Unlicensed Thame Taxi driver fined

A Thame taxi driver has been fined £500 and six penalty points after using an unlicensed and uninsured vehicle for private hire.

Tye Edwards, 40, of Cromwell Avenue, pleaded guilty to operating a private hire vehicle without a valid licence and using a vehicle without insurance at Oxford Magistrates Court.

The court heard how in September 2016, Edwards, trading as KML Cars, was transporting passengers along the M25, when he was stopped by police. The officers discovered that Edwards was not displaying a Private Hire vehcile plate. A licence plate that had expired ten months earlier, was found hidden under a jacket inside the vehicle.

Further enquiries revealed that Edwards’ vehicle had also failed a roadworthiness test in March 2016, which meant that he was operating unlawfully and that his insurance was therefore invalid. Edwards was on his way to Heathrow Airport with his passengers who had been booked through their travel agent, both parties believing that the vehicle was legitimate.

Margaret Reed, Head of Legal and Democratic Services at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Taxi drivers are responsible for ensuring their vehicles are on the road legally.

“This was a serious case where someone was charging people to ride in an unlicensed, uninsured and unroadworthy vehicle. This was potentially very dangerous for the passengers and other road users.

“We would also urge anyone using a private hire or hackney carriage vehicle to check that it has a valid licence plate before they get into the vehicle.”