Driver who reversed down lane of M8 loses private hire bid

A private hire driver who was banned after reversing down the middle lane of the motorway has lost his bid to work in Glasgow.

Police Scotland objected to Netsanet Mekonen’s application to become a private hire driver in the city due to his conviction.

Officers caught him driving dangerously near to junction 21 of the M8 in September 2021 and he was later disqualified from getting behind the wheel for 12 months, Glasgow’s licensing committee heard.

Mr Mekonen, who said he had previously worked as a private hire driver in South Lanarkshire, asked councillors to give him a second chance.

But the committee decided to refuse his application, with chairman Alex Wilson, SNP, saying: “Police Scotland found there was a need to pull you over and refer you on to the Sheriff because they were concerned about the way you were driving.”

A Police Scotland representative told the committee: “Police officers on mobile patrol witnessed the applicant drive his vehicle dangerously when he reversed down the middle lane of the four-lane motorway.”

She added the force believed he is “not a fit and proper person to be granted a private hire driver’s licence”.

The applicant had said he had been driving in the country for 11 years and had no previous penalty points. He also suggested he had been reaching for a water bottle he had dropped in his car.

Cllr Wilson said: “The minute you stop looking at the road and your surroundings, if you lose focus on what you’re doing, you can cause your vehicle to get involved in an accident. That’s dangerous driving.”

Mr Mekonen had also been sentenced to 50 hours of unpaid work.