Bath private hire driver’s licence REVOKED after complaints over inappropriate comments to passengers
- Perry Richardson
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
A taxi driver licensed by Bath & North East Somerset Council has had their combined hackney carriage and private hire driver’s licence revoked after a Licensing Sub-Committee concluded they were no longer a fit and proper person to hold the licence.
The decision was made during a Licensing Sub-Committee hearing held on 12 February 2026, according to council minutes published in the authority’s official report pack.
The licensee did not attend the hearing despite being notified of the meeting in advance by email on 30 December 2025 and receiving the officer’s report and supporting documents in January.
Sub-Committee members decided it was in the public interest to proceed in the driver’s absence, noting that adequate notice had been provided and that the licensee had been warned the hearing could go ahead without them if they failed to attend.
Licensing Sub-Committee rules driver no longer a ‘fit and proper person’ following multiple passenger complaints and previous warning
The panel considered several complaints from passengers about the driver’s behaviour during journeys in 2025. One female passenger reported that comments were made about women’s careers, domestic abuse and her relationship status, as well as remarks about her appearance. The customer also said the driver spoke about their deceased wife’s appearance and described the behaviour as unpredictable, leaving her feeling nervous during the journey.
A second female passenger complained about the nature of questions asked by the driver regarding interactions between her and her friends during a trip. A separate complaint was also made relating to the driver’s parking during another journey.
Members reviewed the written explanations submitted by the licensee alongside a witness statement from one of the customers. The customer had intended to attend the hearing but was unable to do so because of work commitments.
The committee determined that, on the balance of probabilities, the driver had behaved inappropriately towards passengers. Members also expressed concern that the private hire operator involved had not informed the council about one of the complaints submitted in March 2025 and requested that licensing officers investigate why the notification had not been made.
The hearing also considered the driver’s previous regulatory history. The licensee had already appeared before a Licensing Sub-Committee in January 2025 regarding the late submission of insurance certificates and the delayed notification of a road traffic accident in September 2024. On that occasion the driver received a final warning.
Taking the complaints together with the previous warning and breaches of licence conditions, members concluded they were no longer confident the licensee could act professionally or comply with the responsibilities required of a licensed driver.
The Sub-Committee therefore determined that the driver was not a fit and proper person to continue to hold a combined hackney carriage and private hire driver’s licence and ordered that the licence be revoked.
