A Bradford limousine company with multiple convictions for illegally running vehicles made “huge profits” from its activities, a Traffic Commissioner has claimed.

A report released by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner revealed that Oasis Limousines (Bradford) Ltd, of Thorncliffe Road, has failed in its bid to get an operator’s licence after appearing at a public inquiry in Leeds.

The business was called before industry regulator Nick Jones after applying for permission to run in the North East region.

But Mr Jones said the company’s director, Saleem Nawaz, had no credibility and concluded the firm was “disreputable”.

And he branded Mr Nawaz, aged 29, a “serially and seriously non-compliant operator” who saw court fines and the occasional loss of a vehicle through impounding as “little more than a business expense given that significant profits were being made from the illegal use of limousines”.

“It is unfortunate that the numerous prosecutions and impoundings have not prevented Mr Nawaz from offering illegal services to the travelling public in the West Yorkshire area.

“I have grave concerns at the conduct of Mr Nawaz, who is consistently and persistently non-compliant.”

He said: “The public need protecting from people like Mr Nawaz... he has no place in the operator licensing system and is a rogue.”

The report revealed that Oasis had between £1.5 million to £2 million in assets.

Mr Nawaz strongly denied any wrong-doing when the Telegraph & Argus approached him yesterday, instead insisting his company was a “legitimate business”.

He said his fleet of 12 vehicles contained only two that would need a licence in accordance with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.

Mr Nawaz said the two vehicles – both 16-seaters – had been used as “eight-seaters.”

However, Mr Jones said in his report that he had pointed out to Mr Nawaz that, if a vehicle was registered as a 9-16 seat vehicle then it required a Public Service Vehicle licence and therefore was not eligible to the special rule that applied to small vehicles – containing up to eight passenger seats – which had an exemption for weddings and funerals.

Mr Jones said: “I illustrated this by pointing out that if a double-decker bus only had three passengers on board that the number of passengers would not render it a small vehicle.”

The Traffic Commissioner examined a number of convictions relating to the business operations of Mr Nawaz, including six offences of not holding an operator’s licence, three offences of having no insurance and two offences of fraudulent use of registration plates.

He also considered the impounding of a vehicle operated by Oasis Limousines Ltd on January 22, 2011.

An examiner from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) found evidence that the vehicle was carrying 12 passengers, who had paid for the journey.

The company applied for the return of the vehicle but during a public inquiry withdrew their application, said the Traffic Commissioner.

Other incidents involving Oasis Limousines were also considered.

Two days before the application was examined by Mr Jones, VOSA officers stopped a vehicle operating in Leeds.

The driver said he was employed by Oasis Limousines and told the police he was carrying 11 passengers.

However, said the Traffic Commissioner, he later asked to change his statement and said only eight passengers had been on board. It was alleged Mr Nawaz claimed the journey was a favour and no payment had been made.

The report also stated that in July, 2010, a vehicle was found with a missing seat belt and a defective tachograph, and wasn’t certified as meeting basic safety standards and had no operator’s licence. The driver who confirmed he had recently carried a party of people to Bolton, had also not recorded the details of his journey, as legally required, said the Traffic Commissioner.

Mr Nawaz told the T&A that his vehicles were highly-maintained and that passengers were completely safe travelling with Oasis.

On the seat-belt issue, he said: “It was a side-facing seat. The law states only forward-facing passengers need a seat-belt.”

The Traffic Commissioner also said that Oasis Limousines Ltd had also had two previous licence applications refused. The most recent was in April 2012.

Previously, it was stated, in September, 2009, the company failed to attend a public inquiry called to look into convictions and the company’s repute.

Also noted was a “sting operation” arranged by VOSA. A traffic examiner from the agency told Mr Jones there were nine passengers in the vehicle, all of whom were VOSA employees. The journey had been paid for upfront.

But Mr Nawaz disputed this evidence and told the Traffic Commissioner only eight passengers had been on board. He also claimed that the journey had been undertaken as a favour to his father’s friend and there was no payment for the journey.

Mr Nawaz told the T&A that he had not spoken to the Traffic Commissioner and could therefore not have said those things.

The Traffic Commissioner also stated that Mr Nawaz had claimed on several occasions that he undertook limousine work as a favour. However, during the hearing, one of the company’s former employees said a statement produced in his name and concerning the impounding in 2011 was false. This allegedly included claims the journey was a favour and had not been paid for.

Mr Jones invited Mr Nawaz to challenge his former employee, Mark Sellers, about his evidence but the applicant did not do so.

Mr Nawaz told the T&A that Mark Sellers still worked for Oasis as transport manager and was considered as a friend.

“If I was to challenge the evidence, Mark Sellers would lose his Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) that we had paid for and that he had worked a year for,” said Mr Nawaz.

In further evidence to the Commissioner, Mr Nawaz added that he had done everything in his power to run legally, including taking steps to ensure the operations were run correctly and that vehicles were roadworthy.

But after reviewing the evidence and issuing a written decision, Mr Jones said there were few positive aspects to the case, which had been “far outweighed by the overwhelming number of negative findings which are of significant concern.

Mr Jones said: “I place weight on the fact that Mr Nawaz did not challenge the evidence given to me by Mark Sellers, despite being invited to do so. He had been caught out fabricating evidence. It was clear the statement in the name of Mark Sellers was fabricated by Mr Nawaz, and him alone.”

This was strongly denied by Mr Nawaz when he spoke to the T&A.

Mr Jones said Mr Nawaz saw court fines as a business expense when set in the context of the company’s profits.

Mr Nawaz again refuted Mr Jones’s words, saying: “How can someone see fines as an expense?”

After concluding the company was disreputable and could not satisfy the requirement to be of good repute, he refused an operator’s licence.

Alex Fiddes, VOSA’s operations director said: “The majority of limousine operators are licensed and use their vehicles responsibly, but there is a sizeable minority that does not operate in this way – and the public must be alert to this risk.”