Taxi Driver Online

Quarter of taxis found unsafe in random spot checks


A quarter of taxis checked on Bristol’s streets have been suspended from operating after random spot checks carried out in the city last week.

Officers from the City Council Licensing Enforcement Team, British Transport Police, Avon and Somerset police and VOSA carried out the checks on Thursday daytime and Saturday night.

Of the 44 vehicles checked on Thursday, 11 were found to be unsafe and the licences were suspended with immediate effect until repair work was carried out. Meanwhile, on Saturday, checks on 13 vehicles led to four being suspended with immediate effect.

The majority of problems identified concerned tyres, usually with a depth of tread below the legal limit.

Cllr Ron Stone, Chair of the Public Safety Protection Committee responsible for licensing taxis, said it was important for the authorities to remain vigilant to protect the public.

“It is important for the promotion of safer public transport that we ensure the hackney carriages and private hire vehicles are in a roadworthy condition,” he said.

““We were pleased that in most cases the vehicles examined were in good condition, as no prior announcement of the checks had been made. However, the amount of defects showed that we must be vigilant to make sure passengers are travelling in safe vehicles.

“Agencies often work together in this way and invariably the experience for all concerned is a valuable and positive one.

“We would like to thank drivers for their patience during the stop checks and assure them that operations like this make the roads of Bristol safer for passengers and other drivers.”

source: http://www.bristol247.com/2010/01/26/qu ... e-streets/

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