Faults with 20 out of 24 taxis
Warwick Courier!
Routine inspections of 24 taxis in Leamington and Warwick found faults with most.
Some of the problems were putting customers' lives at risk and two drivers were told they could not take passengers until they had their vehicles repaired.
Only four out of all the taxis were found to be completely fault-free after the routine checks were carried out by police and council officers on September 26.
Faults ranged from drivers failing to display fare cards to more dangerous problems including faulty lights, leaking exhausts, defective and incorrectly deflated tyres, damaged bodywork, no seatbelts for rear passengers, no fire extinguishers or first aid kits and faulty steering.
Coun Michael Kinson (Con, Warwick West) said: "Vehicle safety is of paramount importance at all times but especially when carrying fare-paying passengers.
"Joint inspections are carried out on a regular basis. We will not hesitate to take the appropriate action when faults are found.
"In some cases this could lead to prosecution and loss of a driver's taxi licence."
Police issued tickets to two cars under the Vehicle Defect Rectification Scheme, which requires a driver to take immediate action to rectify a serious fault.
This could lead to the vehicles having a further MOT.
Of the 24 taxis inspected, 17 were Hackney Carriages from Warwick district and one was from Coventry while six were private hire vehicles from in and around Warwick and Leamington.
Taxi driver licences are issued by the district council and are subject to annual renewal. Responsibility to ensure that cars are licensed and road legal lies with the driver and their company.
Taxi driver Jas Virk, who operates his own Hackney Carriage from outside Leamington police station, said most drivers take care to maintain their cars.
He said: "If there is something wrong with your car, you are risking your own life so you would take it off the road.
"Usually if inspectors find a fault it would only be something like a lightbulb gone. They should just pinpoint the drivers who they suspect have problems with their cars and not pull everyone over.
"At the end of the day, we are trying to provide a service."
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