[url]http://www.keighleynews.co.uk/news/15400553.Two_in_five_taxis_failing_safety_checks/]mill towns again
[/url]TWO in five taxis and minicabs across the district are still failing crucial safety checks, Bradford Council has warned as it prepares to tighten its rules.
And a ‘wall of shame’ at the district’s taxi and private hire testing facility shines a light on some of the horrors its staff have discovered over the years.
A broken seatbelt clumsily sewn back together, vital car parts missing entirely, tyres worn through to the canvas and a seatbelt glued through a roof panel in a failed bid to fool inspectors are just some of the howlers on display.
A new report, by hackney carriage and private hire licensing manager Carol Stos, says: “For several years, the licensing service has worked with the trades through education and support to improve vehicle safety inspection results.
“This has not worked and circa 40 per cent of licensed vehicles are still failing vehicle safety inspections, of which circa 20 per cent are for serious or multiple point failures.”
She says cab firms have expressed their frustration that if they try to enforce the required standards, “those drivers who do not wish to comply simply move to operators who do not require appropriate safety standards”.
The authority is now planning to beef up its safety checks, by requiring vehicle safety records for each car.
Under the changes, drivers taking their cars in for their regular mandatory checks at Bradford Council’s taxi testing office in Shearbridge would also be hit with larger penalties if they fail.
Councillor Sarah Ferriby, who oversees licensing at Bradford Council, said the 40 per cent failure rate was “40 per cent too much”.
She said: “This is all about ensuring safety and increasing standards, and making sure that regular maintenance is done so that everyone is safe.”
A final decision on the changes will be made by Bradford Council’s regulatory and appeals committee when it meets on Thursday (July 13).