Cabbie fined £800

Taxi

A Taxi driver has been fined by the courts for illegally picking up passengers.

Nabeel Arshad, of Hare Street, picked up six female passengers who had not booked ahead, in Manchester city centre, in September.

Private hire drivers are not allowed to pick people up unless they have been booked in advance. Their insurance is invalidated if they break the rules.

Following a private prosecution by Manchester council, he must pay nearly £800 and has seven penalty points on his licence.

Although passengers are not insured if they get into a private hire car which has not been booked ahead, they are covered if they hail a hackney carriage in the street.