Long-time Carlisle taxi driver faces revoked licence after mistakenly allowing operation of cab with expired MOT

A seasoned Carlisle taxi driver faces losing his livelihood after mistakenly allowing a licensed vehicle with an expired MOT certificate to be used, prompting a mammoth penalty of 12 points to his licence.

The sanction imposed by Cumberland Council, due to a vehicle compliance issue, has led to the driver appealing against the decision.

The incident came to light during a meeting of the council's regulatory sub-committee held at the Civic Centre in Carlisle on Monday. The cabbie who holds multiple roles in the taxi industry as a licensed Hackney Carriage driver, private hire driver, operator, and vehicle owner, was penalised for operating a vehicle without a valid MOT certificate.

This vehicle was reportedly used for a school contract on 2 November 2023.

According to the News and Star, a licensing officer at the council, emphasised the seriousness of the violation, stating that the vehicle in question had been operated without a valid MOT, a mandatory requirement for vehicle safety. The driver accepted the oversight, attributing it to ‘human error’ and assured the committee of a newly implemented ‘robust system’ to prevent future lapses.

The licensee was not the driver at the time of the offence, and the actual driver was unaware of the vehicle's defect. Nonetheless, the responsibility for ensuring vehicle compliance ultimately rested with the owner.

After deliberations, the regulatory sub-committee decided not to uphold the licensed driver’s appeal. In response, the cabbie expressed his intention to challenge the decision at the city's Magistrate’s court.