A TAXI driver was stunned to be told he must wear his name badge and display a sign on his car at all times, even on his days off.
Mohammed Iqbal Khan, 41, from Luton, was sent a letter informing him that investigations were being conducted after a licensing enforcement officer saw him driving his car on Tuesday, December 20 without a roof sign.
Mr Khan said it was his day off and he was driving home from the shops, so did not realise he was doing anything wrong.
Mr Khan, who lives with his wife in Whitby Road, said: “This is a very unfair matter. They are interfering in my private life. I was not working so why should I have to display a sign or wear my badge? I went to see the enforcement officer and he said I must wear my badge and have a roof sign on my car 24 hours a day, even if it’s my day off.”
If he is caught breaking these conditions three more times in the next six months, Mr Khan will lose his private hire vehicle licence.
Mr Khan said: “It feels like mental harassment. Why can’t I have a day off and not have to be a taxi driver every so often? But if I lose my job, that’s my bread and butter gone.”
A Luton Borough Council spokesman said that once a vehicle is licensed with a local authority, it remains a private hire or hackney carriage until the licence expires or is surrendered and can only be driven by a Luton licensed driver, even if it is for private use.
He said: “Drivers must fully comply with this legislation and other local authority conditions while the vehicle is being driven within its boundaries, even when being driven for private purposes. Therefore, the driver should wear and display the badge in a prominent position and have the correct livery (roof sign) fitted at all times.”
