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Cabbies forced off road by test delays
Concerned cabbies say they have been forced to take time off work because of crippling delays in getting their vehicles re-licensed. Some furious drivers say they have lost up to £300 a week in wages as their vehicles could not be inspected and given a new licence before the existing licence expired, meaning they had to be taken off the road.
Bradford Council's Hackney Carriage Unit, which is responsible for inspecting and re-licensing taxis, admitted a backlog had built up. An extra mechanic has been employed to help the Council's inspection team, based at Shearbridge Road, cope with the highest-ever number of cabs in the district.
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The Council said the backlog had already started to ease since the inspection team was boosted from two to three last week. A total of 2,080 Private Hire and Hackney Carriage vehicles now need to be checked and re-licensed at least once a year but vehicles which are more than six years old must undergo two inspections a year.
Private hire driver Martin Hall, of CJ's Taxis, in Wyke, said: "It's a shambles. The backlog had been getting longer and it's just getting worse every year. They couldn't cope with the workload. "Three drivers at CJ's have had to have time off work because of the delays because it's illegal to drive when the licence expires. It's their livelihood."
The council said it notified cabbies a month in advance of the date their vehicles needed testing, at which point drivers should contact the Council immediately to make an appointment. Colin Hill, of CJ's Taxis, has been a taxi driver for 18 years but he says the backlog is the worst he has ever seen.
Mr Hill bought a new private hire vehicle in April following a collision involving his old vehicle. But he was told he would have to wait until May 31 to get it licensed, meaning more than a month off work. "This is my full-time job and it just seems like they don't care. When I went down to the office, it was pandemonium with eight or nine people all complaining," said Mr Hill. But after the Telegraph & Argus contacted the Council about the issue, Mr Hill received a call telling him his vehicle could be tested straightaway.
Pervez Naik, manager of Oxford Private Hire, in Keighley, said three of his drivers had to take time off work this year because they could not get vehicles re-licensed in time. "They have mortgages, families and payments to keep up with and this is their livelihood," said Mr Naik. "To be fair, the Council send out a letter four weeks before it expires, but nobody expects it to take that long because it never has done," he added.
David Webster, head of business service for the Council, said: "A backlog has built up as there are currently 2,080 Hackney Carriages and private hire vehicles in the district, more than ever before. We are sorry for any inconvenience and every effort will be made to fit drivers in before their test expires."
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