bad inspection fail in LiverpoolMore than half of taxis inspected this weekend were faulty - with 16 immediately taken off the road
Eleven private hire drivers have also appeared in court as the council gets tough on the industry
More than half the Hackney and private hire vehicles inspected on the city’s streets on one day were found to be faulty - with 16 immediately ordered off the road.
Eleven drivers have also appeared in court as the council and police look to clamp down on issues within the industry.
Liverpool City Council inspected 105 vehicles on Saturday, looking for unsafe vehicles and found more than half had faults that required fixing.
The 16 cars that were immediately ordered off the road were found to have issues such as broken lights and seatbelts, while another 43 were told to repair issues such as damaged seats and bodywork within seven days, or face being taken off the road as well.
These more minor issues included ripped seats, cosmetic body damage and a lack of no smoking signs.
The city-wide operation was carried out by the council’s licensing team alongside Merseyside Police between 8am and 6pm on Saturday.
The council has recently put a number of police officers through a specialist taxi licensing course to help them spot vehicles that are not complying with the law.
Of the 57 Hackney carriages that were inspected, with 12 ordered off the road and 25 issued notices for minor issues.
Of the 48 private hire vehicles examined, four drivers were suspended and 18 were told to promptly sort out issues.
The council is also clamping down on illegal practices by private hire drivers - an operation that saw 11 people appear in court last week.
It follows an operation before Christmas by licensing officers and police which identified drivers from Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral who were trying to pick up passengers that hadn’t booked or were driving without insurance.
Crackdown on taxi drivers coming from as far as Leeds and London to ply trade in Liverpool
Nine drivers who faced magistrates on Thursday were fined a total of £2,670 - and eight were given six penalty points on their driving licences.
A further two have pleaded not guilty and their cases were adjourned for trial on May 19.
Councillor Christine Banks, chair of the Licensing Committee, said: “We want to make sure that our taxi industry is fair and we are determined to crack down on those drivers who are flouting the rules.
“Unfortunately there are a very small minority who breach regulations to make extra money and we are committed to taking action and in doing so, send a clear message out that it is not acceptable.
“Passengers should always ensure they only use properly licensed taxis or pre-book private hire vehicles, otherwise they are placing themselves in danger as they are not insured if there is an accident.”
Mayor Joe Anderson has also announced plans to get tough on taxis - with plans for a universal city-region license, which he believes will cut-down on drivers getting qualified in other boroughs before plying their trade in the city.
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