Taxi Driver Online

Taxi coronavirus safety screens could see cabs fail MOT tests, licensing chiefs warn

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north- ... d-18352540

Warning vehicles could not pass with screens in place


Image: North Wales Daily Post

Taxis fitted with screens to protect drivers and passengers from the transmission of coronavirus could be a safety risk in themselves, a cab licensing chief has warned.

MOT inspectors have been advised to consider telling drivers to remove the screens if they believe the protective equipment would result in an MOT fail.

In an email, seen by the BBC Local Democracy Reporting Service, Denbighshire council’s senior fleets and asset manager David G Davies said a vehicle presented at its workshops in Bodelwyddan had screens fitted to guard against Covid-19 transmission that restricted the movement of driver and passenger seats.

He attached a picture of the modified vehicle and said in his opinion it was an MOT failure, before saying examiners should decide whether vehicles fitted with similar screens would fail a test.

He goes on to suggest giving those presenting the vehicle the option to “remove the screen prior to the MOT test being carried out so you can then ‘Test As Presented’”.

Denbighshire council said it hadn’t endorsed any screens to protect drivers against coronavirus and was “drafting a policy around this issue”.The spokesman added taxi firms would need confirmation screens complied with insurance conditions.

A Denbighshire council spokesman said: “The Council is currently working with interested parties and organisations on drafting a policy around this issue.

“Where an operator has assessed the risk and decided to install a protective screen, they must also seek confirmation from their own insurance company that the fitting does not invalidate their insurance.

“This must be given in writing to the Council as the licensing authority.

“Where issues of concern are highlighted we will confirm the validity of the screen use with the operator and their insurance provider.”

Well if that's the actual screen in the photo I'm not surprised about the MoT aspect, since it's obviously attached to the seats for a start.


Ah, so sounds like he's trying to help drivers by suggesting they remove the screen just to get them through the MoT, rather than condemning them out of hand

Interesting, but the screen in the photo certainly a world away from the cling film jobs

Geeze...it looks like the radiator pipes you'd expect to see in a church.

But surely he would be better telling the testing stations to temporarily ignore them.

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IDFIMH

That contraption would kill the driver in a collision. Fact. A Lincoln hackney driver just spent £400 on a scouse screen, in a caddy. Passengers won’t get in it.

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Former taxi driver

Had a punter moaning big time about a car she recently got in that was covered in plastic/clingfilm.

She said she could hardly breath.

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IDFIMH

Then you have The Department of Transport guidance promoting the use of safety screens in taxi and private hire vehicles to help protect the driver.
https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/media/11762/Driver-Safety-Guidance-Taxi-Driver/pdf/Driver_Safety_Guidance_-_Taxi_Driver.pdf?m=636867072260970000

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now a licensed hackney driver

But he's presumably talking about a proper MoT test rather than a council test, so he has no jurisdiction over them?

Our council depot does the taxi tests and are also a public MoT station. So council officals could instruct testers to ignore the screens for the taxi tests, but wouldn't be able to do that for the MoT tests (some taxi drivers take their cars to the council for an MoT).

What is a scouse screen ?

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IDFIMH

Driver took his VW Caddy to Liverpool and paid £400 to have one of those monstrosities fitted. No footwell then available. The vast majority of punters have feet, some big ones, and there is nowhere available to put them. Is what a scouse screen is.

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Former taxi driver