Newcastle City Council in Christmas cab crackdown

With many of us grabbing taxis into town to celebrate the New Year this weekend, Newcastle City Council say they're cracking down on unlicensed taxis.

Newcastle City Council Licensing Authority has conducted a series of operations to target private hire and non-Newcastle licensed drivers who pick up illegally on the street.

The problem gets worse at this time of the year as more and more people flock to the city centre on Christmas nights out.

Eight drivers were recently prosecuted after being caught - a further 11 drivers are currently facing prosecution.

Cabinet Member for Regulation, Cllr Nick Kemp, said:

“Newcastle has a vibrant night-time economy which is something we are really proud of, but we want to make sure that the city is safe and ensure that people aren’t put at risk by travelling in unsafe and potentially unlicensed vehicles.

“Our message is simple: taxi drivers who put people at risk by working illegally will be prosecuted and could ultimately lose their livelihoods.”

Working with Northumbria Police’s Neighbourhood Policing Teams, more than 900 drivers have been stopped and had their vehicles checked in 2017.

City Centre Neighbourhood Inspector Steve Wykes said:

“The city is busier at this time of year and we want to make sure people get home safe and think about how they’re going to get home before they start their night out. We would always urge people to make sure they use a licensed taxi, either pre-book with a reputable taxi company or use one of the taxi ranks in the city."