How Safe Is Your Taxi Ride Home

The difference between taking a black cab at the end of the night or taking a private hire is often down to availability or cost. The real difference however is that when you take a licensed taxi there is piece of mind involved in that you can rest assured that the vehicle meets a certain standard as well as being driven by a taxi driver well versed in the area. The council is responsible for ensuring that all taxis meet certain quality standards. How well are they doing at policing this? More than 120 Blackpool hackney taxi drivers staged a slow-drive protest along the Promenade against the council’s approach to enforcement. It was the second time in a year they had taken to the streets. Quality crackdowns by councils in the Liverpool area have continued, including late night kerbside checks. While many operators support the need to enforce standards, others are angry about heavy-handedness and the frequency of tests. More than 120 Blackpool cabbies staged a slow drive protest along the promenade against the council’s approach to enforcement. Trevor Boaler, secretary of the Blackpool Licensed Taxi Operator said “The council is exceeding its powers. On a Friday night, with the help of police officers, they deliberately targeted older vehicles and removed plates, which is illegal.” Trevor said: “We’re now considering legal action.” However, Tim Coglan, head of Quality Standards for Blackpool Council, denied his men were acting illegally: “Authorised officers can test a vehicle at any time. We picked this time, because it reflects the business. Friday is the busiest night. But we also check during the week.” Tim said: “The proof is in the pudding. Since we started testing in June 2005 about 63 per cent of the vehicles had to be prohibited from the road, 34 per cent received defect notices, but only three per cent were found in order. That’s our justification.” In Derby a three-month inspection campaign by the city council resulted in 27 per cent of hackney and private hire licenses being suspended. The council found that 31 out of 113 taxis were not up to scratch. The most common fault was suspension. Hackneys performed worst, private hire cars did slightly better. Richard Smalley, for the council, told the Evening Telegraph: “We’ll seek to help and assist drivers where we can to ensure their vehicles meet our stringent test, but I make no apology for carrying out these enforcement checks.” Earlier last year 300 local taxi drivers went on a one-night strike against the strictness and frequency of the tests.

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