Uber driver fined for illegally plying for trade again

Muhumuthu-Atham was also given eight points on his driving licence

An Uber driver caught illegally plying for hire for a second time has been fined again.

Mohamed Muhumuthu-Atham agreed to pick up two Reading Council licensing officers outside a takeaway in the town’s Oxford Road on 2 December 2022.

But when he recognised one of them, he drove off with one of the back doors of his Volkswagen Sharan still open.

The 52-year-old was ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £1,195 at a hearing at Reading Magistrates’ Court on 17 June.

Under law, private-hire taxis, like those driven by Uber drivers, can only be pre-booked and must not ply for hire, which means they must not be hailed in the street by members of the public and they are not allowed to use designated taxi ranks.

Uber does not have a licence to operate in Reading and Muhumuthu-Atham is licensed by Fareham Borough Council.

Muhumuthu-Atham, of Kingsgate Street, Reading, was also given eight points on his driving licence.

He was previously found guilty of illegally plying for hire in November 2020.

John Ennis, the Reading Council’s lead councillor for climate strategy and transport, said Muhumuthu-Atham’s conviction showed “private hire drivers who think they are above the law will not escape punishment”.