Agenda item

Mr Kirit Jaientilal – HCD805

The Senior Licensing Officer, Andy Fox, introduced the report concerning the renewal of Mr Kirit Jaientilal’s Hackney Carriage driver’s licence which was due for renewal on 28 February 2015. He informed Members that Mr Jaientilal was subject to a vehicle inspection on 5 September 2014 by Licensing Officers and officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary and that on inspection it was found that the vehicle had three tyres worn below the legal limit.  The vehicle was immediately suspended by the Licensing Officer.

Appendix A showed photographs of the tyres and Appendix B was a copy of the inspection report.

Mr Jaientilal produced the vehicle for re-inspection at the Licensing Office the following morning and the Licensing Officer confirmed that the vehicle had three new tyres.  The Licensing Officer informed Members that had the Police Traffic Officers been present at the vehicle inspection, Mr Jaientilal’s vehicle would have been impounded and he would have received a heavy fine and penalty points.

In response to questions from Members, the Officer confirmed that:

·         Ordinary local police could not impound a vehicle, it had to be Traffic Police, who were not present on this occasion.

·         All three tyres were below the legal thread, although it was difficult to capture this in the pictures provided.

·         The vehicle had been in this condition for at least 6 weeks although Mr Jaientilal had been on holiday for a good proportion of this time.

·         A Hackney Carriage driver’s licence did allow school runs.  However Mr Jaientilal informed members that he did not operate any school runs.

Mr Jaientilal attended the meeting and spoke in support of his review.  He informed Members that it was his first evening out after returning from holiday and his first time out for about a month as his father had been ill prior to his holiday.  He said that he was concerned about one of the tyres in particular and that the tracking might not be right, but that he normally checked his tyres once a month with a gauge.  He apologised to members sincerely about this situation saying it was his livelihood, he felt bad about it and that he never knowingly would drive like that.  It was the first time it had happened.

Members asked some questions of Mr Jaientilal, who in reply stated that:

·         He had been a taxi driver since 1995 formerly with Starline and had had a Hackney Carriage Licence for 5 years.

·         He was the only driver of this car.

·         He had purchased a new tyre gauge.

·         The tracking was cutting from the inside so he was not fully aware of the state of the tyres.

·         That he normally bought new tyres but with the tyres concerned two had been newly bought and one was a rethread.

Members were advised that they had the following recommendations to determine and following discussion it was agreed to ask Mr Jaientilal to attend a driver’s awareness course.

1. Mr Jaientilal’s Hackney Carriage driver’s licence be continued with no further action because the Committee was satisfied that Mr Jaientilal was a fit and proper person to hold such a licence, or
   
   
2. Mr Jaientilal’s Hackney Carriage driver’s licence be revoked as the Committee considered him not a fit and proper person to hold a Hackney Carriage driver’s licence because he failed to maintain his vehicle in a roadworthy condition. 

Upon a vote it was (5 for, 2 against)

RESOLVED, that Mr Jaientilal’s Hackney Carriage driver’s licence becontinued, because the Committee was satisfied that Mr Jaientilal was a fit and proper person to hold such a licence and that Mr Jaientilal attend the driver’s awareness course.