****NEWS RELEASE ***********

NEWS RELEASE

Rogue taxi driver used unlicensed car for customer trips

A taxi driver who was caught illegally driving passengers to Birmingham Airport has been fined after admitting using an unlicensed and uninsured vehicle.

Chris Taylor of Meadow Close, Stoney Stanton, appeared before the bench at Leicester Magistrates' Court on 17 January 2024 and pleaded guilty to operating, driving and using the unlicensed and uninsured vehicle.

Magistrates imposed a £276 fine with eight penalty points on his driving licence for the no-insurance offence, a victim surcharge of £110 and awarded £750 in costs to the Council, totalling £1,136.

The prosecution came following an investigation into Taylor by Blaby District Council's licensing team. The team received an anonymous complaint in March 2023 alleging Taylor, who was an existing taxi driver, was not using his licensed vehicle to carry out customer trips.

Under the business name Airports 4 U, Taylor was taking bookings and using a vehicle without a taxi licence which meant his insurance was also invalid. The team found he had visited Birmingham Airport on 9 May 2023 in an unlicensed taxi. He had been identified via the Airport's Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.

The passengers were contacted and they confirmed the details of their booking. This satisfied the Council that Taylor was responsible for operating and driving an unlicensed and uninsured vehicle, contrary to the requirements of taxi and private hire law.