Private hire driver to pay £1,130 for illegally plying for hire in Reading after COUNCIL STING

A South Oxfordshire District Council licensed private hire driver has been hit with financial penalties of more than £1,000 after he was found to be illegally plying for hire in Reading.

Mr Omer Malik of Reading – who holds a joint Hackney Carriage & Private Hire licence with South Oxfordshire District Council - was found guilty of illegally plying for hire and operating without insurance on 8 March 2019, after agreeing to take a £6 fare from a Council Officer without a formal prior booking.

At Reading Magistrates’ Court on Friday 4 March, Mr Malik was found guilty and ordered to pay a total of £1,130 in financial penalties, including a £100 fine, legal costs of £1000, and a £30 victim surcharge.

Cllr Tony Page, Lead Councillor for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, said:

“This is another great result from the Council’s licensing team, who work hard to ensure regulations are in force to protect the travelling public.

“If a licensed private hire operator picks up a customer without a prior and formal booking they are not insured for the journey, and are acting illegally.”