Taxi Driver Online

Licensed private hire taxi drivers in Sefton fined for picking up customers without bookings
Mar 12 2009 Crosby Herald

PRIVATE hire taxi drivers in Sefton have racked up 34 penalty points and £4,200 in fines.

The six drivers were also ordered to pay £3,135 in court costs after being caught without insurance and illegally plying for hire.

They were caught after officers from Sefton’s Taxi Licensing Unit and Environmental Protection Department carried out a series of test purchases last year.

The licensed private hire drivers picked up the officers, posing as customers, without earlier bookings.

They then took them to various destinations and received payment.

Under current laws, it is illegal for licensed private hire drivers to pick up customers who have not booked beforehand.

In the past two months six drivers have been prosecuted at North Sefton Magistrates Court.

Sefton Trading Standards manager Andrew Naisbitt said: “Hopefully this will act as a severe warning to other private hire drivers operating in Sefton.

“Agreeing to take anyone to a set destination without prior booking is a criminal offence. Not only does this contravene current licensing laws, but it also affects the driver’s insurance liabilities if they were involved in a serious accident.

“We want all drivers in Sefton to adhere to the law and these cases show if private hire drivers flout the law, we will prosecute.

“If a private hire driver wishes to work as a Hackney driver, then it is relatively easy to transfer the licence for a small cost.

“Whichever type of licence a driver holds, we expect that driver to follow the rules and legislation laid down to its full extent.”

More prosecutions are also planned in Sefton during the coming weeks.

Sefton’s Taxi Licensing Unit will also be working in partnership with Environmental Protection Department to carry out more test purchases across the borough.

The aim of the operation is to catch any private hire taxi drivers who are breaking the law.

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

do they attempt to nick "limo" drivers too?

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Why would a limo pose as a taxi it would surely cost more to go RTFC then the fare was worth

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Private hire taxi drivers in Sefton fined for picking up customers without bookings


ILLEGAL plying for hire by private taxis is taking cash from Hackney cab drivers in Southport.

Tony Crabtree, secretary of the North Sefton Hackney Carriage Association, said prosecutions have helped but it is still a problem.

Six private hire taxi drivers in Sefton have racked up 34 penalty points and £4,200 in fines.

They were also ordered to pay £3,135 in court costs at North Sefton Magistrates Court after being caught without insurance and illegally plying for hire.

Under current laws, it is illegal for licensed private hire drivers to pick up customers who have not booked beforehand.

The six drivers who were prosecuted were caught after officers from Sefton’s Taxi Licensing Unit and Environmental Protection Department, carried out a series of test purchases last year.

Officers, posing as customers, were picked up without earlier bookings.

Mr Crabtree admits the test purchases have made a “dramatic” difference and said: “The ones that think they are totally immune or ones that think they have devised a system where they won’t get caught are getting caught.

“When they were doing what they were doing, they were taking money off every Hackney carriage driver.”

Sefton’s Trading Standards manager, Andrew Naisbitt, said he hopes the prosecutions will act as a warning and added: “Agreeing to take anyone to a set destination without prior booking is a criminal offence. Not only does this contravene current licensing laws, but it also affects the driver’s insurance liabilities .

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Whilst I agree they are possibly taking some money off the Hackney drivers, most of the time PH are actually stealing the work of their own PH drivers, they're just scum and it makes it a very much dog eat dog world at the moment with them

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

ouch!

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin