A Glasgow taxi driver got back behind the wheel hours after an immediate licence suspension — and was caught bidding for customers at the Hydro rank the same evening.
Mohammad Sarwar first drew the attention of Glasgow City Council’s taxi and private hire enforcement officers after he was accused of refusing to take passengers to Milton in the early hours of 9 May. Officers inspected his vehicle and found the meter running about six minutes fast, plus missing documentation. A fast meter can put passengers on the wrong tariff band depending on the time of day.
Immediate suspension, then the Hydro
After the vehicle faults, officers suspended Sarwar’s taxi driver’s licence. Later that day, at 9.35pm, they spotted him at the Hydro rank trying to pick up fares.
Challenged over working while suspended, Sarwar said he thought it would be “okay” and that he had only done two or three hires. The city’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee later heard he had taken the cab to have the meter recalibrated after enforcement flagged the problem. He told councillors he was “sorry” and had “misunderstood” the situation.
Committee chair Alex Wilson was blunt: “You can’t drive when you have been suspended.” He cited “a number of mistakes” in how Sarwar ran the vehicle and said drivers must do what enforcement officers tell them. The committee suspended Sarwar’s taxi driver’s licence for four weeks.
Why the Hydro matters
The Hydro is one of Glasgow’s busiest event ranks — the same pitch where operators already put marshals on post-show crowds (see TaxiFeed’s earlier Hydro marshals story). Working that rank after an immediate suspension is not a paperwork mix-up: it undercuts the point of taking a driver off the road.
Passengers who hit problems with a Glasgow taxi or private hire journey can report them via the council’s taxi and private hire complaints form. Licence holders and suspension lists sit on the council’s taxi and private hire public registers.