Reading Magistrates’ Court has upheld Reading Borough Council’s decision to revoke the private hire licence of a driver caught illegally offering rides during the 2024 Henley Regatta.
Mr Shabuddin Parvas appeared before the court on 7 October 2025 to appeal the council’s original decision, made in October 2024. The court heard that Mr Parvas was caught offering to take six passengers from Henley to Reading for £60 without a pre-booking, during a covert multi-agency operation involving Reading Council licensing officers.
Private hire drivers are only permitted to take pre-booked journeys. Accepting passengers directly from the street or a taxi rank—known as plying for hire—is illegal and breaches licensing conditions. Such journeys also leave passengers uninsured in the event of an accident.
After reviewing the evidence, Magistrates ruled that Reading Borough Council had acted correctly in revoking Mr Parvas’ licence. The appeal was dismissed, and Mr Parvas was ordered to pay £700 towards the Council’s legal costs.
A Council spokesperson said the verdict underscores the importance of compliance with licensing regulations that exist to protect public safety.
Cllr Ennis, Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, added:
“This is an important result, and a strong message that illegal activity won’t be ignored.
We take public safety seriously and won’t hesitate to act when drivers break the rules. Reading Licensing will continue to pursue illegal drivers to ensure that event visitors are kept safe, standards of our licensed trade remain high, and customers can have confidence they are having a safe, legal journey by a properly licensed and vetted driver.”
Thanks for visiting DM News!
If you’ve got a question, story, or anything you’d like to say, head over to DriverMatty.com — I’d love to hear from you!
And while you’re there, don’t forget to check out my other websites and social media channels.
Sources:
