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Shamed cabbie is stripped of licence
A CAB driver has been stripped of his livelihood after he made inappropriate comments to his passengers.
It is believed that what was said by Steven Bowes, who has worked as a private hire driver in Scarborough, was of a sexual nature.
A Scarborough Council licensing sub-committee, which heard evidence from witnesses, said the nature of the allegations “raised a serious cause for concern”.
They ruled that Mr Bowes, whose licence had been suspended following the allegations, was not “a fit and proper person to hold a dual driver’s licence”.
The committee, which held its hearing behind closed doors, said it had been left with no choice but to revoke the licence, which is needed to drive a private hire vehicle or apply for a Hackney carriage drivers’ licence in Scarborough.
Andy Skelton, the council’s head of environmental services, said: “The suspension and eventual revocation arose from an unusual set of circumstances in which the driver made rash and wholly inappropriate comments to his passengers.
“We expect the highest standards from our drivers and this extends to the way they talk to their passengers.”
Scarborough Council have refused to state how many people made complaints against Mr Bowes, when the complaints were made or give any examples of what the cab driver said to the passengers, who were aged over 16.
In coming to its decision, the sub-committee, which was chaired by Cllr James Preston, considered a report from licensing officer Barry Lonsdale, written evidence from Mr Bowes himself and an excerpt from a fare log.
The committee accepted the evidence it heard from witnesses who attended the hearing. Mr Bowes was not in attendance.
Cllr Preston said yesterday: “It’s always concerning whenever we have to adjudicate a review of a complaint against a taxi driver. We don’t take these decisions lightly.”
In the minutes of the hearing, it was stated: “The sub-committee have considered the options open to them and feel that it is necessary to take action due to the serious nature of the offence detailed in the evidence.
“The sub-committee have considered a written warning however they do not feel that this would adequately protect the public or that it reflects the serious nature of Mr Bowes actions. It would not be acceptable to allow Mr Bowes to continue to hold a licence as the sub-committee do not feel that he is a fit and proper person.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 16 comments to this article
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guesticulate
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 07:38 PMThe taxi driver was just having a bit of fun.
guesticulate
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 06:05 PMWhile your on the subject of buns lemon, there is nothing that I like better than a lovely hot tart with lots of sauce.
lemon tops
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 01:11 AMWell you honour it was like this, i never would have walked in and eaten all those cream cakes if they hadn;t put them on display in the window, i mean i know i have my problems with temptation but that was blatantly asking for it, #12 unless that comment was a joke you are a disgrace to modern society.
badger464
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 12:58 AM#12 Dear oh dear, you seriously want to have that attitude looked at, let us all hope that you have never been a parent.
guesticulate
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 01:47 PMSome girls ask for it with their short skirts and low cut tops.
petra
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 07:35 AMYes, to the delivery vehicles and they should also check the state of the vehicles used to supply their food supplies.
badger464
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 02:19 AMTrouble with the taxi or private hire companies is, well the regular drivers who have been doing it for ages are good they understand the way of the roads traffic etc, but why do we have to have the high turn over of idiots who simply also happen to possess a driving licence lowering the reputation of the good ones, the council should actually do even more to vet potential taxi drivers than it does. and on another note, do the hygene ratings of takeaways extend to the cleanliness of the delivery vehicle and driver or doesn't it count if its delivered?
guesticulate
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 11:05 PMWhich company did his driver work for? Was it Nippy?
tomeastfield
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 08:55 PMHow can this be right? One or maybe more women have made a complaint against the taxi driver but were unsure as the committee won’t tell him!. Then to rub salt into the wound they won’t even tell him what the alleged complaint was about? Now I’m not defending him but surely he has the right to defend himself and put his side of the story across. This cannot be correct (behind closed doors) the driver must have been allowed into the hearing? Can anyone shed any light on this?
generalaccident
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 05:08 PMDoes anyone know how to get a license to be a taxiprivate hire driver?
scarborian carl.
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 10:26 AMwhy have the women not reported him to the police ???????????
Hello Vera
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 10:56 PMWas he a 'Taxi Driver' or a 'Private Hire' driver? More often than not, all the Taxi drivers get tarred with the same brush when a pirate hire driver does something like this. The first paragraph says Cab Driver, the second says Private Hire driver and the fifth says hackney Carraige. Comeone SEN, make up your mind.
ANARCHIST
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 08:03 PMMost taxi driver work within the law and do not cuse any problems. However to catch the minority that cause problems it may need all taxis to have in car video and audio equipment that start when a passeger enters the vehicle. Therefore evidence is 100%. The appropriate authorities can then take action.
ANARCHIST
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 08:02 PMMost taxi driver work within the law and do not cuse any problems. However to catch the minority that cause problems it may need all taxis to have in car video and audio equipment that start when a passeger enters the vehicle. Therefore evidence is 100%. The appropriate authorities can then take action.
Hericus
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 07:54 PMIn principle I agree, but I find it disturbing that this hearing was held in secret, and that the driver was given no opportunity to contest the evidence before the committee that sat in judgment on him.
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