28-year-old Nasir Ali, of Scott Lane West, Riddlesden, had his Hackney Carriage Driver's Licence revoked by Craven District Council in May, following an allegation of sexual assault.
His case was referred to the authority's Licensing and Appeals Sub-Committee following information received from North Yorkshire Police.
Craven District Council's Licensing Manager had also discovered information indicating that Mr Ali had provided false or incomplete information on his application form for a Hackney Carriage Driver's Licence, in that he failed to state all his convictions and failed to declare that he had previously held a licence issued by Rossendale Council which had been revoked.
Mr Ali's licence was revoked with immediate effect, as the sub-committee was not satisfied, on a balance of probabilities, that he was a "fit and proper" person to hold a Hackney Carriage Driver's Licence.
At a hearing on Tuesday, magistrates dismissed his appeal and upheld the decision of the sub-committee, as well as awarding the council costs of £620.
Councillor Simon Myers, Craven District Council's Lead Member for Enterprising Craven, said: "We are delighted that the decision to revoke the licence was upheld. We are determined to ensure that the public are protected and can feel safe when using taxis in Craven.
"It is important to note that although the magistrates took into account the allegation of sexual assault when deciding the appeal, Mr Ali has not been convicted of any sexual assault and he denied the allegation.
"The council's barrister was very complimentary about the excellent work done by the Licensing and Legal Services teams in preparing the case for court. Congratulations and many thanks to all those involved in winning this case."
https://www.strayfm.com/news/local-news/2442899/craven-district-council-wins-court-case-against-taxi-driver/
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LIVERPOOL
A couple were left 'heartbroken' on their wedding day after they claim a taxi driver sped off with their presents and hundreds of pounds in cash.
Family members claim the cabbie drove off with a box of sentimental gifts and money - ruining Sammie and David Kinder's big day.
The driver has told taxi firm bosses he has no recollection of any box, and did not find one when he searched the car.
Police have launched an investigation, with relatives saying irreplaceable family photos were among the items taken.
The driver had dropped Sammie, 27, at her wedding venue at St George's Hall in Liverpool along with guests on Saturday afternoon.
It's claimed that as soon as the passengers got out and paid the £5 fare the driver put his foot down and sped off, with £300 in cash for the pair's honeymoon still in the car.
Sammie's aunt, Lorraine Jones, 52, said the family had booked the cab from local firm Alpha Taxis.
Lorraine, of Stonydelph, Staffs, said: "It completely ruined the day. As soon as we got there and he dropped us off, he did a wheel spin and sped off.
"We were all left standing outside in our dresses and it was absolutely freezing and starting to hail.
"I stood outside and called the taxi firm three times until I was called into the venue.
"It didn't seem like he had just forgotten from the speed he left - but we gave him the benefit of the doubt.
"We even booked a taxi home with the same firm and had a lovely driver. We had been looking forward to this day for months. Whoever it was has to be held responsible.
"It was obvious we weren't from the city because we were asking so many questions.
"We didn't think it was a problem but looking back there were a few warning signs, he wasn't keen to give us his card in case we needed to book a taxi later on.
"I was exhausted after calling the firm so many times and just felt like I was getting nowhere, so in the end we went to the police."
Sam met David while they were both studying at university in Rhyl, North Wales and married in the groom's home city of Liverpool.
The family all travelled on Friday night and booked transport on Saturday afternoon because of the Liverpool v Chelsea Premier League Match.
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DURHAM
A REFUGEE taxi driver who refused to pick up a couple and the guide dog because of his allergies, has been fined.
Mohammed Jassim, 48, was on duty in Durham in July when he was approached by a woman who asked if he could take her, her disabled husband and his guide dog.
Steve Buston, prosecuting on behalf of Durham County Council, told Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court on Wednesday how Jassim said he could not take the couple because of the dog but did not have an exemption certificate.
He said: "He apologised. He could not take them; he had an allergy to dogs but did not have an exemption certificate. He did not refuse the fair but effectively the facts are made out.
"He states he has an allergy but he had no exemption and it's important to point out that he still, to this day, has no exemption."
However, Jonathan Pigford, mitigating, said his client, of Springfell, Birtley, had been told by his doctor two weeks before the incident to avoid pets after suffering from a persistent cough and since the incident had undergone an independent medical assessment which confirmed he is allergic to dogs.
"It is inexpedient to punish him for this offence," Mr Pigford said. "He [the man] appears to have taken against Mr Jassim and made reference, saying he was not in Pakistan and because he was in Durham City he had to adhere.
"There's a certain irony in this case with the council saying there is a breach of the Equality Act when Mr Jassim finds himself in the situation where he may have also been discriminated against."
Mr Pigford said Jassim, who is also Sunderland University student, tried to explain and apologise but the man still tried to get into the vehicle and when he found another cab, made a rude gesture.
Mr Pigford said a conviction could jeopardise the father-of-three's application to remain in the UK indefinitely which is due in 2019.
Magistrate Sarah Cardew fined Jassim £63 and as well as £220 in costs and a £30 victim surcharge.
source: Northern Echo
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UBERK SWANSEA
UBERK SWANSEA
Taxi firm Uber are still operating in Swansea – despite having their operating licence rejected by the council.
The cab service lets users pre-book taxis from an app – allowing customers to plan trips and see fare estimates ahead of time.
But the cab firm is using a legal loophole in order to still operate in Swansea after their application to trade was turned down by Swansea Council on September 8.
Swansea Council had wanted to impose set shifts for drivers, which Uber said did “not fit in with how our app works”.
The council said the company can still legally operate in the city as they’re licensed in Newport and Cardiff.
They said: “In terms of the law governing the private hire trade, a private hire operator can only operate legally by accepting pre-booked journeys through a licensed operator.
“Although Uber are not currently licensed in Swansea, Uber vehicles may be seen in the Swansea area as they are licensed in Newport and Cardiff and it’s lawful for a member of the public to pre-book a vehicle to travel from Cardiff to Swansea.”
Uber are technically still operating in Swansea
They added: “It is also lawful for a journey to be booked in Swansea via the app as long as the driver, the vehicle and the operator are licensed by the same authority. This is known as ‘cross border hiring’ and the same rules apply to all licensed private hire operators.”
Uber had made an operating application to Swansea to expand their business in Wales after being granted licences in Cardiff and Newport.
But the application was turned down because of conditions, about insisting on drivers having shift patterns, that the council wanted to attach to the licence. Uber said the conditions were unique to Swansea.
Now the company say have no plans for reapplying or appealing the decision made by the council, but hope to work with them in the future.
A spokeswoman for the company said: “We would love to launch in Swansea but unfortunately some of the proposed conditions of the licence do not fit with how our app works - licensed drivers who use Uber can choose if, when and where they drive and are not set shifts.
“While we had some constructive discussions, in the end the council decided not to amend conditions which would effectively have required us to set shifts for drivers.
“We hope to work with the council in the coming year but for now we’re focused on the thousands of people who use our app in Cardiff and Newport.”
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