FIT AND PROPER
BRADFORD PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER TO PAY OVER £3,000 FOR UNLAWFUL PICK UP AT YORK RACES
A private hire driver who pleaded guilty on Thursday 24 April 2025, to picking up passengers on the street, has been ordered to pay a total £3,326 by York Magistrates. Zaid Saleem, 58, from Bradford holds a private hire licence with Wolverhampton and Leeds City Council, and works for Drive Private Hire.
On 25 May 2024, City of York Council Licensing Officers took part in one of a number of enforcement operations which take place regularly. This one was to detect private hire drivers who unlawfully take un-booked
passengers, and it took place at York Racecourse and in the city centre. Officers approached Mr Saleem in his private hire vehicle on Clock Tower Way near York Racecourse. They agreed that he would drive them to York railway station for a fare of £10 which breached his licence.
Saleem appeared at York Magistrates’ Court on 24 April and pleaded guilty to the offence of unlawfully plying for hire. He was sentenced to pay a fine of £90, a surcharge of £36 as well as the council’s costs of £3,200.
Cllr Jenny Kent, environment lead at City of York Council, said: “If an unlicensed driver picks up a customer without a prior and formal booking they
are not
insured for the journey and are acting illegally. “It is also important that those drivers who pay for the entitlement and licence to pick up fares are protected from being undercut by those who do not.” Leeds and Wolverhampton councils have been informed of the outcome, so they can review Mr Saleem’s PH driver licence status as a ‘fit and proper’ person.
SOUTH OXON CABBIE FINED AND BANNED FROM DRIVING FOR OFFERING ILLEGAL RIDES IN READING
A South Oxfordshire licensed private hire and hackney carriage driver has been ordered to pay more than £1,000 in costs and given a six-month driving ban after operating whilst his licence was suspended and illegally plying for hire in Reading. Talal Bin Mumtaz Raja from Reading, was found guilty
at
Reading Magistrates’ Court and convicted of four offences on 7 April 2025. Magistrates heard how, on 23 March 2024, Reading licensing officers conducting an undercover test purchase operation flagged Mr Raja’s vehicle down outside the Penta Hotel on Oxford Road, Reading, where he agreed to take an officer to an address in Tilehurst for £12 without prior booking. Although Mr Raja is licensed as a
66
hackney carriage driver, this only entitles him to pick up customers without a booking in the borough where he is licensed. During their investigation and liaison with South Oxfordshire District Council, it was discovered that Mr Raja’s driving and vehicle licences were suspended at the time of the test purchase, as he had failed to complete mandatory disability training. Presiding Magistrates imposed fines of £700 for the offences of plying for hire and operating without insurance. Mr Raja was also handed costs of £1,000, and the victim surcharge of £280, and is now subject to a six-month driving ban. Cllr John Ennis, Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said: “This is the second successful
prosecution of a taxi driver illegally plying for hire in Reading in just a few weeks, thanks to the hard work of Reading’s licensing team. “This result emphasises our message that behaviour of this kind will not be tolerated. Private hire and hackney
carriage
customers are entitled to trust that the person driving is properly vetted, authorised, checked, and licensed. “Unlicensed drivers undermining that trust will be robustly dealt with to maintain public confidence and ensure safety. “I hope this and the other recent successful prosecutions serve as a deterrent to drivers who are tempted to work opportunistically and outside of the law in Reading.”
MAY 2025 PHTM
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