FOURTEEN private hire drivers caught plying for hire in Northampton operation

An operation carried out by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) in collaboration with Northamptonshire Police has caught a mammoth 14 private hire drivers illegally accepting passengers in Northampton without prior bookings.

The initiative, conducted on the evening of Friday 11 October, was prompted by a rise in intelligence reports indicating an increase in drivers unlawfully plying for hire. There were also concerns about unlicensed vehicles operating in Northampton town centre.

Special Constables, Safer Roads Team officers, and WNC staff, posing as customers, approached private hire vehicles parked in the town. They inquired whether the drivers were free to take them to a destination outside the town. Drivers who agreed and began the journey were promptly stopped, and licensing officers revealed their identities.

Private hire drivers are legally required to accept passengers only if the trip has been pre-booked through a licensed operator. Those caught will now face a review of their private hire licences. This operation highlights the ongoing efforts to maintain safe and legal practices in Northampton’s private hire industry.

WNC’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Regulatory Services, said: “Working in partnership with Northamptonshire Police we were able to identify drivers who were operating in an illegal matter. The Council takes these matters seriously and all those drivers caught will now face a review of their licence to consider the most appropriate course of action that should be taken against their private hire drivers licence.”

PC Maureen Allsopp-Clarke, Northamptonshire Police Safer Roads Team, said: “Working alongside our Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance partners, our priority remains to keep people safe when using our roads. Private hire vehicles must be pre-booked and cannot pick up fares as this not only breaches their licence conditions but also invalidates their insurance.

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“As part of the operation we not only checked that private hire drivers were following all laws and regulations when carrying members of the public but also that they had the correct documentation to reduce the risk to vulnerable people who may fall prey to unlicensed drivers in the night-time economy.”