16 seater minibus carrying 12 paying passengers did not have an operator's licence or insurance

A minibus driver can expect a day in court after police stopped the minibus they were driving and found it was not licensed to carry paying passengers.

In addition, the driver was not licensed or insured to act as a minibus driver.

Officers from Devon and Cornwall Roads Policing Team stopped the vehicle late on 1 May. Roadside checks revealed that a total of 12 passengers had paid £500 to the driver to transport them to and from their desired destination.

Checking the vehicle and driver's legality to operate as a licensed minibus, officers found a number of offences.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said via their official Twitter account: "Last job of the night was a 16 seat minibus, with 12 passengers who paid £500 to the driver in cash.

"Unfortunately the driver did not have the licence or insurance for this and the bus does not appear to be on any operator's licence. Be careful who you hire. Court beckons."

A Twitter user took to the post to have their say over the offences, writing: "Apart from being illegal and dangerous, this is particularly unfair on all the hardworking taxi drivers who pay the local authority for their licence and insure their vehicles correctly."