An Aberdeen taxi driver has been given a formal warning after taking on 40 unlawful fares earlier this year.
Majid Ali’s taxi inspection certificate expired earlier this year, meaning he wasn’t allowed to get behind the wheel again until it was checked and deemed roadworthy.
But he continued to use the car to transport customers – despite being warned not to do so.
Aberdeen City Council’s licensing team had emailed him about the potential risk of continuing to drive the vehicle – but Mr Ali claims he missed it as he was sleeping.
The breach was brought before the local authority’s licensing committee earlier today.
Pleading for leniency, a defiant Mr Ali insisted that the council “should have phoned him” rather than sending an email.
The miffed cabbie questioned why the council “couldn’t leave a simple voicemail” when his father in war-torn Kashmir manages to call.
Why do taxis need inspections?
Policy states that taxis must undergo two inspections a year.
This ensures vehicles are in a safe condition to be used by the public.
After a successful inspection, each licence holder is given a pass certificate that has an expiry date.
Mr Ali’s previous document expired on January 9.
The council advised him the following week that his certificate had expired and he should stay off the road until his vehicle was re-inspected.
Aberdeen taxi driver ‘didn’t notice email’ about re-inspection and the illegal fares
However, Mr Ali undertook 40 hires between Friday, January 20 and Sunday January 22 anyway.
Extra charges are applied to taxis booked at the weekend.
The local authority sent him an email at 11.45am on Friday, January 20, which he missed as he was “asleep after finishing a night shift with Rainbow City Taxis”.
He said he didn’t notice the important message until Monday, when he immediately stopped using his car.
“I read my email and at the bottom it says that ‘you are not allowed to use your car, it is a criminal offence’,” Mr Ali told the committee.
‘My father in a warzone rings me, but council can’t leave a voicemail?’
As pass certificates have expiry dates, councillors questioned if Mr Ali had any reminders in place about them.
But he argued the local authority needed to do more to alert him instead.
“The council never rang me, they just sent an email.
“I’m putting my hands up that it’s my responsibility to check emails but I’m just saying a phone call would help, or even a voice message as everyone else rings.
“British Gas rings me, my father from Kashmir in a warzone rings me, but Aberdeen council can’t leave a simple voicemail?”
He added: “I never read the email, that is my fault.
“‘I’m not pinning that on anyone but I think the licensing officer should have given me a phone call or even left a voice message.”
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Aberdeen taxi driver’s licence could have been taken away over illegal fares
Councillors agreed the offence wasn’t enough to warrant stripping the cabbie of his licence.
Councillor Marie Boulton believed a formal warning was suitable, along with a reminder that the conditions of his licence were Mr Ali’s responsibility.
She said: “I don’t take it lightly when there’s a breach of conditions because I think they could have quite serious consequences.
“On this occasion, a formal warning will be sufficient and we take no further action after that.
“But it wouldn’t happen again if he appeared before us.”
Members of the committee unanimously agreed to issue the warning, which will remain on Mr Ali’s record for the next two years.
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