A rogue taxi driver who was caught illegally driving passengers to Birmingham Airport has been fined over £1,000 after admitting to using an unlicensed and uninsured vehicle.
Chris Taylor of Stoney Stanton appeared before the bench at Leicester Magistrates Court on January 17, where he pleaded guilty to operating, driving and using the unlicensed and uninsured vehicle.
He was fined a total of £1,136 and given eight penalty points on his driving license for the no insurance charge.
Mr Taylor’s actions came to light following an anonymous complaint in March 2023, alleging that he was not using his licensed vehicle to carry out customer trips.
Under the business name Airports 4 U, Taylor was taking bookings and using a vehicle without a taxi license, which meant his insurance was also invalid.
The team found that he visited Birmingham airport on 9 May 2023 in an unlicensed taxi. He had been identified via the Airport’s Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.
The passengers were contacted and they confirmed the details of their bookings. As a licensed taxi driver with Blaby District Council at the time of the offences, Taylor’s license was revoked in June 2023. The council were satisfied that he was no longer a fit and proper person to hold a taxi license.
Councillor Les Phillimore, of Blaby District Council, said: “The vehicle may not have been mechanically safe for the passengers, as well as not having the appropriate vehicle insurance for taxi and private hire journeys. Licensed taxis not only require an MoT but are also tested twice a year at the council’s depot to ensure that they are roadworthy.
“Had there been an accident the passengers would not have been insured making the offence even more serious.”
