and opened the door to allow the officer entry. The licensing officers then introduced themselves and asked to see Anayat’s badge, which was not being worn.
Then, under the guise of retrieving his badge from the vehicle, Anayat drove off. The judge agreed that Anayat’s actions were a serious offence which could put public safety at risk. He was disquali- fied from driving for three months and ordered to pay a £900 fine, £2,000 costs and a £90 victim surcharge.
GLASGOW CABBIE WHO WAS OVER THE LIMIT IN CRASH FINED AND DISQUALIFIED
A taxi driver from Glasgow who crashed his hired car in snow on the A65 Settle bypass on March 31 this year has been disqualified from driving for being over the alcohol limit. The Craven Herald reports that Sharzad Anjam Amjal, 35, had collided head on with a transporter vehicle when visibility became poor. He was found to have 58 micro- grammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of
breath. The legal limit is 35 micro- grammes. Skipton magistrates were told by Amjal’s solicitor that the defendant was currently in Pakistan but had accepted responsibility. He said he had believed he was under the limit. Magistrates disqualified him from driving for 14 months and ordered he pay a fine of £150, a surcharge of £34 and costs of £85.
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