Council officers have been going undercover around Old Trafford to catch the culprits
General view of Old Trafford football stadium
Drivers are targeting football goers(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
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Dozens of taxi drivers have been caught plying for trade after Manchester United football games – without having the correct licence. The illegitimate cabbies were stung by undercover officers in the Old Trafford area.
Among them was Guru Fatay Ronuk Singh, 44, of Lostock Road, Urmston, who was parked in a bus stop in Chester Road, with his ‘for hire’ sign illuminated at the end of Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat versus Brighton on Sunday, January 19, last year. Enforcement officers from Trafford council asked Mr Singh, who was licensed by Manchester City Council, to drive them to the city centre.
Mr Singh later told the council he had made ‘a very big boo boo’, acknowledging he had used his ‘for hire’ sign to attract customers but suggested that he forgot to turn it off. It is illegal for taxi drivers to pick up customers who have not pre-booked in an area where they are not directly licensed.
Such journeys invalidate the vehicle’s insurance, with Trafford council saying these actions put ‘public safety at risk’. The authority told the Local Democracy Reporting Service its officers caught 35 drivers illegally picking up fares in Old Trafford on matchdays in the last year.
These incidents are then investigated, and could be taken to court if the council feels it has strong enough evidence. Mr Singh was found guilty by Manchester Magistrates’ Court of plying for hire without insurance in January. He was fined £180 with a £48 victim surcharge and £180 costs, as well as receiving six points on his driving licence.
Rose Thompson, Trafford council’s executive member for communities and safety, said: “This is an example of a wider problem on matchdays with drivers from other areas illegally looking for fares and this court prosecution shows our officers are watching and will take action. Only Hackney Carriages licensed by Trafford Council are permitted to pick up fares without a booking and by doing so Mr Singh committed the offence of illegally plying for hire and in doing so invalidated his insurance.
“Trafford’s Hackney Carriage drivers work hard to provide transport for those who need it in the borough. This type of behaviour puts public safety at risk and is illegal. Our licensing enforcement team members work to support drivers who follow the rules properly and to make sure passengers ride safely with insurance in place.”
Legislation states that to pick up from the street without a booking the driver must be licensed as a Hackney Carriage driver, be driving a Hackney Carriage vehicle and by licensed in the authority area that they are picking up in. For unbooked fares, they have to be licensed by the authority where the job starts but can drop off anywhere in the country.
A Trafford council spokeswoman said the authority ‘enforces the regulations to ensure the public are kept safe, and there is a fair and consistent approach to all drivers’.