Taxi Driver Online

Three taxi drivers fined after Old Trafford taxi sting

https://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk/n ... axi-sting/

Three taxi drivers have been fined and handed penalty points for illegally picking up undercover officers on matchdays.

The offences took place outside Old Trafford stadium before and after Manchester United home games against Burnley and Everton.

Prosecutions were brought by Trafford Council at Manchester Magistrates’ Court.

All three drivers held hackney carriage licences issued by Manchester City Council, meaning they were not authorised to pick up passengers in Trafford without a booking.

Because the journeys were not pre-booked, the vehicles were uninsured.

Undercover licensing enforcement officers spotted the vehicles with their taxi signs illuminated and requested a journey to the city centre.

After the journey began, the officers identified themselves and asked the drivers to pull over.

Ishtiaq Hussain Bibi, 47, of Tamar Drive, Manchester, pleaded guilty to illegally plying for hire and using a vehicle without insurance on June 25.

He had offered to take officers to the city centre for £10.

Mr Bibi was fined £240 and ordered to pay a £96 surcharge and £100 in costs.

He also received six points on his driving licence.

Minas Tewolde, 58, of Verdun Road, Eccles, offended on November 24 when Manchester United played Everton.

He was found guilty of illegally plying for hire, failing to wear his driver’s badge, and using a vehicle without insurance.

He received six points, was fined £660, and ordered to pay a £264 surcharge and £580 in costs.

Erdan Shifa Mohammed, 50, of Gravenmoor Drive, Salford, pleaded guilty to similar offences.

He had asked for £25 in cash for the 4.5-mile trip to the city centre.

He was fined £400, given six points, and ordered to pay a £160 surcharge and £300 in costs.

Cllr Keleigh Glenton, executive member for community safety and civil contingencies at Trafford Council, said: "Only Hackney Carriages licensed by Trafford Council are permitted to pick up fares without a booking.

"These drivers committed the offence of illegally plying for hire and, in doing so, invalidated their insurance.

"Trafford’s Hackney Carriage drivers work hard to provide transport for those who need it in the borough.

"This type of behaviour puts public safety at risk and is illegal."

"Our Licensing Enforcement Team works to support drivers who follow the rules properly and to make sure passengers ride safely, with insurance in place.

"These cases highlight that courts take a very dim view of this behaviour.

"On top of the financial penalties, the points added to drivers’ licenses will have a much more lasting impact on them."

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IDFIMH

Another person who clearly didn't turn up for court and has, or will, pay a higher price.

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IDFIMH

I always look for the original council press release when Trafford Council is involved, just to make sure it's the council who feel the need to say who was playing on the day in question, as opposed to the newspaper shoehorning it in

And to check whether the council press release has included the match score, substitutions, attendance etc

Anyway, can't see much difference here from the press rehash. But did notice one little nugget that I don't think the press included. I've highlighted it for the convenience of readers...


Out-of-area Hackney Carriage drivers caught illegally plying for hire

https://www.trafford.gov.uk/news/2026/o ... lying-hire

Three taxi drivers each received six points on their licences and fines after illegally picking up undercover Trafford Council officers on Old Trafford matchdays.

Trafford Council brought the prosecutions at Manchester Magistrates Court following offences before and after Manchester United home games against Burnley and Everton.

As each driver’s Hackney Carriage license was issued by Manchester City Council, they were not allowed to pick up in the borough of Trafford and therefore their journeys were uninsured.

In each case, undercover licensing enforcement officers saw the vehicles waiting with their ‘taxi’ signs lit up and asked to be taken to the city centre. As the journey began, they identified themselves and asked the driver to pull over.

Mr Ishtiaq Hussain Bibi, 47, of Tamar Drive, Manchester, pleaded guilty to illegally plying for hire and use of a motor vehicle without insurance on Thursday 25 June before the Burnley game.

The court heard Mr Bibi had offered to take undercover Council officers into the city centre for £10. He was fined £240, with a surcharge of £96 and £100 contribution to costs as well as six points on his driving licence.

Two more drivers were penalised for attempting to pick-up fares around the ground on the evening of Monday 24 November when United played Everton.

Mr Minas Tewolde, 58, of Verdun Road, Eccles, put his head in his hands and asked; “Why don’t you give me warning?”.

He was found guilty of illegally plying for hire, failing to wear his drivers badge and use of a motor vehicle without insurance and was given six points on his licence and fined £660. Mr Tewolde was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £264 and costs of £580.

Mr Erdan Shifa Mohammed, 50, of Gravenmoor Drive, Salford, who asked for £25 in cash for the 4.5 mile trip into the city centre, pleaded guilty to illegally plying for hire and use of a motor vehicle without insurance. He too received six points on his licence, was fined £400 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £160 as well as costs of £300.

Cllr Keleigh Glenton, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Community Safety and Civil Contingencies said:

“Only Hackney Carriages licensed by Trafford Council are permitted to pick up fares without a booking. These drivers committed the offence of illegally plying for hire and, in doing so, invalidated their insurance.

“Trafford’s Hackney Carriage drivers work hard to provide transport for those who need it in the borough. This type of behaviour puts public safety at risk and is illegal. Our Licensing Enforcement Team works to support drivers who follow the rules properly and to make sure passengers ride safely, with insurance in place.

“These cases highlight that the courts take a very dim view of this behaviour. On top of the financial penalties, the points added to drivers’ licenses will have a much more lasting impact on them.”

I maybe misconstrued that initially - thought he'd perhaps said that to LOs when they caught him out, meaning why didn't you warn me you were about to do a sting on me for plying for hire. Which would obviously defeat the purpose of the whole thing

However, maybe he said it after the event, and he was referring to the decision to take it further than just a slapped wrist there and then.

Or maybe it was something he said in court. But Sussex seems to be suggesting he didn't even turn up, therefore...

Those fines/costs/etc numbers indicate to me he didn’t turn up.

Also the fact that he was found guilty rather than pleaded not guilty, or guilty for that matter, says to me he didn’t attend court and was found guilty in his absence.

Numpty of the highest order.

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IDFIMH

Anfield and Old Trafford are great hunting grounds for catching illegal plying for hire and plenty get caught so you wonder why the message doesn't get through.

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