Private hire firm owner and driver fined almost £4000 for carrying passengers without licence
Published 30 October 2026
The owner of a private hire firm and one of his drivers have been ordered to pay nearly £4,000 between them after the driver carried passengers for more than a year without a valid licence or insurance.
Craig White, 57, of High Street, Tetsworth, owner of M40 cars and a licensed private hire operator, and driver Robert Green, 65, of Love Lane, Watlington, attended Reading Magistrates’ Court on Friday 9 October 2026. Mr Green pleaded guilty to driving a private hire vehicle without a licence and driving without insurance. Mr White pleaded guilty to employing an unlicensed driver and permitting a vehicle to be used without insurance.
Magistrates heard that Mr Green’s private hire driver’s licence expired in March 2025. Despite not completing his application for a new licence, he kept working for M40 cars for around 14 months.
Mr White, a licensed operator for more than 30 years, told investigators that he regularly checked his drivers’ documents. However, his last check on Mr Green’s licence was in April 2025, after it had already expired. Despite this, he continued to employ Mr Green as a driver until May 2026, when council licensing officers followed up on his incomplete licence renewal application.
Because Mr Green was unlicensed, his insurance was therefore invalid and had not covered any of the journeys he had made between March 2025 and May 2026.
Magistrates took both defendants’ early guilty pleas into account during sentencing. Mr White was fined £531 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £212 and costs of £1,526. Mr Green was fined £461 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £184 and costs of £1,000. Both men also had six penalty points added to their DVLA licences.
Mr Green is currently still not licensed to drive licensed vehicles.
Cllr Georgina Heritage, Cabinet Member for Communities of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “For more than a year, passengers got into a vehicle believing they were in safe hands. In fact, their driver was unlicensed and uninsured. Both men have held licences for many years and knew exactly what the rules were.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach towards operators who allow their employees to drive without a licence and for drivers who continue to drive when they are not licensed or insured to do so. Those who fail to check whether their drivers are licensed or carry on driving without a licence can expect us to take action, which may include reviewing or revoking their licences.”
South Oxfordshire District Council is committed to keeping the public safe by only letting properly vetted and authorised drivers to operate across the district. For more information about taxi and private hire licensing in South Oxfordshire, please visit southoxon.gov.uk/licensing
A reminder for licensed operators and drivers
Operators must make sure every driver they use holds a current licence. Before giving out any work, operators should see each driver’s badge and paper licence, keep records of expiry dates, and stop using any driver whose licence has expired. Drivers are issued a badge and a paper licence by the council. The badge is required to be worn at all times when in control of a licensed vehicle and should be shown to any employer and member of the public when asked.
If you suspect a taxi or driver is operating illegally, please report it immediately to South Oxfordshire District Council’s Licensing Team:
Call: 01235 422 556
Email: licensing@southoxon.gov.uk
Visit: southoxon.gov.uk/licensing
