A private hire operator has been left with a bill of more than £900 after blaming a computer problem for keeping a driver on the road without a valid licence.
Imran Khan, 43, of Midland Street, Skipton, was the proprietor of Aireside Private Hire. He was due before Bradford Magistrates Court on Friday 22 May to answer a charge of employing an unlicensed taxi driver, but failed to attend — and the case was heard in his absence.
The court heard that Bradford Council had discovered late last year that one of Khan’s drivers, Khalid Bashir, had been working without a valid licence. The renewal had been halted after officers spotted an undisclosed offence from January 2023 on his record during the renewal process, meaning Bashir held no taxi licence at that point. Despite this, he kept driving — working without a licence from 7 October to 9 November.
Prosecuting for Bradford Council, Imran Hussain told the court Khan had claimed a mistake occurred because Aireside Private Hire was going through a software update at the time, which is why the expired licence hadn’t been flagged. But the prosecution pointed out a “difficulty” with that explanation: Khan had already been notified that Bashir’s licence was due to expire. As Mr Hussain put it, the company still knew and still had a responsibility to make sure the licence was sorted.
Magistrates found Khan guilty in his absence. He was fined £220, ordered to pay a court surcharge of £88, and told to cover the council’s full costs of £600 — bringing the total to £908.
It’s a pointed reminder for operators: the buck stops with you when it comes to checking your drivers are properly licensed. Blaming the computer won’t wash with the courts.
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