Former Todmorden cabbie fined for continuing to ply for hire after having his licence revoked

A former Todmorden taxi driver, who had his licence revoked, has been fined over £700 after he was caught continuing to ply for hire in his hackney carriage vehicle. Mohammad Iqbal, 52, had his taxi licence taken away in September 2018 after failing to tell his licensing authority, Rossendale Borough Council, that he had previously been banned from driving.

During the application process for his licence, Iqbal failed to disclose the details of his ban. Iqbal was caught attempting to ply for hire in his registered hackney carriage vehicle - a Mercedes E220 - on South Street, Bacup. As reported in Lancs Live, he admitted acting contrary to the Section 46 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 at Burnley Magistrates’ Court and was fined £266 for the offence and ordered to pay £296.30 in legal costs and £210 investigation costs. Steve Hughes, member for Communities and Customers at Rossendale Borough Council, said: "We take the safety of people using taxis in Rossendale very seriously and we require the highest standards from the taxi drivers in the borough. "The licensing rules are there to keep the public safe and we take any breach of them very seriously. We don’t want residents and visitors to get into a vehicle with a driver who is not properly licensed and checked - we take a tough line on people flouting these rules.” 

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