44 PRIVATE HIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY
MARCH 2009 LIMO LAW
ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE PINK LADY TRAPPED AGAIN
A chauffeur who picked up an undercover ‘stag do’ in her pink limo has been prosecuted for not having the right licence.
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Shirley Forrest, 25, picked up three men from Ashton-under- Lyne, in the £15,000 car, minutes later the trio revealed them- selves to be a police officer and two council enforcement officers. She pleaded guilty to not having an operator licence. Tameside Mag- istrates gave her a 12-month conditional discharge, six points
and a £500 fine.
It was the second time she had been targeted in an undercover ‘sting’; the first time she escaped prosecution after it emerged limou- sine drivers do not need operators’ licences to pick up wedding parties. On that occasion, she picked up a wedding party - only to recognise the ‘bride’ as a council licensing officer. Ms Forrest, who now works at a nursery, said: “It’s bizarre that I can pick up a wedding party without an opera-
tors’ licence, but need it if I want to do a hen party or stag do. Tameside councillor Catherine Piddington said: “We would urge anyone thinking of booking a limousine to carry out a few simple checks to make sure it’s all legitimate.” Bill Bowling, of the National Limousine and Chauffeur Association, said drivers don’t need a licence if they only do weddings and funerals. But he added: “There is confusion over what constitutes part of a wedding.”
WALSALL PAIR FINED OVER LIMO LAW BREACHES
A father and son from Walsall have been fined £200 after spot checks on a stretch limousine found they were flout- ing the law.
Robert Careless, 57, and his 39-year-old son David have been fined by Walsall Magistrates following a swoop by Walsall Council, VOSA and the police.
Robert Careless, of Bloxwich, admitted operating a private hire vehicle when it was driv- en by an unlicensed driver.
His son, who lives in Walsall Wood, admitted
driving a licensed vehi- cle without a private hire driver’s licence. The pair were snared thanks to an operation when Walsall Council, VOSA and the police car- ried out inspections on private hire cars trans- porting a party of children to a Prom-style event on July 11 last year.
They have each been ordered to pay £100 with a £15 victim surcharge. Keith Stone, Walsall Council’s assistant director for built envi- ronment, told the Walsall Advertiser: “This is an excellent
judgement which we warmly welcome. “It sends out a clear message that we will take action against taxis, cabs or limousine companies that flout the law.
“Our first priority is the safety and well-being of the public. The trade is licensed to ensure proper standards are met.
“It also sends a mes- sage to parents who may help their children hire transport to a Prom-style event which are getting increasingly popular in this country.
CRACKDOWN ON PROM LIMOS IN WEST MIDLANDS
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Prom-goers in the Black Country and Staffordshire could be faced with a shortage of stretch limousines this summer after traffic officers announced they were getting tough on unsafe vehicles. Scores of unlicensed cars, stretched Hum Vees and other novelty vehicles are putting lives at risk, according to West Midlands traf- fic commissioner Nick Jones. He has revealed new fixed penalty charges and powers to immobilise vehicles will come into force within the next three months.
Mr Jones, who makes judicial decisions on vehicle licences for businesses, is warning
that teenagers could be at risk from unscrupu- lous firms running unsafe vehicles without licences.
He told the Express and Star: “There are good operators out there but there are many who are breaking the law.
“The police tell me there are between 30,000 and 40,000 limousines in the country. “A large number were adapted from what they were originally and a large number are essen- tially ‘cut and shuts’. If they are just for per- sonal use and comply with regulations they are perfectly lawful. If they are being used for hire then different rules apply and they need a
licence.”
Mr Jones said within the next few months, new rules were coming in where the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency will be able to issue fixed penalty notices, which can run to hundreds of pounds, for violations.
“They will have the power to immobilise vehicles by fitting a device to stop it moving. “In October the rules will give officers the power to impound. In these cases vehicles without a licence when they should have one can be taken off the road and if it is com- mercially viable the vehicle will be made safe and sold. If not it will be crushed.”
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