Case brought by Council’s Licensing Enforcement and Trading
Standards teams
25 January 2012
Chester Magistrates Court has heard how a test purchase
operation caught a private hire driver who illegally agreed to
undertake a journey for someone who had not pre-booked.
Only a licensed hackney vehicle can ply for hire in this way. A
private hire vehicle must be pre booked in advance.
Hakan Atalar of The Ridgeway, Hawarden, pleaded guilty to
the offence and also not having the specific insurance that covered
that type of journey.
He was fined £200, £200 costs, £15 victim surcharge and his
licence was endorsed with six penalty points.
The case was brought by the Council’s Licensing Enforcement and
Trading Standards teams.
Councillor Lynn Riley, Executive Member for Community and
Environment, said: “This conviction underlines to all Licensed
Drivers that they must comply with the legislation at all
times.
“It also serves as an important reminder to the public that only
licensed hackney vehicles could be used without being pre booked
and any journey undertaken in a private hire vehicle must always be
pre booked in advance through a licensed private hire
operator.”