Taxi Driver Online

April 24, 2008 Thursday

Cabbies' high standards praised

Lancashire Telegraph

VALLEY taxi drivers have been praised for improving their standards after a bad report last month.

Spot checks carried out on a quarter of Rossendale's taxis showed a considerable improvement compared with a similar exercise carried out in March and compared with similar checks on taxis in Burnley and Pendle.

The joint enforcement exercise on Saturday, April 12, between Rossendale Council and Lancashire Police involved two marked police vehicles and one unmarked police car stopping and checking 38 licensed hackney carriages.

Officers suspended the licences of four vehicles - 10 per cent of the sample of vehicles stopped and checked. They also issued five defect notices for minor breaches - or 13 per cent of the sample.

In a similar exercise in February last year, officers issued defect notices to 35 per cent of vehicles stopped - with many of these going on have their licences suspended.

In February 2007, 93 per cent of drivers were displaying their driver identification - this had risen to 100 per cent in the latest exercise.

The results from the latest enforcement exercise in Rossendale compare favourably with similar exercises carried out in both Pendle and Burnley.

In Pendle, for example, 14 out of 18 taxis stopped and checked recently had defects and 14 taxis had their licences suspended.

PC Frank Romasanta, from Rawtenstall police station, said: "This was a successful joint operation with the council and we are pleased to be working with such a proactive licensing department.

"Taxi drivers have a big responsibility for the safety of their passengers and to other road users.

"It is important to regularly check that the taxis on our roads are safe and legal."
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