A Huntingdonshire licensed private hire driver has been fined
£200 and ordered to pay costs of £365 after being found guilty of
unlawfully plying for hire in Peterborough city centre.
King Cars driver Mohammed Ishfaq, of Gladstone
Street, Peterborough, was caught during a joint operation between
Peterborough City Council taxi enforcement team and Cambridgeshire
Constabulary in November 2009. He was found guilty at Peterborough
Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday 26 August 2010).
Unlike London-style Hackney cabs, private hire
cars must be pre-booked through the company’s operator and not ply
for business on the city’s streets. However, Ishfaq agreed to take
plain clothed officers to Orton Malborne when approached outside
Tesco on Broadway, Peterborough, on Saturday 14 November 2009.
In addition, the private hire driver was not
wearing his private hire badge - an important piece of
identification - and he was subsequently charged on both
counts.
Appearing in court, Ishfaq pleaded guilty to
not wearing his badge and not guilty to unlawfully plying for hire.
He was fined £200, ordered to pay prosecution costs of £350 and a
victim surcharge of £15.
Councillor Peter Hiller, the city council's
cabinet member for housing, neighbourhoods and planning, said:
"This was an important undercover operation carried out by the city
council and the police and we welcome the result. Taxi
enforcement officers closely monitor the trade to protect the
interests and safety of passengers and will not hesitate to
prosecute any private hire driver found unlawfully plying for
hire.
"The public’s safety is paramount and it is
important that they are made aware of the dangers of getting into a
private hire car in circumstances such as this."
Ian Robinson, the city council's taxi
enforcement officer, said: “By getting into a private hire vehicle
without a booking its insurance may be invalidated, which in the
event of an accident could leave a passenger without
protection.
"In addition, there is no record of who picked
them up and from where as no booking was made, so should an
incident occur the police would have great difficulty identifying
those involved. It is important for people to understand the
difference between private hire cars and Hackney cabs and we will
continue to crackdown on any drivers who flout the
law.”