Chorley driver fined after unlicensed minibus carried seven SEND children

A private hire driver licensed by Preston City Council has been convicted after using an unlicensed and uninsured minibus to carry seven children with severe special educational needs and disabilities to a school in Chorley.

Warren Jeremy Harris pleaded guilty at Preston Magistrates’ Court to three offences involving the silver Renault Master. The vehicle was not licensed as a private hire vehicle when it was stopped, and its insurance was invalidated because it was being operated as a private hire vehicle without the required licence.

One of the passengers was a wheelchair user, while a passenger assistant was also present in the vehicle. The case followed a joint licensing operation involving Chorley Council and Lancashire County Council.

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Harris was given six DVLA penalty points and ordered to pay about £350 in fines and council costs.

The prosecution was brought after officers identified the vehicle being used to transport the children despite it not holding the necessary private hire licensing status. The insurance position meant the minibus was also not covered for the way it was being operated.

The conviction reinforces the importance of checking both vehicle licensing and insurance arrangements when carrying vulnerable passengers, particularly on school transport work. A driver’s own private hire licence does not make an individual vehicle lawful to use if that vehicle has not separately met the required licensing conditions.

The case also underlines the consequences for drivers who operate outside those requirements. In this instance, the court outcome included penalty points, fines and council costs after the driver admitted the offences.

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