The two owners of a Walsall-based coach company have been stripped of their licences after they were found to have helped a rogue limo boss continue operating.
Fazal Hussain and Mohammed Arshad jointly ran Manor Buses and Coaches. They were found to have leant their operator licences to Darryl Williams of Red Hot Rescue limo hire company. Mr Williams was taken to court this year and banned from operating after an undercover investigation discovered he was using unsafe and unlicensed vehicles to provide a limo hire service in the Wolverhampton area.
Following the court proceedings, limo boss Mr Williams was ordered to pay £9,000 for a catalogue of safety and licensing breaches. He was found to have been operating without the correct licence for 3 years, and one of his limos didn’t have the correct MOT, amongst others problems.
During the investigation into Red Hot Rescue, the involvement of the coach bosses was uncovered. The coach company were found to have loaned their operator discs to Mr Williams.
Companies with multiple discs are permitted to loan their licences. However they cannot be loaned for longer than 14 days, and the person borrowing the disc must hold an operator’s license. Both of these conditions were breached.
Mr Hussain, who was known to have had a close relationship with Mr Williams, was banned from holding or applying for an operator’s licence for 18 months. Mr Arshad was already found to have lost his repute as a transport manager and no further order was made for him.
