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November 6, 2007 Tuesday
Limo loophole to go in safety drive
Drivers of stretch limousines and novelty vehicles are to undergo rigorous police checks for the first time.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council believes it is one of the first authorities in the country to bring in Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks on drivers of vehicles commonly hired for stag and hen nights and children's parties.
It wants to close a loophole and treat the vehicles in the same way as private hire vehicles.
This means the council will check whether drivers have a criminal record and are safe to drive the public.
Councillor Joy Garner, chairman of the council's licensing and consumer protection committee, said: "We are failing people with our police checks.
"We turn down some people from driving private hire vehicles for safety reasons after a police check, but there is a possibility these same people could be going away and driving limousines.
"It has been a bit of a grey area in the law. Limousine drivers have not been police checked, so they could be anybody.
"It is very worrying. People who are using the vehicles for hen parties may have been drinking all night. You can see what could happen.
"No-one can see anything because the windows have been blacked out, so passengers are very vulnerable.
"For the past couple of years, the craze has been for using these vehicles for children's parties. You might have eight or nine-year-old girls as passengers."
She said the council's new taxi policy, which is out for consultation until December 5, will clear up any confusion regarding such vehicles.
And once the policy is adopted, which is expected to happen in February, the council will start running CRB checks on drivers.
Mrs Garner said: "We will be picking on cars which are registered in Stoke-on-Trent to make sure the drivers are safe.
"We then hope people will make a note of the companies which are safe and use them."
But she said a lot of the limousines being used were from outside the area, so the city council would have no power to check them.
Motoring website Autocar says all you need to set up a stretch limousine business is a driving licence.
The DVLA is reportedly planning new laws which will require limo drivers to take a specific exam, register with councils, and have their limousine subjected to a rigorous test every year.
Lynton Hewitt, who runs Diamond Limousines, based in Longton, welcomed the plans to introduce CRB checks and stricter regulations.
He said: "The whole thing is a good move and the sooner it is brought in, the better. There are guys out there who are running vehicles illegally."
Richard Greensill, who operates Meir-based Atlantic Limousines, said: "I think there should be checks done on drivers but the major problem isn't the people who are driving but the people who are picking up more than eight people, which is the maximum number allowed by law."
Raj Bassan, who runs Limousine Dreams, based at Longbridge Hayes Industrial Estate, said he believed all drivers should be police checked and hoped Newcastle Borough Council would follow Stoke-on-Trent's lead.
He said: " It's important that people feel secure with their driver. It's also very important that the cars have regular checks."
Another limousine operator, who did not want to be named, said the system was confusing. She said: "Nobody knows where they stand. I have had no information regarding the requirements are to run a limousine company."
Do you agree with the council's proposals to police check limo drivers?
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