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Milton Keynes Police Operation: 26 cab drivers stopped for vehicle and taxi licencing checks



OneMK spent last night (Wednesday) out on the roads with police officers in Milton Keynes stopping cab drivers.

The operation was to check all taxi licensing and that vehicles were roadworthy and safe.

A total of 26 private hire vehicles were stopped across the city and 15 were brought to the testing station whilst 11 were checked at the roadside.

Eighteen of the 26 vehicles were found to have defects with 17 being immediately suspended from being used. One vehicle was given 21 days to fix the defect.

The problems on the vehicles included oil leaks, loose exhausts, worn shock absorbers and damaged bodywork.

In total this means 69 per cent of the vehicles checked had at least one defect with one vehicle stopped in Newport Pagnell having a total of ten defects listed against it.

Once vehicles are fixed they are tested again and if they pass then the suspension on the vehicle is lifted.

Simon Hills, sergeant for Hampshire and Thames Valley Roads Policing Unit, looked after OneMK and officers from Milton Keynes Council on the night.

He said: "The value of operations like this are twofold.

"Firstly, we are supporting the drivers who are keeping their vehicles maintained and finding those who don't. And by doing these operations, we give the public the confidence that the private hire vehicles and Hackney carriages are safe.

"Most of the drivers understand that this is a part of their jobs."

Most cab drivers were fine with police stopping them.

Goutan Das, a driver for Skyline, commented: "It does not bother me, they need to make the checks and it helps with the image of taxi drivers in the city."

Mutasar Bhaddi, a driver for Speedline, added: "Sometimes there is no reason for being pulled in. If there is something wrong, I can understand.

"We do an MOT every third month – why do we do that when these checks are also made?

"We are stuck here for a couple of hours, and missing out on fares as a result."


Read more: http://www.onemk.co.uk/8203-Milton-Keyn ... z3ycUqt5MN

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