Go Go licence goes
Sarjeet Singh, trading as Go Go Transport Services, is to have his restricted PSV operator’s licence revoked on 1 September 2020.
In April 2019 Mr Singh attended a public inquiry in Birmingham after DVSA found him to be using a photocopied vehicle disc. In the course of that inquiry, Traffic Commissioner, Nicholas Denton, formed the strong impression that operating PSVs was Mr Singh’s main occupation (rendering him ineligible to hold a restricted PSV licence), as the income from the PSV side of his business seemed to exceed that from the taxi side of the operation (the claimed main occupation). Mr Singh’s explanation was that much of the income and expenditure on the taxi side of the business was in cash and therefore did not appear in his bank account records. The Traffic Commissioner gave Mr Singh the benefit of the doubt on this question, but secured a number of undertakings from him for the future.
Missed safety inspection intervals in February this year gave rise to another public inquiry, held online rather than in person due to COVID-19. It was found that Sarjeet Singh has failed to make the necessary changes required after the initial inquiry in April 2019. These included keeping his records in the stipulated monthly format and banking cash. Instead, the Traffic Commissioner said he has repeated the excuses he made last April as to why his bank statements appear to show that most of his income comes from PSV operations.
Traffic Commissioner, Nicholas Denton, said: “The substantive evidence – in the form of the bank statements and invoices presented – shows clearly that PSV operation is his main occupation and I make a formal finding to this effect. This time I am not prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt on supposed cash transactions, particularly when there is evidence to suggest that the catering business is run by another person, either alone or at least in partnership with Mr Singh.”
Having found that operating PSVs is Sarjeet Singh’s main occupation, it follows that he is not entitled to hold a restricted PSV operator’s licence. He has been given until September to apply for a standard licence, as requested by his solicitor. Nicholas Denton said: “If Mr Singh does apply for a standard licence, he will need to bring a much more rigorous and professional approach to vehicle maintenance schedules than he has done with the restricted licence.”