Drivers are being alerted to a little-known UK law that could see them risk being fined up to £2,500 along with the seizure of their vehicle.
And it’s all by simply by giving their friends and family a lift.
Or more specifically, drivers could be hit with these massive penalties if they are found out to be making a profit from charging people, or accepting money for giving lifts, as the law does not legally permit this.
While it is legal for drivers to accept petrol money or reimbursement of costs for travel, the RAC says drivers face fines and invalidating their insurance if they turn a profit.
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Offering a further insight into the law by speaking to the Daily Express, Tim Schwarz – a spokesperson for motoring experts at Moneybarn – warned about the dangers of what is known as ‘taxi touting’.
He said: “Taxis home from the airport, train station and even nights out are notoriously expensive [and] in this scenario, many of us turn to the kindness of friends and family to give us a lift home.
“But did you know it’s illegal for them to accept payment for this service?”
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Drivers risk risk being fined up to £2,500 and the seizure of their vehicle / Credit: Flickr
He continued: “Cab services are very heavily regulated in the UK, especially since the rise of Uber in the modern age, so accepting money when unlicensed is not okay in the eyes of the law [and] without the right documentation, be prepared for a £2,500 fine, six licence points and even seizure of your vehicle.”
So why is this then? Well, experts at Paul D’Ambrogio Solicitors said the law is there to protect people from the dangers of unlicensed drivers, with the company’s site explaining that: “Taxi touting is an offence that both licensed and unlicensed taxi drivers can fall foul of.
“Touting for trade involves soliciting people in a public place to hire a vehicle to carry them as a passenger.
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“For taxi drivers without a licence, it is an offence to solicit people in public or display the word ‘taxi’ on your vehicle [and] for licensed taxi drivers, it is an offence to transport a passenger who hasn’t booked through a licensed minicab operator.”
They reiterated that: “The regulations regarding booking a taxi in advance have been enforced to help preserve the safety of both passengers and drivers.”
72% of Brits claimed close friends didn’t offer to pay towards car journey costs / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
It turns out however that securing payment from passengers may not being the easiest task anyway, as a recent study by insurance provider Admiral has revealed that 73% of people don’t offer money towards petrol after accepting a journey.
Around 72% claimed that even close friends didn’t offer to pay towards the journey costs.
To top it all off, 63% of British road users say they would found it awkward to ask for money in return for a lift, and 35% said they would turn down the offer of petrol money because they would feel too uncomfortable accepting it after all.
Featured Image – Unsplash
UK News
Question Time audience stunned as first-time buyer says mortgage quote DOUBLED
Danny Jones
Thursday night’s Question Time audience could be heard audibly gasping after a fellow crowd member revealed that her mortgage quote had doubled followed the recent mini-budget.
Taping in Manchester on 29 September, the current events and politics programme was discussing property when would-be first-time buyer Rabia revealed that her mortgage offer had jumped from an initial amount of 4.5% interest to a shocking 10.5% in just a matter of days.
As you can see in the incredible clip, both the audience and the panel are taken aback at the revelation.
The gasps from the audience as this woman reveals she’s received a revised mortgage offer of 10.5%. pic.twitter.com/a5Nb1co8al
The Greater Manchester resident said she is desperate to know what the government’s plan for mortgages is as following the latest revision, she says she simply cannot afford to put the money down on her first home.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer weighed in on the social media reaction, quote tweeting the clip from his party’s own account and stating that “the Tories must get back to Parliament and reverse their kamikaze budget” as the current economic mess is being “paid for by working people”.
The government’s economic chaos is already clobbering those like Rabia who're trying to get a mortgage or to re-mortgage.
This crisis was made in Downing Street but it’s being paid for by working people.
The Tories must get back to Parliament and reverse their kamikaze budget. https://t.co/bw8B2TOUgl
To make matters worse, Rabia was given no clarification from her lenders, only that they were pulling her offers. Conservative MP and Minister for Local Government, Faith and Communities, Paul Scully had little information to offer her either, simply stating it is a short-term effect and that the market will stabilise.
Scully was subject to an entirely different reaction from the audience as well after his blind attempts to defend Prime Minister Liz Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng were met with laughter. Conversely, Richard Bacon was met with applause after he labelled the mini-budget “absurd”.
As if the anti-Tory sentiment wasn’t already at a high, the chancellor’s mini-budget – which saw the corporations, bankers and the generally wealthy benefit ahead of the working class – has seen fresh calls for a general election to be held as soon as possible.
Beyond declaring a so-called £2,500 limit on energy bills (which many have warned isn’t a guaranteed cap), there was seemingly very little in the way of policy that
For those still unclear as to what was announced in the divisive mini-budget, here is a quick summary:
Speaking in a speech at the Labour conference in Liverpool on Tuesday, Starmer said that the government “haven’t just failed to fix the roof, they’ve ripped out the foundations, smashed the windows and now they’ve blown the doors off for good measure.
Demands for an immediate general election set to be debated in parliament
Daisy Jackson
A petition demanding an ‘immediate general election’ has now surpassed 100,000 signatures – and is set to be debated in Parliament.
The petition says that the public should be able to ‘decide who should lead us through the unprecedented crises threatening the UK’.
Prime Minsiter Liz Truss and the Conservative party are facing waves of criticism as the cost of living crisis spirals.
Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget on Friday saw the pound plummet to a record low against the dollar, and 40% of mortgage deals have since been pulled from the market, plunging the property market into chaos too.
Environmental charities have also attacked the Tories for ‘ripping up green planning laws‘, putting our green spaces at risk.
A British polling station as people call for a general election. Credit: Unsplash
Liz Truss was elected as Prime Minister by Conservative MPs only weeks ago, beating Rishi Sunak to the top job on 6 September 2022, but no general election has been held since Boris Johnson was elected in 2019.
Petition organiser Darrin Charlesworth said: “The chaos engulfing the UK government is unprecedented.
“War rages in Ukraine; the Northern Ireland Protocol has further damaged our relationship with Europe; recession looms; the UK itself may cease to exist as Scotland seeks independence.
“This is the greatest set of challenges we have seen in our lifetimes.
“Let the people decide who leads us through this turmoil.”
Labour has now surged to a historic 33-point lead in a YouGov poll.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the government has ‘clearly lost control of the economy’.
He said a the Labour conference in Liverpool: “What the government needs to do now is recall parliament and abandon this budget before any more damage is done.”
The Manc -
21st June 2021 
