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Posted on the 25th April 2025 in PHTM News
ROGUE READING TAXI / PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER HIT WITH FINE AND DRIVING BAN FOR ILLEGAL PLYING
A South Oxfordshire licensed private hire and hackney carriage driver has been slapped with over £1,000 in costs and a six-month driving ban after being caught illegally operating in Reading.
Talal Bin Mumtaz Raja, from Reading, was found guilty of four offences at Reading Magistrates' Court on April 7, 2025.
The court heard how undercover licensing officers from Reading City Council conducted a "test purchase operation" on March 23, 2024. They flagged down Mr Raja's vehicle outside the Penta Hotel on Oxford Road, where he agreed to an unbooked £12 fare to Tilehurst.
While Mr Raja holds a hackney carriage licence, this only permits him to pick up passengers without pre-booking within his licensed borough of South Oxfordshire.
Crucially, the investigation also revealed that his driving and vehicle licences were suspended at the time due to his failure to complete mandatory disability training.
Presiding magistrates delivered a hefty penalty, including fines of £700 for "plying for hire" and "operating without insurance."
Mr Raja was also ordered to pay £1,000 in costs and a £280 victim surcharge.
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