Taxi driver who injured pedestrian and lied to ‘cover up the incident’ can go back to work after 12-week suspension

A taxi driver involved in a road collision which injured a pedestrian will be free to resume his job after a 12-week suspension.

A Bolton Council licensing panel heard that following the incident the driver gave false information while being interviewed and failed to inform the council within the specified period. The panel expressed ‘concern’ at ‘the level he had gone to to cover up the incident’ during which a pedestrian sustained a bone fracture.

The driver has 20 years experience and the meeting heard he ‘had never had a previous incident’. Details of the hearing held on October 29 have been published by the council in the past week.

The panel of councillors looked into alleged ‘misconduct’ by a private hire driver.

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Published minutes of the hearing, said: “The committee believe that the driver did collide with a pedestrian in his vehicle based on the information from the passenger witness, the injured party and the police. “The injured party sustained a fracture which the committee felt was consistent with a vehicle collision and the committee was most concerned with the driver’s honesty and the level he had gone to to cover up the incident.

“The driver provided false information when interviewed and failed to comply with the conditions of his licence. “The driver failed to inform the council of the incident within the initial 72 hours.”

The driver and two representatives attended the meeting. The panel were told of the driver’s incident free 20 years of driving.

A motion to revoke the taxi driver’s licence completely was defeated by a majority of six to three councillors. The report, added: “The committee therefore did not wish to revoke the driver’s licences