Taxi Driver Online

Public ‘at risk’ in taxis not fit to be on road



PASSENGERS are being put at risk in taxis that are not fit to be on the road, it has been claimed.

Now council chiefs have been urged to get tough after stop-checks led to one in three taxis and private hire vehicles being taken out of use.

Bolton Council and the police carried out the checks which saw 34 out of 96 vehicles in January and 33 out of 105 in June immediately taken off the road because of defects.

Others were given advice notices for less serious breaches, which meant 65 per cent of vehicles in January and 62 per cent in June were not up to standard, a report to the council’s licensing committee says.

Committee member Cllr David Wilkinson said the council needs to be tougher to ensure passengers are not being put at risk.

He said: “These figures are horrendous and they are not improving.

“This has been going on for a couple of years and, unfortunately, particularly in the private hire trade, the message is not sinking in and it is a great concern.

“The council has got to get a grip on this situation because some of the vehicles are not fit to be on the road. There are no ifs or buts about it, members of the public are being put at risk.”

Following the June checks, 33 fixed penalty notices were handed out by police — 26 for driving in a bus lane, three for defective tyres and four for not wearing a seatbelt.

Drivers who had vehicles suspended had to ensure the defects were fixed before they could go out on the road again.

But Nick Astley, managing director of Metro Cars, Bolton’s biggest private hire firm, said the council had been harsh, which made the figures look worse.

He said: “I am all for them checking the vehicles to ensure they are safe. But they take vehicles off the road for really minor things, for example the machine which has the jobs on being insecure.

“Some of these vehicles have only just passed an MOT — then hours later they are taken off the road for something ridiculous.”

The council’s licensing and environmental regulation committee will discuss the report when it meets tomorrow.

source: http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/

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

A definite case for age limits on the PH, like how old they can be when first licenced and how old they are when they must come off

a definite case dont believe all you read in the press, council members got upset about what was said in the press

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C. Oakes


The Hackney Association Ltd
bbha@btinternet.com

I think this calls for the three test a year.

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Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

Believe me, don't get Mercury X2

How about more regular testing for safety purposes instead of how old the vehicle is. The age of the vehicle means nothing

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

I think not while i am still a rep in BOLTON, more like get rid of them that keep failing.

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C. Oakes


The Hackney Association Ltd
bbha@btinternet.com

its about keeping the vehicle in good nick, some thing some driver still dont get.

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C. Oakes


The Hackney Association Ltd
bbha@btinternet.com

Have too agree.
I've seen 3 year old sheds with a zillion miles on the clock and 15 year old motors that are immaculate.
Age is no judge of condition.

Set an age limit and you actually remove much of the incentive to maintain your motor to the highest standards.
Why would you bother doing anything more than the absolute minimum to a motor you had to get rid of in a few months?
As an ex-taxi you won't get the return when you sell it.
It would also encourage double shifting, since it would make sense to squeeze as much revenue from the cab as possible before it had to go.

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