ILLEGAL £35 FARE: Private hire driver guilty of picking up on Manchester United taxi rank
- Perry Richardson
- 1 minute ago
- 3 min read
A private hire driver has been fined after charging a football fan £35 for a short illegal journey following a Manchester United home match.
Rehan Mirza, 42, was found waiting in a Mercedes on the Hackney Carriage rank along Sir Matt Busby Way after United’s match against Leicester City last November. He picked up a father and his seven-year-old son and took them to Manchester Piccadilly Station.
The man paid the £35 fare but became suspicious and reported the incident to Trafford Council’s Licensing Enforcement Team.
An investigation later revealed that Mirza, a licensed private hire driver at the time, was unlawfully plying for hire. Private hire drivers are only permitted to take pre-booked passengers and are not allowed to pick up fares from ranks or be hailed on the street. It also meant that Mirza was not insured for the journey.
Mirza’s private hire licence was revoked in his absence by Trafford Council’s Licensing Sub Committee. He later pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates’ Court.
He was fined £250, ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge and £300 in prosecution costs.
A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: “Once again our Licensing Enforcement Team has demonstrated a continued dedication to hold drivers, who put the public at risk, accountable for their actions.
“Only Trafford licensed Hackney vehicles can pick customers up without a prebooked fare outside Old Trafford. Our enforcement team continue to proactively patrol Old Trafford on match days and respond to complaints to ensure decisive action is taken where necessary.”
It is illegal for a private hire driver to pick up passengers without a booking because the law requires a clear distinction between how to two different types of licensed vehicles operate. In the UK, hackney carriages, also known as taxis, are allowed to wait at designated ranks and accept passengers who hail them directly from the street. This privilege is tied to strict local licensing and vehicle requirements, which include the ability to operate with a taxi meter and clear fare regulation.
Private hire vehicles, on the other hand, are only allowed to carry passengers who have booked their journey in advance through a licensed operator. The booking must be recorded and assigned before the journey begins. This process ensures that there is a traceable record of the trip, which helps protect both passengers and drivers. It also means the vehicle is legally insured for the specific journey. If a booking has not been made, the private hire insurance becomes invalid.
When a private hire driver picks up a fare directly without a booking, they are committing the offence of unlawfully plying for hire. This action bypasses the licensing system and creates a situation where there is no oversight of the trip. The passenger has no way of verifying if the driver is operating legally, and there is no formal record of the journey or fare.
The lack of a valid booking also means the vehicle is not insured for that trip. If a collision or incident were to happen during the journey, the passenger would have no legal cover or right to claim under the driver’s insurance.
Illegal pickups also undermine the system that ensures fair competition between licensed drivers. Private hire drivers who bypass these rules take unfair advantage and damage trust in the wider taxi and private hire industry.
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