FIT AND PROPER
Is it our imagination, or are more and more drivers falling off the rails for more severe and dangerous actions? Here we have, amongst others, a licence holder who couldn’t appear at his committee hearing because he is behind bars; a driver who ploughed into another vehicle and killed its driver; smatterings of illegal plying and counts of no insurance; out-of-area drivers touting and plying; insurance fraud, weapon carrying drivers, and one driver whose illicit past caught up with him 13 years later through his DNA. The recession has now been going on for two years, during which time in some areas the trade has suffered some of its worst financial setbacks ever; this could have something to do with the upturn in illegal activity. Or could it be down to increased enforcement? The jury’s out…
STOKE SEX OFFENDER CABBIE LOSES TAXI LICENCE
A taxi driver has been stripped of his licence - because he is in prison for a sex offence. The driver, who has not been named, could not attend his discipli- nary hearing because he was behind bars. But the hearing went ahead and Stoke-on- Trent City Council
revoked his taxi licence.
Cllr Joy Garner, chair- man of the council’s licensing and registra- tion panel, told the Stoke on Trent Sen- tinel: “The licence holder had been con- victed of a serious sexual offence which gave the panel serious concerns for public
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PAGE 48 safety.”
The same committee also refused an appli- cation for a taxi licence because of the applicant’s criminal record.
Mrs Garner added: “We did not believe the explanations given regarding the appli- cant’s convictions for dishonesty.”
*
A127 SOUTHEND DEATH CRASH CABBIE SENT TO JAIL
A cabbie has been jailed for ploughing into a broken-down car and killing its driver. Retired butcher John Cooper, 74, was killed when his car was hit by Lino Borg’s black cab on the Southend- bound A127 early one morning. Mr Cooper, from Pit-
sea, had broken down and found himself sit- ting in his car, in the inside lane at 5.30am on December 3, 2009. According to the Southend Evening Echo, Borg, 41, from Basildon, ploughed into the back of his car. The pensioner suf- fered multiple injuries
and was certified dead at the scene.
Borg was arrested and charged with causing death by dangerous driving. The cabbie admitted the charge at Basildon Crown Court and was jailed for 16 months and banned from driving for five years.
UNINSURED WALSALL DRIVER GETS £500 COURT BILL
An uninsured taxi driv- er who plied for trade in Walsall town centre has been handed a court bill of almost £500 and has been banned from the road for six months.
According to the Bir- mingham Mail, Naja- bat Ali, 47, from West Bromwich, admitted plying for hire and
having no insurance when he appeared before Walsall Magis- trates.
Ali already had nine penalty points on his licence and was banned under the tot- ting up procedure, having been caught during an enforcement operation in May. Magistrates fined him
£175 for having no insurance and en- dorsed his licence with six penalty points. He was ordered to pay costs of £200 and fined £100 for plying for hire, plus a £15 vic- tim surcharge.
The case against Ali, licensed by Sandwell Council, was brought by Walsall Council.
ROGUE SALFORD CABBIE WITHOUT LICENCE CAUGHT CARRYING PASSENGERS
A rogue cabbie who had his licence revoked was caught carrying passengers in a police crackdown on illegal drivers. According to the Sal- ford Advertiser, Alan Eggleston was snared in Operation Aviano, a joint initia- tive with Manchester Council to regulate
taxi licensing and clamp down on rogue drivers.
Eggleston, 64, from Swinton, did not turn up at Manchester Mag- istrates’ Court but was found guilty in his absence of operating a PHV without a licence. He was fined £525 and ordered to pay £915 costs and a £15 victim
surcharge.
His car was pulled over on February 19 this year, with passen- gers on board, after police noticed it had a faulty headlight. A check of Eggleston’s documents revealed his private hire licence had already been revoked by the council in December 2009.
TAXI BOSS SLAMS RIVALS OPERATING OUTSIDE CAMBRIDGE
Lee Cave, who runs Cambourne-based firm 079 Call a Cab, says many taxi drivers are ignoring licensing con- ditions to pick up fares in rural Cambridgeshire and run them into town. He says he has seen many drivers operating in South Cambs towns without permission which could void their public liability insurance if an accident occurred. He told the Cambridge
News he is reporting incidents of illegal fares to South Cam- bridgeshire District Council (SCDC) to try and stop the practice. A spokesman for Cam- bridge City Council said: “We will look into any reports of taxi driv- ers operating illegally outside of the city.” An SCDC spokes- woman said: “Private hire drivers licensed by Cambridge City Council
should not be touting for business within South Cambridgeshire. Drivers operating ille- gally risk prosecution through the courts.” Mmmm... we believe the complaint involves hackney drivers plying outside their area. Why does SCDC say “Cam- bridge PHV drivers should not be touting in SCDC”? They shouldn’t be touting anywhere! - Ed.
PHTM NOVEMBER 2010
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