Councils crackdown on illegal taxis, £2,500 fine for charging your mates

illegal taxis- While it may seem like an innocent way to earn some extra cash, drivers who charge their friends for a lift are effectively operating an illegal taxi service.

Motorists aren’t allowed to profit from dropping off passengers unless they have a valid taxi or private hire licence.

If caught by police operating an unlicensed taxi, Brits can be hit with a £2,500 fine and risk having their insurance invalidated.

This means you wouldn’t be covered in the case of an accident, leaving you open for further penalties and fines.

There is no law against receiving money to cover the costs of fuel though.

While it’s unlikely that you’ll be fined for charging your mates once or twice, police will charge drivers who regularly take advantage of their passengers.

Pembrokeshire County Council is set to crack down on a number of illegal taxis being operated in the region by young drivers advertising their services on social media.

It comes after Dorset Police investigated the “Bournemouth and Poole Town Lifts” group on Facebook last year, after reports as many as 5,000 people were involved in the illegal lift-sharing platform.

A recent breakdown by GoCompare found that private car insurance policies typically prohibit “passengers carried in the course of business for hire or reward”.

Lee Griffin, chief executive of GoCompare, said: “The rising cost of motoring coupled with the current financial squeeze for many people has made lift sharing an attractive proposition.

“Most insurers will allow genuine lift sharing and there are loads of legitimate schemes across the UK.

“But drivers are not allowed to make a profit from their passengers and can only charge enough to cover petrol and other costs.”

Source – https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/