FIT AND PROPER
LUTON TAXI DRIVER TO PAY THOUSANDS AFTER STING OPERATION UNCOVERS OVERCHARGING
A Luton taxi driver has been ordered to pay thousands of pounds after being caught overcharging a passenger. Nazik Sabir was found guilty of failing to use his taximeter and charging more than the metered fare during a “test purchase” operation conducted by Central Bedfordshire Council in September 2025. Sabir admitted to remembering
the journey during an interview under caution, he denied that he had overcharged the undercover officers involved in the sting. The case proceeded despite Sabir failing to attend the court hearing. He was fined £220 and ordered to pay legal costs totalling £2,141.55. Cllr Tracey Wye emphasised the importance
of accountability, stating: “Licensed taxi drivers are
trusted to charge passengers fairly and in line with the law.” She added that the prosecution “sends a clear message that we will not tolerate drivers who abuse that trust by failing to use their meter or overcharging customers.” The council maintains these checks are essential for “protecting the public and ensuring a level playing field” for drivers who follow the rules.
BOLTON COUNCIL TARGETS DRIVER MISCONDUCT IN LICENSING CRACKDOWN
Bolton Council has taken firm action against several private hire drivers and licence applicants, issuing bans and licence rejections to protect public safety. Following a series of licensing committee meetings in early 2026, officials emphasised that maintaining the status of a “fit and proper person to hold a licence” requires strict adherence to
the law and
transparency with the council. One driver was hit with an eight-
week suspension following a 2024 conviction for using a mobile phone while driving. The committee labelled the incident a “major traffic offence” and expressed concern that the driver failed to report the conviction to the council. His history, which included a previous warning letter “regarding breach of conditions,” ultimately led to the 2-month ban. In a similar case, a second driver received a four-week suspension
MESSAGE FROM BRISTOL AND SOUTH GLOS TAXICOP PATRICK QUINTON
Bristol and South Gloucestershire Taxicop, Patrick Quinton, gave the following message: in October 2024, a private hire vehicle was detected speeding in Somerset. The licence holder stated someone else was driving at the time (who was an unlicensed driver). We didn’t believe that, and nor did Bath Magistrates who on the 22 January found him guilty of failing
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to furnish the name and address of the real driver. He was sentenced to six DVLA points and £837 fine/costs. The matter has been reported to the council who will consider if he remains a fit and proper person to hold a private hire driver and private hire vehicle licence. Another reminder to not lie about traffic offences!
for a mobile phone conviction from May 2025. The committee acknowledged “the driver’s good record” when deciding on a shorter ban. A third driver narrowly avoided losing his licence after failing to identify a driver to the police, an offence that typically leads to revocation. He was issued a warning letter instead after the committee considered “the domestic difficulties the driver had experienced,” despite him also failing to report a previous speed awareness course. The council also proved it would take a hard line on an applicant’s personal history, rejecting a licence for a man arrested in 2022 on suspicion of strangling his wife. Although no further action was taken by police at the time, the committee did not find the applicant’s denials “credible” and concluded that “on the balance of probabilities a serious incident did occur.”
Officials blocked the
application to ensure the individual did not “pose a risk to the public.
MARCH 2026 PHTM
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