Private hire driver fined nearly £2,000 for failing to produce records of all his pre-booked jobs

A Test Valley private hire driver has been fined for failing to provide his records of all his trips, breaching the conditions set out in his licence.  According to a report in the Andover Advertiser, all Test Valley Borough Council licensed private hire drivers are required to keep records of all bookings and journeys to prove they have been pre-booked. 

The rules are in place to ensure the safety of passengers. 

Allan Richardson, of Andover, was asked to produce his records of the bookings he had taken, but failed to do so. Test Valley Borough Council requested the information from Richardson, which he did not produce and causing the matter to progress to court on three occasions. Richardson failed to show for his court date on 10 May and was found guilty in his absence. He was fined £450, ordered to pay a £45 victim surcharge and £1,500 in costs, a total of £1,995. Corporate portfolio holder, Councillor Tracey Preston, said: “We are determined to do all we can to make sure passengers trust the taxi companies they are using and keeping a log of your records is one of the key ways this is done. “We take all cases such as this incredibly seriously and our message is simple in that if you are asked to produce your records, you must do so.”