Taxi Driver Online

Milton Keynes Citizen

April 28, 2007

Cabbie and boss fined for illegally plying for trade

An out of town cabbie and his boss have been left hundreds of pounds out of pocket after using an unlicensed vehicle in Milton Keynes.

Robin Atuher, aged 39, was caught last October by Milton Keynes Council licensing officers working outside the KFC at the Xscape building.

Investigations revealed that he was operating illegally - as his Private Hire vehicle licence had actually expired.

Mr Atuher was fined £400 with £200 costs after being found guilty, in his absence, of one count of driving a Private Hire vehicle with an expired vehicle licence on Friday.

However, Speedline Taxis boss Mohammed Ashfaque Siddique, aged 25, did appear in court and admitted that his company, as operators, had allowed a vehicle to be used that did not have a licence.

He was fined £300 with 200 costs after admitting an offence of operating a Private Hire Vehicle with an expired vehicle licence.

A Taxi licensing spokesman said: "This was a good result and will hopefully send the message out that we won't tolerate drivers - and operators - working illegally in Milton Keynes.

"We will now refer both cases to South Northants District Council and we hope that they will take the appropriate action against the licence holders".
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There was an operator in my town that was using an unlicensed vehicle for weeks, even on school runs before the LA pulled him in. He got his wrist slapped.

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Grandad,

Let's face it prosecutions of this sort are very rare indeed.

Is that because illegal touting is a rarity?

Or is it because of the hugh anount of LO time one little court appearence takes. And all the bad guys get is a pi** poor fine.

Can you blame them?

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IDFIMH