Another cabbie from Stoke-on-Trent has been fined more than £500 after plying for trade illegally in Stone.
Abid Mohammed Ali, aged 27, was stopped after a joint operation between police and Stafford Borough Council to crack down on rogue minicabs. Stafford magistrates were told Ali agreed to take a council officer and a plain clothed police officer to a local pub when they approached his ABC Supreme private hire vehicle in Station Road, Stone.
Private hire drivers can only pick up passengers who have booked in advance, and it is illegal for them to collect customers in the street or from a taxi rank. The ‘Safer Nights’ operation aims to reduce the risks to residents of uninsured and unsafe vehicles on the roads in the borough.
Mr Ali, of Spring Road, Stoke, failed to appear in court, and was found guilty in his absence. He was given a £200 fine, ordered to pay costs of just over £320, and a £20 victim surcharge by the magistrates on Wednesday 4th March.
Following the case, Councillor Frank Finlay, Cabinet Member for Environment and Health, said: “We are determined to clamp down on private hire drivers who ‘stick two fingers up’ at the law by coming into the borough and picking up residents with no prior booking. One of our top priorities is the health and wellbeing of our community and this operation aims to protect the public as they are at risk, because these vehicles will not be insured if they are picking up passengers in this way.”
This is the fourth successful prosecution in recent months following the joint operation by the police and council. More information on taxis and private hire vehicles can be found at www.staffordbc.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/taxis-and-minicabs
