14 private hire taxi drivers caught accepting illegal passengers in one night in Northampton

On Friday October 11, police officers and West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) staff acted as customers in Northampton town centre, as part of a crack down on private hire drivers illegally accepting passengers, without first taking a booking.

The operation took place after an increase in intelligence suggesting that drivers were illegally plying for hire and unlicensed vehicles were operating in the town centre.

Private hire vehicles can only pick up passengers if the journey has been booked through a private hire operator. Drivers are acting illegally if they carry out the journey without it being pre-booked. The council says all private hire drivers are trained when they first apply for a licence about the difference between hackney carriages which can lawfully be flagged down and private hire vehicles which must only carry out pre-booked fares.

During the evening, officers and council staff approached private hire vehicles parked in areas around the town and asked the drivers if they were free. If they said they were, and the driver moved off after being asked to drive to a location outside the town, the licensing officers identified themselves.

WNC’s Deputy Leader, councillor Matt Golby said: “Working in partnership with Northamptonshire Police we were able to identify drivers who were operating in an illegal matter. The council takes these matters seriously and all those drivers caught will now face a review of their licence to consider the most appropriate course of action that should be taken against their private hire drivers licence.”

PC Maureen Allsopp-Clarke of Northamptonshire Police Safer Roads Team added: “Working alongside our Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance partners, our priority remains to keep people safe when using our roads. Private hire vehicles must be pre-booked and cannot pick up fares as this not only breaches their licence conditions but also invalidates their insurance.

“As part of the operation we not only checked that private hire drivers were following all laws and regulations when carrying members of the public but also that they had the correct documentation to reduce the risk to vulnerable people who may fall prey to unlicensed drivers in the night-time economy.”

The 14 drivers will now face a review of their private hire drivers licence