Minicabs forming an illegal rank, TfL and City Police turn a blind eye. This is organised crime, on a regular basis. Would you know if driver had a TfL PHV drivers licence?
At present in London, a sexual predator can go along to a number if car lots and buy a cheap minicab vehicle, complete with TfL licence roundels. That same night, could be out mixing amongst the lines of minicabs illegally plying for hire outside clubs and bars, looking for fresh victims.
There are also 10,000 minicab drivers who are not contracted to an operator. Every journey they take is unrecorded, uninsured.
TfL refuse to enforce private hire, concentrating only on licensed Taxis.
TfL are Totally Failing London, Totally Failing the public and putting people in danger. It's time that the government stepped in and investigated why this situation has come about.
This is already the situation in London and now as the deregulation bill passes through, we can expect these crimes to escalate nationwide.
Article from the Slough Express:
Slough Minicab Firm Fined £5153 in total fines for using unlicensed minicab driver.
A £6 fare turned into thousands of pounds worth of fines and costs for a Slough-based mini-cab service.
511 Viking Cars has admitted to sending Osman Ahmed, who did not hold a private hire driver’s licence, to pick up a woman from Wexham Park Hospital on October 23 last year.
Ahmed claimed to have forgotten his ID badge and driver call sign when he was stopped at the junction of Hornbeam Gardens and Upton Road by police and council officers in his silver Toyota Avensis during routine checks.
However follow-up checks confirmed Ahmed was unlicensed.
The woman had called the service’s Slough number but the driver was dispatched from its Windsor office.
By law the company is only allowed to use drivers and vehicles licensed in Slough.
Company director Saeed Ahmed, 54, of Salt Hill Way, Slough, admitted using an unlicensed driver and vehicle at Slough Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, June 19.
He was ordered to pay £1,788 – £750 in fines, £1,000 costs and a £38 victim surcharge.
511 Viking Cars was fined £1,300 and ordered to pay £2,000 costs, plus a £65 victim surcharge.
Ahmed, 32, of Adelaide Close, Slough, also pleaded guilty and was fined £500. He must pay £600 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.
Mick Sims, licensing manager for Slough Borough Council, said: “Licensing rules are there for the primary reason of protecting the public. To flout them in this manner is totally unacceptable and we simply won’t tolerate it.
“It begs the question whether it was all worth it for such a small fare of £6.”
source: http://www.sloughexpress.co.uk/![]()
