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FALSE NAME GIVEN: Private hire driver banned after police uncover false claim over Bristol speeding offence
A private hire driver has been banned from driving for six months after falsely claiming another person was behind the wheel when a vehicle was caught speeding in Bristol.
The offence occurred on St Johns Lane in February 2025, when the driver was recorded travelling at 28mph in a 20mph zone, according to PC Patrick Quinton, Taxi Cop for Avon and Somerset Police.
The driver subsequently nominated somebody else as the person responsible for the offence. However, police challenged the nomination and the case was taken before Bath Magistrates’ Court.
Magistrates did not accept the driver’s account. The private hire driver was disqualified from driving for six months on 13 August and ordered to pay £775 in fines and costs. The year of the court hearing was not stated in the police update.
PC Quinton said: “I’m afraid I have to report another locally licensed driver who lied about who was driving at the time of a traffic offence.
“In Feb 2025 at St Johns Lane, Bristol a PHD was doing 28mph in the 20mph area. He nominated someone else as the driver.
“Neither the police or Court believed that nomination, so the PHD was disqualified from driving by Bath Magistrates on the 13th August for 6 months and given £775 fine/costs.
“I’ve notified the Council so they can take whatever action they see fit.”
The driving ban could now be followed by separate licensing action.
Private hire driver licences are issued on the basis that the holder remains a fit and proper person, with honesty and integrity forming part of the assessment undertaken by licensing authorities.
The relevant council will decide whether the court outcome affects the driver’s suitability to continue holding a private hire licence. Available measures can include a warning, suspension or revocation, depending on the authority’s policies and its assessment of the circumstances.
