Pendle Council has won in court at three separate hearings where taxi drivers appealing against council decisions lost and Council decisions were upheld by the judges and a driver was prosecuted for overcharging a customer.

Khadim Hussain was refused a hackney carriage taxi driver’s licence following an argument with a female passenger.

When she got out of the taxi and noted down his details, he drove forward and ran into her.

Pendle Council revoked his licence and when he made a new application the Council refused it.

The judge said that refusal was “the proper approach” as what the driver had done was “reckless and could have caused serious injury”.

Another driver, Mohammed Haroon Bashir was refused a driver’s licence as he had multiple convictions.

The judge refused his appeal and he was ordered to pay £50 in costs.

A third driver, Altaf Ahmed, pleaded guilty to twice overcharging a woman with her husband who uses a wheelchair.

Ahmed was fined £290 for each offence and ordered to pay £100 in costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

Philip Mousdale said: “We work hard to make sure Pendle taxis are safe and we are urging people to take care.

“Now the festive season is here, we’re reminding people not to risk their safety by using taxis or private hire vehicles that are unlicensed.

“Unlicensed taxis are not insured to carry paying passengers,” he warned.

“And because they have not been examined by the Council, there are no assurances about the safety or road worthiness of these vehicles,” he warned.

Passengers can ask the driver to show their identity badge with their photo and Pendle Council logo on it.

Licensed private hire vehicles display a blue licence plate on the back of the vehicle together with the operator’s trading name on the front doors of the vehicle.

The licence plates also display the Council logo, the licence registration number of the taxi and vehicle details.

Philip added:

“Don’t get into any vehicle that is parked on the street or outside a pub other than a taxi parked on a taxi rank.

“If a vehicle is not displaying licence plates or their details do not match the vehicle, do not use it,” he said.

“If the taxi driver cannot show you his driver’s badge, do not use the vehicle and inform the Council’s Licensing Team on (01282) 661638 or contact the Police as soon as possible.

“At this time of year Pendle Council and the Police also remind passengers to show consideration and respect towards our taxi drivers. They do have a hard job,” added Philip.

“Pendle has a taxi pre-payment scheme in force and you may be asked to pay your fare upfront.

“This is to discourage arguments over fares or customers making off without paying,” he explained.

“Don’t forget our taxi drivers are there to get you home safely.

“Anyone assaulting a taxi driver, being racially abusive or causing damage to a taxi will be prosecuted,” he warned.
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 GUILDFORD

A hackney carriage driver has had their appeal against the Council's decision to revoke their driver's licence dismissed by Guildford Magistrates' Court.

The Council revoked the driver's licence in July 2019 for a number of reasons, including not having a valid MOT for their vehicle, lack of vehicle maintenance, false declaration, non-compliance with licensing conditions and failure to comply with a statutory notice to return their licence plates. The Council also received a number of complaints about their standard of driving.

The driver appealed the decision but failed to comply with the directions of the Court and serve evidence. At a hearing at Guildford Magistrates' Court on 4 December, a Judge refused the driver's application to adjourn the appeal, and as the driver had presented no evidence, dismissed the appeal. The driver was also ordered to pay the Council's costs of £2,137.

Mike Smith, Licensing Team Leader at Guildford Borough Council, says: "We are pleased that the court dismissed this appeal. We do not take the decision to revoke a licence lightly, but we have a duty to protect public safety and ensure that residents, visitors and those who work in the borough can be confident when they take one of our licensed taxis that their journey will be safe and secure.

"If you are enjoying a night out with friends and family this Christmas, take one of our licensed taxis from a rank or book a private hire vehicle through a Guildford licensed operator to help you get home safely. Guildford taxis and private hire vehicles are easy to recognise with their distinctive teal colour vehicle or door sticker, so you can be confident you are taking a properly licensed, safe vehicle this festive season.

"In order to ensure that the public receive the best possible service, all taxis are fitted with meters and accept card payments so you can be confident you will charged fairly and can pay conveniently. However if you do have any comments about the standards, then please let us know by using our complain about a taxi driver or taxi company online form. Please make sure you quote the licence number of the vehicle."

Guildford town centre has recently been awarded Purple Flag status for the sixth time for providing evenings and nights out that are safe, vibrant and varied. It remains the only town in the county, and one of around 70 in the UK, to hold the award. The taxi trade helps contribute to a safe night out in Guildford. 

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Aylesford, Kent

A rider who fell on the road after a driver “crashed” his taxi into her, claiming he could not see because of the low sun, has urged motorists to be more aware on country lanes.

Donna Hooper was riding livery yard owner Tracey Giles’s 14.2hh cob Mickey at Rochester Road in Aylesford, Kent, on 2 December when a taxi minibus approached from behind.

“I felt something brush against me and then the wing mirror crashed into my ribs and my stirrup leather came off. The driver didn’t slow down, it all happened so quickly,” Donna told H&H.

“Mickey jumped forward, bucked and I landed on the road. Mickey trotted off towards the yard which was 200 yards away.”

Donna, who was wearing high-vis, said the taxi stopped ahead and turned round.

“The driver said he couldn’t see us because of the sun, but I said if ‘you couldn’t see then why were you driving so fast?’,” she said.

“He was apologetic and said he ‘loved horses’, but that doesn’t change the fact he was still going too quickly and hit us. If he had been a foot to the left he would have crashed straight into the back of us.”

Donna suffered bruising in the incident but Mickey was not injured.

“If Mickey was a bigger horse things could have been different but luckily the van just brushed against him,” she said.

“It has really frightened me and put me off riding on the road, but we need to use it to get to a bridleway. As riders we wear high-vis and I always thank drivers when they slow down but I don’t know what else we can do.”

Donna reported the incident to the police and the BHS.

“People need to be more aware – just because it’s a national speed limit road it doesn’t mean they should drive that fast especially if they can’t see,” she said.

“I plan to speak to the council and want to look at having the speed limited lowered on that stretch of road. There’s lots of livery yards nearby – does someone need to be killed on the road for something to be done?”

A spokesman for Kent Police told H&H no further action had been taken and the incident was dealt with as a civil matter.