A Newcastle taxi driver has been convicted of illegally plying for hire in an uninsured vehicle – because he picked up a fare in the Gateshead area.
Muhammad Ishfaq, a hackney carriage driver from Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne, attended Gateshead Magistrates Court on 2 November 2011 to face charges of plying for hire outside of his licensed area and of operating without proper insurance. He pleaded not guilty to the charges but following a trial was convicted of both offences.
Mr Ishfaq was caught in a routine undercover operation staged by Gateshead Council’s licensing team in December 2010. Two licensing officers who were out checking on taxi proprietors decided to hail a Newcastle Hackney Carriage vehicle as it drove through the Gateshead area to see if it would stop to pick them up, which it did. The officers asked Mr Ishfaq to take them to Newcastle, which he proceeded to do. On route the licensing officers asked Mr Ishfaq to stop the vehicle and revealed their identities. Mr Ishfaq was cautioned and informed that he had illegally plied for hire.
Mr Ishfaq was sentenced by Gateshead Magistrates’ to a fine of £300 and received 6 penalty points for illegally plying for hire and having no insurance. He will also have to pay a £15 victim surcharge and Gateshead Council was awarded costs of £188.
The law clearly states that hackney carriages (taxis) are not permitted to pick up fares outside of their licensed area without a booking.
Anneliese Hutchinson, Head of Development and Public Protection for Gateshead Council, says: “There has now been a number of successful prosecutions of taxi drivers illegally plying for hire in Gateshead since 2010.
Mr Ishfaq must take personal responsibility for the safety of everyone he carries in his hackney carriage vehicle. Illegally plying for hire and driving without appropriate insurance cover means that passengers have potentially little or no legal protection whilst travelling in these vehicles.”
She added: “I hope that licensed drivers from all areas are getting the message that their behaviour is simply unacceptable and Gateshead Council will continue to investigate these matters and prosecute offenders”.