Issue - meetings

To determine a review of a Private Hire & Hackney Carriage Driver Licence.

The Chair asked the driver if he was content to continue despite the late issue of his documents. The driver confirmed that he was content to proceed.

The Panel and Officers present introduced themselves to the driver.

The Licensing and Compliance Officer gave a summary of his report which requested that members determined a review of the driver`s Private Hire/ Hackney Carriage Driver Licence.

In response to questions from Members the Licensing and Compliance Officer confirmed;

• That the damage to the tyres could have been caused by a balancing issue.
• The damage to the tyres was not ordinarily visible while the wheel was in the usual position.
• The photographs provided within the agenda pack were the documents referred to as B1, B2 and B3 within the report.

The driver confirmed that he had nothing further to add.

In response to questions from Members the driver confirmed;

• No further action had been taken by The Police or other parties following the incident.
• No points were added to the driver`s license as a result of the incident.
• The driver returned to work as a taxi driver two months after the incident following treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
• The driver had volunteered to become a school driver post covid as a result of lack of work from his usual source, Stansted Airport. He had worked as a taxi driver sporadically for four years, currently three of four days a week.
• His employer confirmed that the vehicle was his responsibility once he collected it but was the employer`s property.
• The driver checked the vehicle visually when he collected it on Monday morning and admitted that he did not check it every day. The driver reported issues to his employer that arose from his weekly inspections and took action to rectify issues such as a flat tyre.
• The driver lived in Epping and collected the specific taxi in question from Stansted Airport daily to do the school run, returned the taxi to the Airport, and collected it again later in the day to complete the after school run. The taxi was under the control of the employer most of the time.
• The employer undertook vehicle checks at the end of each term, which was evidenced by the driver noticing changes within the vehicle when he returned after a break.
• The driver did not know the mileage of the vehicle.
• The driver apologised that the incident occurred and noted his remorse that his passengers were put at risk.

The driver left the meeting at 10:19am and the meeting was adjourned; the Panel retired to make its decision.

The driver rejoined the meeting at 10:50am and the meeting reconvened.

The Chair read the driver the decision notice.

The driver left the meeting at 10:52am.

DECISION NOTICE

The matter before the Panel today is an application for the review of the driver’s joint hackney carriage/PHV driver’s licence reference PH/HC4808. The driver is employed as a Home to School Transport (HtST) driver. This is a hybrid  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22