Cab Owner Had No MOT or Licence for School Run
25th July 2008
A Chorley taxi firm owner taking disabled children to and from school in Bamber Bridge has been fined more than £2,000 after it was found he had no licence and no MOT for the vehicle involved.
Anthony Kenneth Green, 40, of Lancaster Street, Coppull, was charged with three offences including not having a valid licence or MOT for a Renault Master van used to take children in wheelchairs to Coppice School, Bamber Bridge.
On Wednesday Leyland Magistrates heard Green, who owns Coppull taxi firm Kabs, sent a driver out on the school run knowing the documents and safety checks weren’t in place.
The driver was pulled over near the school in Ash Grove, Bamber Bridge, in February.
The driver, who had not committed any offence, was taking three children in wheelchairs as part of a contract with Lancashire County Council and Green’s taxi firm Kabs.
Green, who did not appear for the hearing, was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £326 in costs and a further £16 victim surcharge.
Chief Executive of Chorley Council Donna Hall was horrified by the case.
She said: “Licensing regulations are there for a reason - to keep passengers and drivers safe. Anyone operating an unlicensed vehicle is taking the lives of others into their own hands.
“To hear of an unlicensed vehicle on the roads is bad enough, but to be taking disabled children on a school run every day in a vehicle that hasn’t even got a valid MOT is a disgrace.”
Chorley Council grants licences for both hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in the area - but only after both the driver and the vehicle have been rigorously tested and vetted.
All licensed vehicles - including both hackney carriages and private hire - are required by law to display a licence plate on the back of the vehicle.
This plate will include a number. Passengers can note this number and it can help identify a licensed vehicle at a later date.
Donna added: “The danger to the travelling public is the small element of rogue drivers who either hold no licence at all or attempt to accept passengers when they are not legally entitled to.
“The council and police will be making random spot checks on taxi drivers and prosecuting those who operate taxis illegally.”
For more information about licensed vehicles please log onto Chorley Borough Council’s website at
www.chorley.gov.uk and if anyone has any concerns about any aspect of taxi operations they can contact the council's licensing section on 01257 515161/3/4.
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