Unlicensed cabbie faces fine

A taxi company owner based in Maidenhead had to shell out more than £1,000 after he was caught employing an unlicensed driver.

Asif Iqbal, who owns Golden Executive Cars in Church Road, was hit with the penalty by Maidenhead magistrates on Friday, April 25 after admitting the offence by post.

The driver was spotted by licensing officers last September in Westborough Road, Maidenhead, and it was found that his licence had expired a year earlier.

Iqbal was fined £750 for operating a private hire vehicle in a controlled district when the driver did not have a current private hire driver’s licence. He was also ordered to pay £275 costs.

Cllr Jesse Grey (Con, Datchet), chairman of the Royal Borough's licensing panel, said: "Cases such as this only serve to undermine the strict checking procedures we carry out to ensure that taxis and private vehicles comply with our strict licensing regime."