A second Newcastle taxi driver has been convicted of plying for hire in an uninsured vehicle – because he picked up a fare outside of Newcastle.
Gordon Banks, a taxi driver from Newburn in Newcastle, pleaded guilty to two charges - of plying for hire outside of his licensed area and of operating without proper insurance - at Gateshead Magistrates Court on 9 March, 2010.
Mr Banks was caught in a routine undercover operation staged by Gateshead Council’s licensing team in July last year. Two licensing officers who were out checking on taxi proprietors decided to hail a Newcastle-licensed cab as it drove through Gateshead to see if it would stop to pick them up, which it did.
The officers asked him to take them to the Swallow Hotel, Gateshead, which he proceeded to do. He charged them for their journey and provided a receipt which stated that their journey was from Newcastle Central Station to Gateshead. The licensing officers then revealed their identities and cautioned the driver, informing him that he had illegally plied for hire and, as a result, may have invalidated his motor vehicle insurance.
The law clearly states that hackney carriages (taxis) are not permitted to pick up fares outside of their licensed area.
Magistrates fined him £225, levied a £15 victim surcharge and ordered him to pay £262 costs. They also imposed six penalty points on his licence.
Anneliese Hutchinson, Head of Regulatory Services for Gateshead Council, says: “This is the second prosecution of this kind in a month.”
“Uninsured drivers put all road users at risk – but Mr Bank’s behaviour is especially unforgivable as he is required to take personal responsibility for the safety of everyone he carries in his vehicle.
“Illegally plying for hire and using a hackney carriage vehicle without the appropriate insurance cover means that if Mr Banks had had an accident and injured his passengers, then they would have little or no legal protection.”
She added: “We insist on Gateshead hackney carriage drivers upholding the highest standards - but we also expect drivers licensed to other areas to uphold similar standards – and we will take action against any that do not.”