“EVERYBODY DOES IT!” Taxi driver who attempted illegal pick-up outside Manchester club night loses licence appeal
- Perry Richardson
- Sep 2
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 3
A Trafford-licensed taxi driver who attempted an illegal pick-up during a Manchester club event has failed in his appeal against licence revocation.
Waqas Pervez, 35, had his Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licences revoked after a November 2024 incident outside Mayfield Depot, home to the Warehouse Project. The event, known as Up Ya Archives, featured drum and bass, jungle and UK garage music and drew large crowds.
Pervez, though licensed by Trafford Council, was not authorised to collect passengers in Manchester without a prior booking. During the incident, he was challenged by another taxi driver about the attempted pick-up. The confrontation, recorded on mobile phone video, showed Pervez swearing and threatening the driver. He was heard saying, “Everybody does it!”
The footage was passed to Trafford Council’s Licensing Enforcement Team. Following an investigation, the Council’s Licensing Sub Committee concluded Pervez was “not a fit and proper person” to hold a taxi licence.
At a hearing in February, both his Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licences were revoked. Pervez appealed the decision to Manchester Magistrates’ Court.
During the appeal, Pervez claimed the fare had been pre-booked using his mobile phone, allegedly through his brother and a private hire operator based in Salford. However, Ben Moran from Trafford’s Licensing Enforcement Team told the court that even if a Salford operator had been involved, the fare would still have been unlawful under licensing rules.
Moran added that such action would render any insurance invalid and place passengers at risk.
Magistrates dismissed the appeal and upheld the Council’s decision. Pervez was also ordered to pay £150 in legal costs.
Cllr Rose Thompson, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Communities and Safety, said: “Our licensing enforcement officers are proactive in supporting the trade, when such behaviour takes place in the borough. Where public safety is undermined, we will take action. The standards that we expect of our drivers is very clear.”
