Driving a taxi without the appropriate licence will result in prosecution, a hefty fine and points on your driving licence warns Nottinhgamshire Police.
Nottinghamshire Police officers discovered this after a routine red-light contravention uncovered an unlicensed driver.
The man had been driving a licensed taxi along the A6005 Nottingham Road, Chilwell, on the afternoon of Sunday 12 April this year when he drove through a red light.
A Notice of Intended Prosecution was then sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle, which was licensed by Ipswich Borough Council.
After the registered keeper informed officers that someone else had been driving at the time, checks were carried out with the council and it was discovered that the nominated driver was not licensed to operate the vehicle.
Ionel-Adrian Sandu, 35, was subsequently charged with driving a private hire vehicle without a licence, driving without insurance and failing to comply with a red-light signal.
Sandu, of Wherstead Road, Ipswich, was tried in his absence at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 17 September and found guilty of all three offences.
He was fined £660, ordered to pay £200 in costs, a £264 surcharge, and given six penalty points on his driving licence.
PC Jon Dye, of the Nottinghamshire Safety Camera Partnership, said:
“Driving a taxi or other private hire vehicle without a valid licence is a criminal offence that will always lead to prosecution.
“Additional licensing requirements for private hire drivers are in place for a good reason: to keep paying passengers safe from harm.
“Although it remains unclear whether he was carrying a passenger at the time, he still committed an offence and will now face the consequences.”
The legal operator of the vehicle may now face additional sanctions from the licensing authority.
