Glasgow private hire driver issued warning after amassing nine points on licence

A private hire driver who has amassed nine points on his licence and let his uninsured son use his car has been warned over his future conduct.

Glasgow’s licensing committee agreed to renew Kanishka Gharzai’s private hire car driver’s licence despite an objection from Police Scotland.

An officer told councillors that the driver could be disqualified for up to six months if he received any more points by March 29 next year.

He said Mr Gharzai had been given three points for driving without due care and attention in March 2022 and six for using a vehicle uninsured against third party risk in April last year.

In the second incident, the applicant had “permitted another male to use his vehicle there being in force a policy of insurance”, the committee heard.

Mr Gharzai, who had been travelling on the motorway between Carlisle and Glasgow, told councillors the car had been insured but his “son wasn’t insured on the car”.

He said he had a health issue so his son had taken over the driving and promised it wouldn’t happen in future, describing the incident as a “mistake”.

“If you reject my licence, it’s a problem for me, for my kids, for my family,” he added.

The committee heard the applicant had not informed the council about the points, which is a condition of his licence.

It decided to grant a new licence for a restricted period, until September 30 this year, rather than the three years requested.

Councillors also agreed to issue the warning regarding the applicant’s future conduct and failure to comply with the conditions of his licence.