Taxi Driver Online

Transport firm hits out over cancelled contracts


MAINTENANCE concerns have prompted Moray Council to terminate five school transport contracts operated by a local firm.

However, the transport manager of Forres Taxis and Minicoaches has accused the council of over-reacting and revealed he has instigated legal action against the authority.

The company employs five full-time and 12 part-time staff and Ewan Tulloch, transport manager, said he could not rule out job losses as a result of the termination by Moray Council.

The council decision comes in the wake of sanctions by the Traffic Commissioner (Scotland) to reduce the number of vehicles on the licence of the company from four to three, and force it to withdraw a service with Highland Council.

The commissioner's judgement followed a public inquiry in Inverness at the end of October, called over maintenance concerns.

This was the fourth time since 2000 that the company had been brought before the Traffic Commissioner in connection with mechanical and maintenance issues.

A Moray Council spokesman said: "Following a detailed analysis of the Traffic Commissioner's findings, Moray Council has revoked all five contracts held by Forres Taxis and Minicoaches with immediate effect.

"Alternative transport arrangements have been put in place and all parents of pupils affected will be notified by letter of the revised arrangements."

The new arrangements will take effect from the beginning of the school term on January 5.

However, Mr Tulloch claimed Moray Council was acting disproportionately to the sanctions of the Traffic Commissioner, which concerned the firm's fleet of Public Service Vehicles and not taxis.

Mr Tulloch accused the council of victimising the firm over the last 10 years and said its safety record in Moray was not in question. "We don't run any PSV vehicles in Moray, we only have taxi contracts in Moray," he said.

Mr Tulloch, who runs the business with his brother Colin, said regular council inspections of its taxi fleet had not thrown up any concerns. "I have just had my taxi licence renewed in October by Moray Council," he added.

"We have been operating taxi contracts in Moray for 11 years now and we have never had any accidents or incidents in any of our taxis. We have lost the right to run one Highland contract but we still have two runs in Highland and eight or nine other contracts with Highland Council which they are quite happy with."

Between October, 2005 and May, 2008, 11 of the company's vehicles had been put up for inspections and six had failed for a variety of reasons. In her written judgement, Traffic Commissioner Joan Aitken said she could not ignore the number of prohibition notices imposed or annual failings by the company.

An unannounced maintenance investigation at the firm's premises on February 7 this year saw four vehicles examined and two issued with prohibition notices. One vehicle had five defects, some considered to be long standing, and the other vehicle had a door jammed.

Mrs Aitken said: "Most operators do not get a call to public inquiry and very few operators end up at public inquiry on a fourth occasion." However, she concluded that revoking or suspending the company's licence would be disproportionate to the facts of the case.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

So the boss is saying I'm alright as I only have sheds for buses and my cabs are ok?

Like going into a chippy where the chips are fine but the fish is s***.

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IDFIMH