A taxi driver from Henley has been banned from driving and ordered to pay almost £1,000 after admitting driving a hackney carriage vehicle while not licensed and while uninsured.   His taxi proprietor must also pay more than £1,200 following the offences, as it was their licensed vehicle he was driving.

The taxi driver, Mr Abad Ullah Khan, 55, of Luker Avenue, Henley, pleaded guilty to the two offences at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Friday 18 June.  

During the same hearing, taxi proprietor AA Henley Taxis, of Market Place, Henley, pleaded guilty to allowing Mr Khan to drive their vehicle while unlicensed, which invalidated their insurance policy for the vehicle.

In court, Magistrates heard how, on 23 October 2020, Mr Khan had been caught out by eagle eyed officers from South Oxfordshire District Council who were carrying out Covid compliance checks in Henley.  When checking the vehicle Mr Khan was driving, they spotted that his taxi driver’s licence was more than three months out of date.  Further checks then revealed that he was driving the vehicle without insurance. 

Following his guilty plea, Mr Khan was fined £120 for driving a hackney carriage without the required licence and fined £120 for driving without insurance, he was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £34 and prosecution costs of £724.33.

Following his conviction for driving while uninsured, Mr Khan also received six penalty points against his DVLA driving licence.  As he already had nine points on his licence, this resulted in him being disqualified from driving for six months. 

AA Henley Taxis Limited were fined £250 for employing an unlicensed driver and £250 for permitting the driving of a hackney carriage without insurance.  They were also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £50 and prosecution costs of £724.33.

Cllr David Rouane, Cabinet Member for Housing and Environment at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Taxi drivers and proprietors are legally required to have the correct licences and insurance before they commence work.  They are responsible for the safety of every single person who accepts a lift and, like all drivers, also have a duty of care towards other road users.  Safety is our number one priority and so if we find anyone working without a licence, we will not hesitate to take the necessary action against them.”