Manchester-based Muhammad Rehan Ahsan has been disqualified from holding or obtaining a PSV O-Licence after his two-vehicle restricted licence was revoked with immediate effect.
Mr Ahsan, trading as Everest Travel, of Rainworth Street, Manchester, had been called to a Golborne Public Inquiry but failed to attend after Traffic Commissioner (TC) Simon Evans refused an offer to surrender the licence.
Vehicle Examiner Alan Chan said he had been told Everest Travel had not parked its vehicles at the stated operating centre for some time. The correspondence address was a furniture store owned by Mr Ahsan.
Mr Ahsan said that since he acquired the furniture store in 2013 he had relied upon the driver, Muhammad Jamil Chaudhry, to ensure the vehicles were maintained.
Mr Chan inspected the one vehicle said to be operated. It was in a satisfactory condition.
However, it had been inspected by the maintenance contractor the previous day. There was no maintenance contract for the second vehicle. Mr Ahsan said that Mr Chaudhry had been using it for private use only.
However, it later transpired that Mr Chaudhry had used it for hire or reward private hire to the Lake District on two occasions without Mr Ahsan’s knowledge. Mr Chaudhry said that he had been parking the vehicles at his home address.
Both vehicles were registered to Mr Chaudhry. Mr Ahsan said that was because he had been travelling to and from Pakistan to visit his sick father when the vehicles were purchased by Mr Chaudhry on his behalf and he just had not had time to re-register them under his own name.
There were no inspection records for one of the vehicles and only two since purchase for the other.
Over the last five years there were five out of six annual test failures for parking brake, lamps, fuel tank, exhaust, steering and oil leak related defects. One vehicle was given an immediate prohibition for stop lamps.
Making the revocation and disqualification orders, the TC said that Mr Ahsan was not present and had not proved contactable. He concluded that he had voluntarily absented himself.
No written representations had been received or evidence of financial standing. There had been a wholesale failure to comply with the licensing requirements.
There were serious matters raising issues of road safety, fair competition and compliance with the regulatory regime.
He directed that any future application involving either Mr Ahsan or Mr Chaudhry be placed before a TC for consideration.
