Taxi Driver Online

14, 2007 Monday

Taxi checks across district

Yeovil Express

FIVE out of 34 taxi drivers stopped during a series of spot checks across South Somerset did not meet the required standards.

South Somerset District Council, Avon and Somerset Police, and the Vehicle and Operator Standards Agency (VOSA) carried out the spot checks in Yeovil, Chard and Crewkerne.

Four taxis were given warnings due to having no first aid box or fire extinguisher on board, but were allowed to carry on trading provided that they attend the council offices within seven days to prove that the missing item has now been provided.

One vehicle was found to have tyres that were below the legal limit and was served with an immediate Prohibition Notice and was taken off the road. The council's licensing enforcement officer, Nigel Marston, said: "When dealing with public safety we will continue to take a very strict line.

"Taxi drivers perform a vital service to the community, but they have to meet minimum standards to keep their vehicles in a roadworthy condition. "I was pleased to see that only one vehicle had to be taken off the road this time compared to the last time when four vehicles were taken off the road immediately, however even having to take one vehicle off the road is one vehicle too many."

PC Tony Foster, of the Avon and Somerset Constabulary Roads Policing

Unit based at Yeovil, said: "The multi agency check allows us to examine vehicles in great detail and discover offences that may otherwise go undetected. "It was good to see that more Taxi's seem to be in a road worthy state and complying with the law than when we checked a few months previously.

"The travelling public can be assured that we are doing our best to make this form of transport safe for them to use and similar multi-agency checks will follow in our drive to improve road safety for all."

It is up to the driver to check their vehicle is in a roadworthy condition before they drive it, owners and operators must also check them on a regular basis to ensure that they are safe and fit for purpose.

The driver who had his vehicle taken off the road must fix the problem, obtain a new MOT and have the vehicle checked by both VOSA and the council before it is allowed back on the road.
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It's a shame the rest of the motorists don't get checked as often as Taxis do!

Most other motorists are not carrying passengers for hire and reward!!

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Legal and proud

Loads a love from BERTIE !!

When we had checks done there was a cab put off the road for the same reason, the Police said that the tyres where below the legal limit for a taxi that limit being 2 mill, the owner driver contacted the pf and asked if the law regarding tread depth had been changed and was informed that it was still 1.6 mill, the driver had his tyres checked at a tyre company and had readings of between 1.9, and 1.8, and had documented proof, this was shown to the police the next day and the case was dropped.
He still lost a nights take due to there ignorance

Last Sting in Gateshead found one in three HC to have a defect and one in two PH.

Standards need to be improved and people need to be confident in getting a return on their investment (in vehicles not plates) before investing in newer vehicles.

PH came out worse ................... but thats possibly because they have never been properly regulated.

B. Lucky

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

In what way and why have the PH not been properly regulated when the vehicle testing requirements are governed by the same LA

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=z07K29Fc15U

Ok no big deal

wots the point of carrying a first aid kit, firstly you must be trained in using it, and then again you could be left wide open to a claim
.eg.
The defendant put a plaster over the wound when clearly medical proffessionals say only a bandage should have been used and this caused more harm than good.

fire extinguishers

neither use or orniment, clear instructs from Fire Brigage, if a fire starts in your vehicle "get the hell out of it" let it burn, you can do more damage if you don't know what your doing with a fire extinguisher, your insured for Fire, let it burn

It's a licence condition of some councils that you have both an extinquisher and a first aid box it's not that a condition that you use either

Ok Badger I'll tell you in what way and why ........................... vehicles are only tested twice a year .............. mostly vehicles are therefore only properly maintained twice a year ................. this obviously applies to both HC and PH and is the clear reason why these spot checks uncover the amount of defects as they do.

The reason why I suggested a difference is because over the last 5 years the councils enforcement officers have only made regualr visits to the ranks and not to the offices .................. the reason for this is clearly because all of the offices have computer systems which allow vehicles to sit accross the borough and so checking vehicles is nigh on impossible ................. whereas the HC always go back and sit in great numbers around the few ranks within the borough. The enforcement is therefore signifigantly more efficiant on the ranks and so the regulations are more likely to be applied. When this was pointed out to the LO the response was that the PH operators view the vehicles on a more regular basis and should notice defects and insist that they are rectified.

The other thing is that councils believe PH vehicles belong to the operator and the drivers are employees, so they believe they are more in control of the state of thier vehicles than they actually are.

Councils need to be educated .................. we all agree on that .............. however I still maintain that councils are best placed to oversee the service ................... and the GMB is best placed to educate the councils.

B. Lucky

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

Over this side of the river they also have stings on PH now and again in the form of pull in points run by the police and a LO and a tester.... but i must admit they do seem to visit the ranks more.But i,ve also seen a HC giving a ticket to go to the testing station just for having one bulb off in his topsign(which holds four in anyway).Seems a bit nitty gritty to me .By the way the same driver had to wait at the testing station for nearly two hours .

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=z07K29Fc15U

I'm inclined to agree, but saying that twice a year testing is inadequate seems a bit radical - a lot of people in the trade regard twice a year as excessive.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Our LO sends us love letters, saying he would love to see us within a certain time slot, and if you do not attend he will find you.
He does this every 3 months without fail, he does not call all of us in at once but a certain number so he will have checked everyone in the 3 month cycle and no one gets away.
Its a good thing that he informs us when he wants to see us, as this gives us time to make sure every thing is OK and if it ain't your red carded until the problem is fixed and its your own fault.

Twice a year is becoming the norm, accept in London? lol

I just wonder when London will play catch up?

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

They are still trying to sort out the paperwork side of licensing, I am led to believe they have more dodgy insurance documents than real ones in London.

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

London has never been my strong point, but you and I both know that their inspection procedure is not on a par with the majority of councils outside of London. Although I'm sure GBC would disagree with that?

Regards


JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.