A private hire driver from Newcastle has been hit with a fine of over £800 after illegally picking up passengers without a booking in County Durham.
Babar Shahzad, of Florain Drive in Newcastle’s Great Park, was caught by undercover council officers during a test operation conducted by Durham County Council in Chester-le-Street.
The sting was part of a targeted enforcement initiative following reports that private hire vehicles licensed in other areas were unlawfully picking up fares on the street within the county — a practice only permitted for licensed hackney carriage vehicles.
Private hire drivers are legally only allowed to carry passengers who have booked through a licensed operator in advance. Hackney carriages, commonly known as taxis, are the only vehicles allowed to pick up fares directly from the street or designated taxi ranks.
Peterlee Magistrates’ Court heard how Shahzad accepted a cash fare of £10 from two council officers posing as passengers. He failed to check whether they had made a booking. The entire transaction was captured on surveillance equipment and clearly showed Shahzad accepting the ride without any verification.
Newcastle City Council later confirmed that the vehicle Shahzad was driving was licensed with them for private hire use, and further checks revealed the insurance only covered pre-booked jobs — not roadside pickups.
Shahzad was found guilty of plying for hire without a hackney carriage licence and driving without valid insurance. He received eight penalty points on his licence and was ordered to pay a £200 fine, £555 in court costs, and an £80 victim surcharge.
Commenting on the case, Ian Harrison, business compliance manager at Durham County Council, said:
“There is an important legal distinction between hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in order to keep the public safe. Hackney carriages are identifiable by their official taxi signage and council-issued plates and are licensed and insured to pick up passengers without a prior booking. In contrast, private hire vehicles must be pre-booked through a licensed operator and are not permitted to pick up passengers directly from the roadside or ranks.”
This case serves as a clear warning to private hire drivers operating outside of the law and highlights the importance of upholding licensing rules to protect public safety.
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