Taxi Driver Online

Well this is interesting, but unfortunately there's zero detail about the most serious cases.


Taxi services in Cornwall in stop checks by police: five suspended

https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/1 ... suspended/


Image: Deven and Cornwall Police/The Falmouth Packet

Five taxis were suspended from trading and one vehicle was even seized after police carried out spot checks in four towns across Cornwall this week.

Working alongside Cornwall Council's taxi licensing officers, the Devon and Cornwall Roads Policing Team held a road safety operation that targeted taxis.

Taxi drivers in Truro, Falmouth, Camborne and Redruth were stopped – and while the "vast majority" were compliant with the regulations, a number of issues were found.

This included ten vehicles with defects, five of which were so serious they were temporarily suspended from trading and two were prevented from driving altogether, while one vehicle was seized.

Two drivers were also reported for offences at the wheel.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said: "Devon and Cornwall Roads Policing Team, working in collaboration with Cornwall Council taxi licensing officers, have carried out proactive stop checks on taxi vehicles operating in the Truro, Falmouth, Camborne and Redruth areas, as part of an ongoing vehicle safety and licensing compliance initiative.

"While the vast majority of taxi drivers were found to be operating with roadworthy vehicles and were fully compliant, the checks to date have resulted in a total of ten vehicle defect notices, five of which were suspended from trading, two prevented from driving, one vehicle seized, one driver reported for smoking in his vehicle and one driver reported for using a hand held mobile phone whilst driving."

Of course, nothing really noteworthy about five suspensions, but two 'prevented from driving' seems quite serious

And would they 'seize' a vehicle for mechanical/safety defects, or would that be for drugs or some other serious crime?

Maybe no insurance.

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IDFIMH

probably a bald tyre the police will insist it is taken away and replaced without moving the vehicle I've seen them do that to someone here (not a taxi)

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Indeed, possibly car tax/insurance issues. Couldn't find anything about the taxi checks, but according to their Twitter feed they've been seizing untaxed and uninsured vehicles, so I suppose the trade will be no different in that regard:



(The smaller sticker seems to say 'untaxed vehicle'.)

And that's presumably the 'undriveable' rather than the seizure, which more likely because untaxed or/or uninsured

Surely if a taxi is uninsured the licensing team would suspend it as they have access to DVLA insurance records I believe

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Think we discussed that recently - no obligation for licensing to check insurance status on an ongoing basis, but on the other hand I suppose they could check stuff like that (and MoT/VED status) every day if they were so inclined.

Which of course we could all do with regard to other taxis and cars, if we so desired. And not just whether it's taxed and MoTd via the government's database, but insurance status via the Motor Insurance Database.

Only caveat is that in theory you're only allowed to check your own insurance status via askMID, but it's just a box-tick to say it's your vehicle you're checking, so no doubt people will be checking others' details all the time.

And askMID doesn't say whether a vehicle is insured for hire and reward, but I'm not sure about the DVLA database, which presumably the public can't access

https://ownvehicle.askmid.com/

But it's a once-a-year check, and some sneaky folks get their licenses and cancel their insurance, or the payments aren't kept to and the insurance is canceled by the insurer.

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IDFIMH

Which is something I've often wondered about, particularly as we have the three-year plate option.

But didn't you say recently when we discussed this that if the policy is cancelled (either by the policyholder or the insurer) or the hire and reward element is removed from the policy then the insurer would inform the licensing authority?

Somehow I'd guess that if such a procedure does exist then it isn't exactly comprehensive (pardon pun).

And, for example, if I'd failed to renew my policy when it was due last month one year into my three year plate, would my council have become aware of that, either through my insurer or by checking to make sure it's been renewed?

And if they are doing periodic checks of this kind 'behind the scenes', then why do they ask for my insurance certificate and MoT when I renew my plate? Can't they just do that themselves without asking me to provide any details, which is how they do our Disclosure Scotland (our DBS equivalent) checks?

Many drivers cancelled their insurance during the covid lockdowns. I doubt that any of them were contacted by their Council.

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And would have their insurers have contacted the councils to inform them, as I think Sussex claimed previously?

Of course, lots of procedures and rules went out the window at peak-lockdown time...

when you insure a taxi or PH you are asked who your licensing authority is and they do check to make sure the vehicle is licensed so I presume the insurer would be able to make that call

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I am sure that they would be able to, but I doubt that they did. I had a vehicle that was taken off the road about 5 years ago. It needed a new engine when a driver took it through a flood and hydro locked the engine. This was not covered by the insurance. The policy was cancelled while the new engine was sourced and fitted. `I don't think the insurer contacted the Council and the Council certainly didn't contact me.

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Many do, but many don't. Insurance companies don't have a duty to report, just IMO a moral obligation.

And some councils have few people concerned with the taxi licensing function, so even if the council was informed it doesn't follow that a council acts on it.

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IDFIMH