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Posted on the 11th June 2025 in PHTM News
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNCIL REVOKES 18 TAXI LICENCES AMID SURGE IN DRIVER OFFENCES
Buckinghamshire Council has revoked the licences of 18 taxi drivers in a six-month period due to a range of serious offences, including sexual assault, drink driving, and inappropriate conduct.
This figure marks a significant increase compared to the 11 revocations made in the same period last year.
From October 1 last year to March 31 this year, the council’s enforcement team took stringent action against drivers for misconduct. Reported offences included "inappropriate sexual conduct towards female passengers," "sexual assault," "drink driving," and "driving with no insurance."
One particularly concerning case involved a driver whose licence was revoked following reports of an actual bodily harm incident, which is currently under further investigation for alleged violent offences.
Other reasons for licence revocation included "inappropriate comments to passengers," "using a mobile phone while driving," "speeding," and "failure to notify the licensing authority for offences."
In a report to the licensing public protection committee, Principal Licensing Officer Simon Gallacher stated that the taxi licensing service "thoroughly investigate all complaints and incidents." He added: "Several cases involved failure to notify the licensing authority of offences or arrests."
Despite these issues, proactive enforcement efforts have been noted. Gallacher's report highlighted: "Proactive work carried out by officers has included a joint enforcement operation with TfL for London, during which officers visited Amersham and Wycombe. Officers inspected vehicles licensed by both authorities and drivers and vehicles were found to be predominantly compliant."
During the same six-month period, the service received a total of 312 incidents or complaints, with some complaints citing multiple grounds for concern. These included 123 complaints about driver parking, 91 concerning driving standards, 79 about general driver behaviour, and 58 specifically for rude or aggressive behaviour.
There were also 17 complaints regarding journey cost and overcharging, and 38 for erratic driving.
Mr. Gallacher further noted that the service regularly conducts inspections of taxis at school drop-off and pick-up times, alongside visits to schools.
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