More huffing and puffing and posturing in South Ayrshire.
And I'm sure lots of people on here are very familiar with a lot of this kind of stuff
And, as per usual, a test failure is made to sound like it's caused the whole world to come close to collapse
Taxi operator points finger at tester after vehicle brake failhttps://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ayrshire/ ... r-34930091Graeme Russell told councillors that his brakes were legal despite failing a stricter taxi test.A taxi operator whose minibus failed a brake pad test with South Ayrshire Council has said he had ‘issues’ with the tester.
Graeme Russell, of RIA Taxis, had presented a minibus which failed an inspection by council testers in both 2023 and 2024.
In 2023, the vehicle was given a ‘do not drive’ notice until service and parking brakes problems were dealt with.
Fleet manager Matthew Wright said that the two MOT fails in 2023 and 2024 were concerning, adding: “To me, braking is the most safety critical item on a vehicle.”
He said that the 2024 test had seen the rear brake pads at 1.5mm, which was contested by the vehicle’s maintenance provider, who stated that the pads were actually at 2mm.
However, it was pointed out that South Ayrshire’s criteria was stricter than others, with a limit of 3mm meaning that it would not have passed even at 2mm.
The vehicle had also failed a screen washer test. Mr Wright admitted it was ‘unfortunate’ as many people have had frozen washers.
Mr Russell insisted that "we still have the legal pads, in my opinion" and that the only issues were the screen washer and a door cable fault, that was not mentioned in the fleet manager’s statement.
He then turned to the testers, adding: “I have also had two issues with the same tester regarding tyres. The tyre centre we use is owned by a taxi plate holder in East Ayrshire, and has also supplied tyres being legal at that point.
Councillor Martin Kilbride asked him: “Mr Russell, can you confirm, you said you’ve got a problem with one of the testers?"
Mr Russell replied: “We don’t usually like to bring up testers because I feel it’s unfair to target one person. But I felt it was the case.
“When I attended the first panel meeting, I felt that I was targeted unfairly by a member of the licensing team at South Ayrshire Council, so unfortunately at this point, I’m going to have to say that I have a problem with the tester.
“I’m just here to say that, as far as I’m concerned, apart from that cable, there was no issue with this bus and I feel it very unfair that paperwork was supplied and it’s went this far of us, to be honest.”
Mr Wright was asked how the brake pads were inspected as they are not removed during the test.
He replied that it involves a ‘tricky’ visual inspection which can be difficult "because it’s at an acute angle in a dark space with a small torch."
He said that, while the taxi would have passed the MOT if it was the 2mm contested by Mr Russell, it would have still failed South Ayrshire Council’s taxi test which requires replacement at 3mm.
He added that the pads failed that criteria "by their own admission."
Councillor Ian Cavana asked about the letter saying that the company’s vehicles were maintained to a very high standard.
Mr Russell responded that East Ayrshire Council had supplied a letter regarding the pass rate with them.
“Apart from this bus here, where there has been a mistake with the brakes, which were changed.”
Mr Russell was asked whether the tester was being accused of ‘bias’ but he denied this.
Councillor Mark Dixon indicated the discussion was deviating from the important points. He said that all they were looking at was the failure to meet the criteria for brake pads.
He said: “We’re not talking about are there any testers that may or may not have a bias or whatever. It’s just a case that somebody has presented a vehicle for testing and they’ve not passed the South Ayrshire Council test. It’s nothing to do with East Ayrshire Council.”
Chair Councillor Alan Lamont said: “I agree”.
Councillor Kilbride said that, since the issue with the pads had been rectified, no further action should be taken. This was agreed unanimously.
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