Suspended taxi driver fined almost £2,000 for working without a licence
Published November 4 2026
A taxi driver who carried on working after South Oxfordshire District Council suspended his licence has been ordered to pay almost £2,000 and had eight penalty points added to his driving licence.
Tariq Mehmood, 48, of Hamilton Road, Reading, was found guilty of three offences at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on Friday 16 October 2026: driving a licensed hackney carriage without a hackney carriage driver’s licence, driving without valid insurance, and failing to return his council-issued driver’s badge. Mr Mehmood, who had pleaded not guilty to all charges, did not attend the trial.
The court heard that Mr Mehmood held a hackney carriage driver’s licence with South Oxfordshire District Council from May 2023. All licensed drivers must have an enhanced criminal record check, known as a DBS check, and stay signed up to the DBS Update Service. This lets the council see straight away if a driver’s record changes, so it can be sure they remain safe to carry passengers. When Mr Mehmood’s Update Service subscription lapsed, the council suspended his licence in December 2024.
Despite this, Mr Mehmood continued to work as a taxi driver between 9 December 2024 and 8 January 2025. During this period, he was carrying out school transport work, taking vulnerable children to and from school. The council had been alerted to this unlicensed activity when Mr Mehmood was involved in an altercation at the school.
Because he was not licensed, his insurance did not cover the journeys he made. He also failed to return his licensed driver’s badge to the council while his licence was suspended, as the law requires.
District Judge Sharma fined Mr Mehmood £660 and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £264 and £1,000 towards the council’s prosecution costs, a total of £1,924. Eight penalty points were also added to his DVLA licence.
Mr Mehmood is no longer licensed to drive taxis or private hire vehicles by South Oxfordshire District Council.
Cllr Georgina Heritage, Cabinet Member for Communities of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Our licensing checks exist to make sure that anyone who gets into a taxi in South Oxfordshire is in safe hands. That’s why we require every driver to keep an up-to-date criminal record check, so we can be sure they remain safe to carry passengers. When Mr Mehmood’s lapsed, we suspended his licence and he knew he could no longer work, but he kept on driving, leaving his passengers, including vulnerable children, uninsured and at risk.
“When we take a driver off the road, they must stay off it – and anyone who continues driving can expect to face prosecution.”
South Oxfordshire District Council is committed to keeping the public safe by only allowing 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 drivers
All drivers licensed by the council must keep an enhanced DBS check subscribed to the DBS Update Service throughout the life of their licence. If a driver’s licence is suspended or revoked, they must stop working as a licensed driver immediately and return their badge to the council. Working without a licence also means a driver’s insurance is likely to be invalid.
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
