Taxi Driver Online

Can't say I'm a big fan out outsourcing this kind of thing, so I'm inclined to agree with the councillors here.

However, there's a tad too much huffing and puffing about one particular incident. But which merely demonstrates either:

- different testers will come up with different faults at different garages;

- faults can arise after an MoT, surprise, surprise

- councils should test every single one of the UK's 30 million cars, or however many there are

- every vehicle in the land should be tested, er, would once a week be sufficient?


Dangerous taxi handbrake only found after council MOT

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/ ... uncil-mot/

On one occasion a taxi’s handbrake was not working only a couple of weeks after the vehicle had passed its MOT at a private garage, councillors heard.

It was one example why introducing private garages for taxi MOTs is not really an option, says a senior councillor.

Certification of compliance testing by private garages has been considered and rejected by licensing councillors before, said Coun Peter Hunt.

It was the primary duty and legal responsibility of any licensing regime to protect the safety and well-being of the vehicle licence holders and the travelling public, many of whom were among the most vulnerable members of society, he said.

Coun Hunt (Reform UK, Elland) was responding to requests by a Halifax councillor who was putting the case for changes people working in the trade wanted to see.

Coun Mohammed Shazad Fazal said his ward is one of Calderdale’s most deprived and many constituents rely on the taxi trade.

But they wanted services to the trade to improve.

Coun Fazal (Lab, Park) asked at a questions-to-Cabinet section of a meeting: “Will the administration commit to introducing approved private garages for taxi MOTs, including provision in Halifax?”

He also asked if they would commit to reducing delays of up to ten days between MOT completion and licence issue, with a view to same-day licensing where possible, and to improve access to the council’s Battinson Road transport services centre at Halifax by opening it two days per week.

Coun Fazal said taxi and private hire businesses also wanted to see the council’s Customer First access there on three days.

“These changes would reduce delays, support drivers’ incomes and strengthen a vital local service,” he said.

But Coun Hunt, Cabinet member for Public Services, said regarding the first aspect main issues related to cost and consistency of a service that would require considerable resource to establish and monitor to ensure its quality were an issue, given the council would still retain ultimate legal liability.

“Through our transport team we have also reported several local MOT certified garages to VOSA (the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) where taxis and private hire vehicles have passed a recent MOT test that subsequently failed the council’s compliance tests on the same inspection points.

“On one occasion this resulted in a dangerous fail where the vehicle’s handbrake was found not to be functioning only a couple of weeks after passing a MOT at a private garage,” he said.

Coun Hunt added: “While compliance testing remains solely the responsibility of the council, we as the licensing authority can be assured that vehicles which pass the test are fit and proper to transport fare-paying customers.”

He said compliance testing appointments are available either within the same week or the week after an application was made.

Coun Hunt said licenses were issues to applicants at the earliest opportunity once all legal checks had been completed, on the next day the licensing counter was open in the “vast majority” of cases.

All taxi and private hire licence holders received automatic email reminders between two and four months prior to renewal, giving sufficient time for compliance testing, medical examinations and other necessary procedures.

Services at Battinson Road’s vehicle testing facility, the licensing service and Customer First were already open five days a week and face-to-face licensing counter services at the depot were increasing to three half days a week, said Coun Hunt.