Taxi Driver Online

The Sentinel (Stoke)

June 6, 2006 Tuesday

HEADLINE: Crackdown on illegal taxi drivers

Consumer protection officers from Stoke-on-Trent City Council have stepped up their campaign against taxi drivers illegally plying for hire, with a series of undercover operations.

The operations have resulted so far in a local driver being ordered by a court to pay almost £1,000 for picking up passengers off the street in Longton town centre. The crackdown followed complaints from local residents and council members that vehicles were operating an illegal rank. Council CCTV cameras were used to record the operation.

Peter Devaney , city council assistant director for regulatory services, said: "We make no apologies for getting tough. Our undercover teams work regularly to catch drivers illegally plying for trade, so this recent case will act as a warning to them that they may be caught.

"The local taxi trade provides an invaluable service to the public with licensed and reputable drivers, but unless private hire vehicles are pre-booked, the vehicle is not suitably insured to carry passengers.

"Where cars are pre-booked, the drivers will know the name of the passengers - who are advised only to get in once the driver has given their name."

In the recent case the driver was fined £600 with £370 costs at Newcastle Magistrates Court.

The city council's licensing team will now consider the driver's suitability to continue working as a licensed driver. Other investigations are still ongoing, but if prosecuted, drivers face fines of up to £2,500 and they could also lose their licence.
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