Ban threat for Burnley's unroadworthy cabs

7:40am Thursday 24th July 2008

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A THREE strikes rule is being proposed by licensing bosses in Burnley and Padiham to rid the roads of unroadworthy taxi cabs.

Council chiefs say any hackney carriage or private hire vehicle which is pulled up three times for having two or more ‘serious’ faults within an 18-month period will be banned from operating as a cab.

The taxi trade has condemned the move as "harsh and excessive" while insisting it supports attempts to crack down on rogue operators.

Some cab bosses are already on a collision course with the borough council over controversial proposals to make drivers enrol for a compulsory BTEC course in taxi driving at Chorley's Runshaw College.

But licensing officer Peter Henderson has detailed in a report to Burnley council's licensing committee how only 38 per cent of private hire vehicles and 23 per cent of hackney cabs passed compliance tests first time round in 2007.

Private hire cars and hackney carriages, are tested every six months, if they are three years old or under, and checked out three times a year if they are older than that.

Under the council proposals a serious fault is defined as a problem with a vehicle's tyres, brakes, steering or suspension.

The first breach would see a taxi boss issued with a warning letter, advising him of his future conduct.

If the vehicle in question was under three years old it would then need to be checked every four months instead of the standard half-yearly inspection.

Once any further fault were found with the same car, the proprietor would then be required to give an explanation to the licensing committee.

And if a third set of faults was uncovered then the vehicle's licence would be revoked, with the owner then having to lodge a magistrates court appeal to overturn such a decision.

Mohammed Arif, of Burnley Private Hire Association, says that Mr Henderson's proposals are “excessive”.

“While the failure rate within private hire is still high at 38 per cent we feel that we are being penalised again because of the much higher failure rate of hackney carriages," he says in a letter to the committee.

Jamil Munir, chairman of Burnley Hackney Owners Association, says that his members agree that proprietors who cannot ensure their cabs are roadworthy should see their cabs removed from the roads.

But he added: “However what we would like the council to do is reward those owner who keep their vehicles well-maintained by moving from four-monthly tests to six-monthly tests.”

The vehicle safety proposals and BTEC course plans will both be discussed by the borough's licensing committee next Thursday at Burnley Town Hall.