Taxi Driver Online

Scarborough Taxi Driver's Question MOT Changes


Taxi drivers are questioning why Scarborough Borough Council wants to change the way their MOT tests are carried out.

The council is proposing that all MOT's for taxi's and private hire vehicles should be done at the councils own facility rather than at independent garages.

The proposed change is contained in the councils 'Draft Taxi and Private Hire Licensing Policy' which has been put out to public consultation. The document regulates the way the industry works in the borough and includes rules about .....

Section 3.4 of the new document states..

All MOT tests and vehicle licence compliance checks shall be carried out at Scarborough Borough Council’s garage, Dean Road Depot, Dean Road
Scarborough, YO12 7QS. Any MOT tests or licence compliance checks carried out by any other garage/testing centre on hackney carriage or private hire vehicles shall not be accepted.

Local taxi driver Will Barraclough says the proposed regulation is unfair

"It's forcing all taxis to go to the council depot for MOT testing, what this will do is remove the trade from local garages, we thinks that's £42,000 a year out of the local market, one of the biggest questions is why are they suddenly doing this?"

Will questions what difference the change will make to safety and what message it sends to the public.

"If the council say that the MOT must be done by them, why are they saying that and why is any other garage MOT inadequate, they are all trained by the same governing body - VOSA - everyone is trained the same way, why all of a sudden are local garages inadequate, what sort of reflecting is that going to paint amongst the public? Are they immediately going to think that where they are getting their car MOT'd is inadequate to what the council can offer when in fact it's the same test."

Jonathan Bramley, Scarborough Borough Council’s Environment and Regulation Manager said:

“We are aware that the proposed requirement for all private hire and hackney carriage MOT tests and compliance checks to be undertaken at our own depot in Scarborough is of concern to some of those operating in the trade. However it is for good reasons that we are proposing this change. Presently an MOT may be undertaken at any MOT certified garage, anywhere in the country, with the additional compliance checks being undertaken by our licensing officers during a two week period, twice a year. The consistency of existing MOT tests is of concern to us, particularly considering the results from snap inspections we have conducted since October 2015, where faults were found with vehicles which had only recently undergone and passed an MOT test. We do not think this is an acceptable situation for vehicles entrusted with carrying members of the public.

“The revised vehicle testing process we are proposing would combine both test elements into one comprehensive inspection at our depot. Not only will this provide consistency in terms of tests, it will negate the need for drivers to attend separate MOT and compliance visits. It would also allow us to set inspection criteria above that specified in a standard MOT test, for example the testing of fixings and equipment fitted to vehicles that have been modified to carry wheelchairs. At present there is no form of certification that assesses whether such modifications have been undertaken safely and in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, so we could improve this significantly.

“We know that for the vast majority of licensed drivers customer safety is of paramount importance, so we hope they can understand that the changes we are proposing are simply a way of us ensuring those same high standards are maintained consistently throughout the borough.

“Consultation on the proposed changes is underway with the local private hire and hackney carriage trades and they have until 9 November to respond to it, after which the council will consider all representations before making a final decision in January next year.”

Here are links to:

The Scarborough Borough Council Public Consultation
The Act Against SBC Taxi MOT Policy Petitiion
The Full Draft Taxi and Private Hire Licensing

source: http://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news ... t-changes/

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Best practice guidance
Number Of Testing Stations. There is sometimes criticism that local authorities provide only one testing centre for their area (which may be geographically extensive). So it is good practice for local authorities to consider having more than one testing station. There could be an advantage in contracting out the testing work, and to different garages. In that way the licensing authority can benefit from competition in costs. (The Vehicle Operators and Standards Agency – VOSA – may be able to assist where there are local difficulties in provision of testing stations.)

An MOT is only as good as they day it was done

So rather than take these (apparently) dodgy/shoddy MOT stations to task, they will go the way of (1) Charging MORE than a normal MOT station (as were Cardiff) (2) the drivers not being able to get an appointment due to so many wanting to at the same time (as were Cardiff)........Anddddd - these (apparently) dodgy/shoddy MOT stations can carry on serving the 61,000 + population of Scarborough that use the same roads! I would be requesting proof of their claims re the MOT stations and if proved (of which I doubt) withdraw their MOT license/certificate.

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Common sense........is just not that Common.

[quote="Cabby John 1"]So rather than take these (apparently) dodgy/shoddy MOT stations to task, they will go the way of (1) Charging MORE than a normal MOT station (as were Cardiff) (2) the drivers not being able to get an appointment due to so many wanting to at the same time (as were Cardiff)........Anddddd - these (apparently) dodgy/shoddy MOT stations can carry on serving the 61,000 + population of Scarborough that use the same roads! I would be requesting proof of their claims re the MOT stations and if proved (of which I doubt) withdraw their MOT license/certificate.[/quote

So the council license these MOT testing Stations do they John?

I wonder if the trade has organised a United response ?

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All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

we have always had our cars tested at the council , its a complete rip off

Which you STAND FOR

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All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

we have a choice of 10 only 2 of which are in Stamford but most local drivers take theirs 10 miles up the road to Bourne because he's less strict on scratches and scuffs and £10 cheaper or you can get £15 cheaper if you go up to grotsville. The thing is that there is variation between them but they are all genuine MOT testing station so nothing would get through with any serious mechanical faults the differences are usually in the amount of minor things they let through and if the council thinks there is a problem they tell a particular testing station to buck their ideas up and the drivers soon get to know and go elsewhere until that one gets leaned on etc.

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Well edders you know your council test has to be done in your licensing area,? So you must be on about a vehicle MOT, and you can use any MOT station in the country for this, so that's far more than 10.

we are the second largest district council in the Uk covering 4 towns and around 150000 population trust me all of these garages are IN our licensing area. Lincolnshire is NOT a little county our licensing districts cover hundreds of square miles !

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

enlighten me how i can change it mate ?

No it does not have to be done within your licensing area. It does have to be done at a council approved testing station.

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Former taxi driver

When we had stretched limos we had them tested in Nottingham because there isn't a testing station capable of testing stretched limos in our borough. There were many other boroughs that used the Nottingham facilities for these tests including Rushcliffe and Gedling.

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Grandad,

What do I know?why do I bother? I submit
Quite clearly even the testing of vehicles is restricted under section 50 of the 1976 Act to "at such place within the area of the council".

We have a number of approved testing stations.

Several of which are in different licensing districts.

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IDFIMH