Like all motorists, taxi drivers must be properly insured to help protect everyone using the roads – or find out the hard way that courts come down heavily on everyone who breaks the rules.
And motoring convictions cause an even bigger problem for people who drive for a living because they can lead to insurance premiums increasing and any restrictions or a ban will affect their livelihood.
Correct insurance
Despite such severe penalties, there are drivers who flout the law, such as private hire drivers who pick up fares without a booking. The law states that only taxis with public hire insurance can be flagged down in the street or at a taxi rank, and private hire vehicles must have private hire insurance and can only be booked in advance. Those who break the law not only face driving penalties in court, they could also have action taken against them by their licensing authority.
Those who flout the laws are often caught in operations targeting illegal taxis, such as one carried out by Shropshire Council in October last year.
Posing as passengers, council officials approached private hire driver Imran Riaz, 35, of Wellington, Telford, at the Showcase Cinema and he agreed to take them to the Snedshill Trading Estate.
At Telford magistrates Court in May, Riaz pleaded guilty to plying for hire and driving without valid insurance. He was fined £294, ordered to pay £300 costs and a £118 victim surcharge, as well as receiving eight penalty points on his driving licence.
Warning
Following sentencing, the council has used his case as a warning to other drivers.
Dean Sargeant, Director of Neighbourhood and Enforcement at Telford and Wrekin Council, said: “Illegally plying for hire and driving without insurance are offences that this authority will not tolerate. If a member of the public gets into a vehicle not operating lawfully, they will not be covered by insurance in the event of an accident.
“We’d like to remind everyone to check that the vehicle that they get into is properly licensed, either by pre-booking a private hire vehicle in advance through an operator or by taking a journey with a licensed hackney carriage vehicle.
“We will continue to work alongside West Mercia Police and our neighbouring local authorities to clamp down on taxi drivers who flout the rules and undermine the good work of the vast majority of drivers.”
PC Sharon Major, of West Mercia Police, said: “I welcome the penalties imposed on the defendant. Plying for hire is not acceptable and we will continue to work with our partners to seek out the small minority of taxi drivers who break the law.”
Safety
As well as warning drivers to operate according to the terms of their licences and insurance, the council is right to encourage passengers to make sure the taxi or PHV they are getting into is correctly licensed and insured – for their own safety.
While it might be tempting for someone who is desperate for a ride home to try to cut corners, they are risking their own safety by doing so.
And while most PHV drivers will turn away people who try to hire them in the streets, the consequences of getting caught far outweigh the benefits of a quick fare for those who might be tempted.
