Taxi Driver Online

Danger taxis removed from Coventry's roads


DANGEROUS taxis have been taken off the road in Coventry in a police crackdown.

Cars with fuel leaks and defective brakes were among those impounded by officers patrolling the city on Friday night.

Officers on motorbikes led drivers of hackney carriages and private hire cars to two city garages – Rowley Autos, in Rowleys Green Lane, and Centre Point, in Foleshill Road, – where the vehicles could be examined.

As well as police, representatives from the taxi licensing authority and the city’s benefit investigation team were also on hand to conduct inquiries.

At the Centre Point site 39 taxis were examined.

Of those, 18 were found to be defective and nine were taken off the road immediately.

Three drivers were also handed fixed penalty tickets for defective tyres and others were referred to the courts for more serious defects, such as fuel leaks, suspension collapses and faulty brakes.


At the Rowleys Green Lane site 29 taxis were checked.

Twelve of these were found to be defective and five were immediately taken off the road.

As a result of the operation the benefit investigation team has launched nine investigations into possible benefit fraud and a further three cases have been referred to Coventry City Council over possible council tax offences.

Pc Dean Wainwright, of Stoney Stanton Road police station, explained that further checks on taxi vehicles were planned for the city.

He said: “This operation will continue to be run as there are far too many defective vehicles being used, which pose a threat to the drivers, other road users and paying customers.

“On the other hand there was a large proportion of vehicles examined which are clearly looked after by the drivers or owners and were in a good condition.”

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