London private hire driver fined more than £2,000 for illegal plying for hire at Henley Regatta
- Perry Richardson
- 42 minutes ago
- 2 min read
A London-licensed private hire driver has been fined more than £2,000 and received eight penalty points after being caught illegally plying for hire during the Henley Regatta, in a case highlighting continued enforcement against out-of-area drivers operating unlawfully at major events.
Shafqat Ali, 36, appeared at Read Magistrates’ Court on Friday 9 January, where he pleaded guilty to unlawfully plying for hire, failing to hold the correct insurance and not wearing his driver badge issued by Transport for London (TfL).
Magistrates heard that Mr Ali, who was licensed in London and working for a chauffeur company, was in Henley-on-Thames on 5 July 2025 during the Henley Regatta. He had travelled to the area expecting to receive a pre-booked job, but when no booking materialised, he chose to accept work unlawfully.
Under taxi and private hire legislation, drivers licensed outside South Oxfordshire are only permitted to collect passengers within the district if the journey has been pre-booked through a licensed operator. Accepting walk-up fares or touting for business constitutes plying for hire and is a criminal offence.
Out-of-area TfL-licensed driver prosecuted after accepting walk-up work during major Thames event
The court was told that enforcement officers identified Mr Ali operating without the appropriate hire and reward insurance and without displaying his TfL-issued private hire driver badge, both of which are mandatory conditions of his licence.
In sentencing, magistrates took account of Mr Ali’s early guilty plea and his previously clean driving record. He was fined £384 for unlawfully plying for hire and a further £576 for failing to have the required insurance in place.
The court also imposed a £384 victim surcharge and ordered Mr Ali to pay £924 in prosecution costs, bringing the total financial penalty to £2,268. In addition, eight penalty points were added to his DVLA driving licence.
Courts have the power to impose fines of up to £2,500 for illegal plying for hire offences, alongside penalty points, driving disqualifications and potential revocation of a private hire licence by the licensing authority. Cases involving insurance breaches are treated particularly seriously due to the passenger safety implications.
Licensing authorities and enforcement teams regularly increase checks during large-scale events such as Henley Regatta, where high visitor numbers and demand for transport have historically attracted illegal private hire activity from out-of-area drivers.
Cllr Maggie Filipova-Rivers, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Our licensing processes are in place to protect the public and ensure that only authorised drivers can operate across South Oxfordshire. Unlawful taxi operations undermine our licensing system, often allowing drivers to offer potentially dangerous untraceable and uninsured journeys. This sentencing reaffirms that we have a zero-tolerance approach for unlawful taxi operations across the district.”
