Sixteen private hire taxi drivers have been prosecuted last Friday (August 17^th) for illegally plying for hire in Cardiff and driving without insurance.

Fourteen of these drivers were driving Cardiff licensed private hire vehicles, while the remaining two were licensed outside Cardiff, one from Newport and the other from Rhondda Cynon Taff.

These prosecutions are the result of a ‘mystery shopping exercise' by council officers specifically targeting private hire vehicles which are not allowed to pick up customers from the street without prior booking through an operator or an app.

The majority of the drivers were fined £300, ordered to pay £150 in costs, a victim surcharge of £30 and eight penalty points on their license.

The public are reminded that only Cardiff licensed hackney carriages can be picked up from a rank or hailed in the street (without prior booking). They are either black with a white bonnet or are London taxi type vehicles, they all display a roof sign that is lit when available for hire.

All licensed vehicles display a licence plate on the rear of the vehicle and the licensed driver's photo ID is displayed on the left hand side of the windscreen and is worn by the driver.

To make a complaint about a Cardiff licensed driver or vehicle please contact the licensing section on 029 20871651 orlicensing@cardiff.gov.uk