HIDDEN PITFALLS: Taxi drivers warned of costly paperwork oversights when paying fixed penalty fines
Licensed taxi drivers are being urged to carefully check their responses to police or Transport for London (TfL) correspondence after a surge in administrative mishaps that could lead to unnecessary court appearances.
Steve McNamara, General Secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA), has raised concerns about confusion surrounding fixed penalty notices. Speaking in TAXI Newspaper, McNamara explained how many drivers believe they have resolved minor offences such as speeding, only to later receive a Single Justice Procedure Notice (SJPN) from the court. The issue, he says, arises when drivers fail to complete an overlooked step in the process.
Drivers often pay the £100 fine promptly, assuming the matter is closed. However, McNamara notes that the fixed penalty paperwork requires an additional form to be completed. This form, which includes the driver’s licence details, must be signed and returned by post. Without this, authorities cancel the fixed penalty offer, refund the payment, and escalate the matter to court via an SJPN.
McNamara described the SJPN process as “a bureaucratic nightmare”, spanning around 30 pages and significantly complicating the resolution. He warned drivers that authorities do not follow up to flag missing forms, even when contact details are readily available. Instead, they proceed directly to court action.
The LTDA advises its members to contact them for clarification on any correspondence from the police or TfL. According to McNamara, spending a few minutes seeking advice is far preferable to navigating court proceedings later.
McNamara said: "There are many ways to get caught out, as we at the LTDA are only too aware. I have lost track of the number of members, who having received a fixed penalty offer, for something like a minor speeding offence, accepted the offer, paid the £100, and consider the matter concluded only to later receive a Single Justice Procedure Notice (SJPN) from a court for the same offence. This is what happens if you don’t respond to the fixed penalty notice, however, they all insist that they have.
“These members paid the £100, most have pictures, scans or copies of the paperwork and all believe it must be 5 an administrative mistake, unfortunately it’s not. Hidden within the paperwork there is a form that has to be filled in with the driving licence number, signed and posted to an address in Southend.
“Should you fail to do that, they do not contact you again, despite having an email address, phone number and address for you, instead they refund the £100, cancel the fixed penalty offer and issue a SJPN, which is about 30 pages long and a bureaucratic nightmare on its own. It is also then a much more complicated process to sort out.
“Don’t make this costly mistake. Our advice is always the same, if you get anything from the police or TfL and you have any doubts of any kind, please call us for advice. It's better to spend ten minutes talking to one of our experts than a full day attending some court or hearing somewhere!”
