FIT AND PROPER WATFORD CABBIE’S LICENCE REVOKED FOR INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR AGAINST A PASSENGER
A Magistrate has upheld Three Rivers DC’s decision to revoke a taxi driver’s licence after reports of inappropriate behaviour against a passenger. Shams Pervaiz, from Watford, had his licence revoked being reported to the council. Licensing officers had interviewed the victim and
three other passengers. They said Mr Pervaiz’s behaviour and con- versations during the journey made the passengers feel extremely uncomfortable. Following a report of inapprop- riate touching, the driver’s licence was immediately revoked in the interest of public safety.
Officers considered him not to be a fit and proper person or safe and suitable to remain a licensed taxi driver after they interviewed Mr Pervaiz. The hearing took place at St Albans Magistrates’ Court in front of Deputy District Judge Low on 16 December 2024.
UBER DRIVER FINED FOR ILLEGALLY PLYING FOR HIRE IN READING
An Uber driver, licensed by New Forest DC, has been caught illegally offering his services in Reading. In the early hours of June 1 last year, licensing officers approached Muhammad Imran Bajwa in an undercover operation on Oxford Road. He agreed to take them to Tilehurst for a fare of £15, without the required pre-booking. Mr Bajwa was also not wearing his
taxi driver’s badge and had not attached the taxi licence plate to his car, making his vehicle look the same as any ordinary private car. Appearing at Reading Magistrates Court on 17 January 2025, Mr Bajwa, from Reading, pleaded guilty to illegally plying for hire, and operating without the correct insurance. The court fined him £80 and £120
respectively, a reduced sum due to pleading guilty at the first hearing. He was also fined £40 each for failing to wear his licence badge and failing to exhibit his licence plate. He was ordered to pay costs of £176 and a victim surcharge of £112. The court also endorsed Mr Bajwa’s driving licence with eight penalty points for using a motor vehicle without valid insurance.
STRATFORD TAXI DRIVER RECEIVES EIGHT-WEEK SUSPENSION AFTER LICENSING PANEL DECISION
A taxi driver from Stratford-on- Avon has had his licence suspended for eight weeks follow- ing allegations of an assault on a driver licensed by another council. It is alleged that the driver, licensed by Stratford-on Avon DC for the last 38 years, assaulted the other driver in June 2024 in Stratford-upon-Avon. The incident was reported to Warwickshire Police but then withdrawn by the complainant. Given the evidence
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provided and for reasons of public safety, the licensing department continued to investigate. At a Licensing Panel meeting in November, the driver took some accountability for his actions and agreed that his behaviour fell below that of what is expected by the licensing authority. The panel noted that the incident was serious. However, the panel did not consider that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that the driver’s behaviour was likely to
pose a threat to the safety of passengers, as such it considered revocation of his dual hackney carriage and private hire driver’s licence disproportionate. The panel agreed that some action was required to emphasise the importance of complying with the council’s policies and conditions as applied to licensed taxi drivers in the interests of the public. Accordingly, the panel resolved to suspend the driver’s dual licence for a period of eight weeks.
FEBRUARY 2025 PHTM
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