Police warns taxi and private hire drivers face licence revocations over false nominations and unlicensed driver use
- Perry Richardson
- Aug 14
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 17
A Taxi Cop has warned several taxi and private hire drivers have faced court action and lost their licences after police investigations into false driver nominations and the use of unlicensed drivers.
PC Patrick Quinton, known as the ‘Taxi Cop’ for Avon and Somerset Police, detailed recent prosecutions in a Bristol City Council newsletter.
In one case, a private hire vehicle (PHV) owner was caught speeding at 36mph in a 30mph zone in Avonmouth Road. He nominated a driver the police believed was not involved. The court found him guilty of failing to name the driver, giving him six DVLA points, a £553 fine and £331 costs. South Gloucestershire Council also sent him on a driving assessment.
Another PHV owner, recorded at 55mph in a 40mph zone on The Portway, nominated an unlicensed person as the driver. He was convicted of permitting someone to drive without insurance, receiving six DVLA points, a £480 fine and £182 costs. As of June, council action was still pending.
A further case saw a PHV caught at 38mph in a 30mph zone on the A369 in North Somerset. The nominated driver was not licensed and uninsured. The owner was given six DVLA points, a £660 fine and £354 costs. South Gloucestershire Council revoked his PHV driver licence.
Other examples included a driver disqualified for six months for failing to name a driver on the M32, a £1,000 fine for nominating a non-existent driver on the A39, and a hackney carriage driver repeatedly nominating unlicensed individuals, leading to multiple licence revocations by Bristol City Council.
One driver allowed his unlicensed brother to use his hackney carriage, who was later distracted by a mobile phone while driving. This resulted in a one-month suspension from Bristol City Council.
PC Quinton confirmed all revoked or refused licences are recorded on the National Register, meaning other councils are aware if an applicant has had a licence removed. Around 30 more cases were being progressing in June, with several drivers due in court within three months.
Other forces have taken similar action. In the past 10 months, South Wales Police have recorded 115 DVLA points, three court disqualifications, £24,000 in fines and costs, and 13 taxi and PH licences revoked in their area.
