A TAXI driver suspended by South Gloucestershire Council after receiving 50 complaints then continued to pick up 1,000 more passengers via a ride-hailing app.
Councillors raised concerns about public safety as the law doesn’t stop drivers from carrying on working, pending an appeal.
The unnamed driver appeared before a recent panel of councillors, who suspended him. He carried on working for a ride-hailing app for “at least a month or so”.
Taxi drivers of both hackney carriages and private hire vehicles must apply to their local council for a licence to work.
The problem was raised during a meeting of the regulatory committee in November.
The driver claimed he hadn’t received letters from the council informing him of his suspension – but councillors were told that even if he had, he would have been able to continue driving for 28 days if he made an appeal.
Conservative Councillor Keith Cranney called for suspensions to be made immediate, and for closer cooperation between council officers and app providers.
By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service