Taxi Driver Online

Taxi tout squad hit three terminals


HUNDREDS of cars were stopped in a taxi tout operation at Heathrow terminal's 1, 3 and 5 resulting in three arrests.

The joint multi agency operation targeted licensed private hire and illegal taxi trades with around 600 vehicles stopped on June 21.


Three drivers were arrested for providing an illegal minicab service hours after the drive began, in a continuous effort by officers to clamp-down on the unlawful action.

In addition, 77 drivers were reported or received a warning for minor licensing violations found by the councils, 33 people were reported by the Public Carriage Office (PCO) for not having their badges, and 16 drivers were held accountable by the police for a range of offences.

Also bailiffs recovered £3,000 in unpaid fines while one vehicle was seized for no insurance and four drivers were reported for having unfit vehicles.

Kersten Peters, tout squad officer, said: "These operations clearley show that by working together in partnership with other agencies we can reassure the traveling public and the legitimate licensed trade of our continued commitment to monitor offenders and take positive action when required."

Seven police departments, 15 councils and two national enforcement agencies were outside the terminals between 5am to 9pm conducting the operation.

The teams circled the drop-off and pick up zones to carry out the stop and check procedures ensuring drivers were in full compliance of the rules and regulations set out by the Public Carriage Office (PCO) and councils.

source: http://www.skyport-heathrow.co.uk/2011/07

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

So terminal 4 dosnt get touted

It would be a lot more useful if they would stop all the PH blocking the drop off zone at T3 they usually occupy 80 to 90% of all the spaces !!!!!!

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

For being the largest Airport in Europe, it's poorly policed.

These operations need to take place every week, never mind the once in the blue moon one for the media.

Up until recently that terminal was akin to a morgue.

However over the past month or so it appears to be coming back alive.

Started about Easter.

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IDFIMH

Seven police departments, 15 councils and 2 enforcement agencies sat at the airport for 16 hours, three arrests out of 600 stopped. Sounds like a massive problem to me !

What we are not told is what the other offences were. Minor licensing violations, such as ? Not having badges, not having their badges with them or not having a badge at all ? A range of offences, taxi related or some other general offence ? And the unfit vehicles could be anything from a blown bulb to the brakes not working.

I would have thought that within an hour of the start of the operation the touts would have all heard on the grapevine and stayed away seems pointless doing a 16 hour stint far better to use cctv to identify the touts over the course of a week and then go after them

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector