A private hire driver who was caught picking passengers up from the street has been banned from working for two weeks.

Mr Zafarullah was warned he “could have lost everything” after he was seen ‘pirating’ in the city centre. 

Enforcement officers from Glasgow City Council spotted Mr Zafarullah accept two customers, who hadn’t pre-booked, outside The Garage nightclub on Sauchiehall Street.

Only black hackney taxis can pick up passengers off the street, while private hire drivers who do so are invalidating their insurance.

Councillor Alex Wilson, who chairs the city’s licensing committee, said ‘pirating’ is the “scourge of Glasgow”.

He added: “You should have said to the gentleman and the woman that approached your car, ‘I’m sorry I cannot pick you up, you have to phone or you have to go and get a black cab.’ “If you had an accident, they could have sued you for everything you have got. You could have lost everything. That is the seriousness of pirating in Glasgow.”

An enforcement officer told councillors how one of the people who had approached the driver’s car had confirmed they had not booked in advance.

Mr Zafarullah said he had been “very frustrated” after a night of “no shows.”

He said: “This is by no means an excuse for what I did on the night in question,” adding he had no previous complaints.

Councillor Wilson said: “You were about to pick up passengers and put them into your vehicle, do you know the minute they step into your vehicle your insurance isn’t valid? 

“You were willing to take a risk where if you have an accident you would not be insured, and you’re putting your passengers at risk, your own livelihood at risk.”

Councillors decided to suspend the driver for two weeks with immediate effect.