Taxi Driver Online

Joint taxi operation breaks record for spot checks in district

North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC), the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVSA), Leicestershire Police and other local authorities stopped 140 taxis and private hire vehicles near East Midlands Airport to ensure the safety of drivers and passengers.

During the operation, taxis were stopped by police officers and examined, while licensing officers interviewed the drivers.

The checks included ensuring all vehicles were roadworthy and checking that necessary signage, documentation and equipment such as first aid kits and fire extinguishers were carried.

Of the 140 vehicles stopped during the operation, 66 received advisories or notices of defects. Including:

•Two fixed penalty notices from the DVSA for minibus drivers for exceeding drivers' hours rules
•DVSA banned the use of one vehicle for an illegal and defective tyre – resolved on site
•DVSA issued three notices for roadworthiness – vehicles must have an MOT test as soon as possible or risk being taken off the road
•One expired vehicle licence
•Drivers not displaying ID badges
•Dirty vehicles
•ID plates incorrectly displayed
•Missing fire extinguisher
•Missing first aid kit

The joint operation saw eight Midlands authorities join NWLDC, the DVSA and the police for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Vehicles travelling from as far away as Wolverhampton were stopped, with licensing officers from the City of Wolverhampton on hand to inspect them.

Throughout the year licensing teams carry out roadside spot checks to make sure that standards are being kept to, as well as to identify and take action against unlicensed drivers and vehicles working illegally.

For further information or to report any concerns about unsafe or illegal taxis or private hire vehicles email licensing@nwleicestershire.gov.uk.

Councillor Andrew Woodman, Portfolio Holder for Community Services at NWLDC, said: "We take the safety of anyone using a taxi or private hire vehicle in and around the district extremely seriously.

"Joint operations such as this help us to inspect even more vehicles and ensure anyone using, or driving, a taxi is safe. Thank you to all of the officers involved in this record-breaking day."

Sergeant James Wakefield, based at East Midlands Airport, said: "Our priority is to ensure the safety of everyone using the airport and we will continue to work alongside the council and all partner agencies to ensure that's the case."

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IDFIMH

Pity none of mine were stopped and reported for no fire extinguisher when it is not a requirement of our LA.

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Grandad,

I wonder how an illegal and defective tyre was resolved on site.

It couldn’t be resolved by changing over to the spare wheel, if one was carried, because a spare wheel is required to be serviceable too. Was there a mobile tyre fitter there?

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Former taxi driver

Yes, Jimbo, interesting point, but maybe the driver had to call out a mobile tyre fitter or the car couldn't be moved?

And I kind of see your point about the spare, but if a serviceable spare wheel is required all the time, then it could never be used, so what's the point in having it in the first place?

Of course, there's no spare wheel requirement for an MoT. And if local authorities require a spare to be carried in licensed vehicles, then presumably the rule is that you don't need a serviceable spare on a temporary basis after a puncture, or whatever, so a bit like using a space saver.

That is, assuming local authorities have ever thought it through

Dirty Vehicle!....crime of the century on he dirty wet roads of britain.

It's getting hard to find newer cars that have a spare wheel fitted or even a space to fit a spare wheel in.....just a wee aerosol of tyre repair gunge that's all but useless.

I would guess that the car had a spare so would be changed quite quickly.

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Grandad,

some drivers even though their car isn't fitted with one often own a spare wheel which is carried lose in the boot when doing long distance runs. One of my drivers used to keep it in a store room attached to a local kebab house and collected it prior to doing the run.

Maybe this driver did the same but hadn't checked the condition of his/her tyres first. To be road legal it's the 4 tyres actually on the car that must have sufficient tread although spares are normally checked as part of an MOT

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Mine has got a can of gunk which I suspect will never get used, but also an air pump which I suspect will get used from time to time.

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IDFIMH

Mine has a spare, a pump and a tubeless tyre repair kit.

I would never use the can of gunk and I don't have one.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related