Liverpool black cabs spotted with 'marker pen' homemade plates - what does it mean?
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/li ... r-14723524
The city council has responded to images that appeared on social media
Two black cabs were spotted working in Liverpool this weekend with what appear to have been home-made licence plates made using marker pen.
Fellow drivers spotted the bizarre hand-drawn plates on taxis operating in the city centre over the busy Bank Holiday weekend.
Liverpool City Council has said it is aware of the situation involving the cabs - and has warned the drivers that they should not be driving around the city with ‘makeshift plates’.
It is not clear why the amateur plates were being used - with some suggestions on social media that the drivers may have had their original plates stolen, although this has not been officially confirmed.
One fellow cabbie, called Kenny, got in touch with the ECHO on Twitter to raise concerns about the situation and what ramifications it could have for public safety.
He said: “If you take a look at the pictures, the drivers have actually designed their own plate with a black marker pen.
“Each and every plate legally licensed by @lcc_licensing has a security hologram. The vehicle should not be working in this case.
“As far as I’m aware the cab was reported over the weekend and was still in operation Monday morning.”
He added: “As cab drivers we want regulation to be better not only for the public but ourselves.
“We pay a lot of money in licensing fees, we need more enforcement. I believe @lcc_licensing are pushed to the limit. It has to improve drastically.”
Other drivers posted pictures of a black cab over the weekend which appeared to have no plates whatsoever - as more calls were made for licensing chiefs to stamp down on dodgy drivers.
The city council is running a legnthy campaign aimed at cleaning up the trade in the city - and frequently releases monthly statistics of the Hackney and private hire drivers who have been punished for bad behaviour on the road.
Are these taxis still properly licensed?
Liverpool City Council has made it clear that the two cabs in question are properly licensed by the authority - meaning that the cabs will have been fully insured for any journeys that took place over the weekend.
However, licensing chiefs have made it clear that the use of the home-made plates will not be tolerated in the future.
A spokesman said: “The council is aware of this issue and we have taken the appropriate action. The cabs in question are licensed with Liverpool City Council but should not be carrying makeshift licence plates. We have spoken to the driver and ordered them to obtain the correct plates, which they have now done. They have been advised that any further infringement of the regulations will not be tolerated.”
