Council officers received a tip-off early last year about unlicensed private hire activity, and booked a journey with a suspected unlicensed operator. In February 2025, Mr Saleem Raza, of Cressingham Road, Reading, arrived at the agreed collection point in a white Mercedes that was not insured to use for private hire. Raza was found guilty at Reading Magistrates' Court on August 4, 2026, of using a motor vehicle without insurance and acting as a private hire driver without a licence. Raza had also previously been found guilty and fined in April 2024 after officers caught him plying for hire without insurance on West Street, Reading. Private Hire and Hackney Carriage customers are entitled to trust the person driving is properly vetted, authorised, checked, and licensed.