11 out of 18 Pendle taxis fail safety checks

9:00pm Monday 21st January 2013 in Pendle Photograph of the Author By Tyrone Marshall, Reporter

MORE than half of Pendle taxis tested during safety checks were taken off the road for defects, licensing chiefs have revealed.

Last month, Pendle Council’s taxi licensing department teamed up with the police to spot-check vehicles.

Out of the 18 tested, 11 of them failed and were taken off the road.

The results, described as ‘disappointing’, were a further blow to the taxi trade in the borough after councillors called for an increased number of spot- checks in December.

Jackie Allen, Pendle Council’s taxi licensing manager, said: “A joint spot- check on licensed vehicles was carried out on the evening of Friday, December 7, at Norfolk Street Garage with the police and Vehicle Operator Services Agency.

“Eighteen vehicles were tested in total, with 11 of those being taken off the road. The vehicles which failed the spot check will now revert to a four-month licence and test.”

At a council meeting in December, Coun Tommy Cooney raised the “poor pass rate of Pendle taxis during spot checks over the last two years”, and asked whether the number of checks should be increased.

During that meeting, the leader of Pendle Council, Coun Joe Cooney, said that although the pass rate was ‘disappointing’, he believed it was only a small number of taxi operators which needed to make serious improvements.

The council currently carries out tests once a year for vehicles less than three years old, and twice a year for vehicles over three years old.

For vehicles failing on serious faults, tests are carried out three times a year.

Comments (8)

9:44pm Mon 21 Jan 13

elfnsafety says...

It really is time the Council took a much harder line with Pendle's taxi operators. Some of them run cars that have gone round the clock more than twice (200k miles +) and clearly skimp on maintenance. There are too many cars chasing the business and corners are cut to keep cars on the road earning money.
It's no good giving the Operators chance after chance. Just take failed cars off the road permanently to show the rules are there to be complied with.
I for one do not wish to be driven in some potential death trap.
By the way, given the standard of driving exhibited by many drivers, have they passed a UK driving test and if not why not?
It really is time the Council took a much harder line with Pendle's taxi operators. Some of them run cars that have gone round the clock more than twice (200k miles +) and clearly skimp on maintenance. There are too many cars chasing the business and corners are cut to keep cars on the road earning money. It's no good giving the Operators chance after chance. Just take failed cars off the road permanently to show the rules are there to be complied with. I for one do not wish to be driven in some potential death trap. By the way, given the standard of driving exhibited by many drivers, have they passed a UK driving test and if not why not? elfnsafety

1:01am Tue 22 Jan 13

Steve4x4 says...

elfnsafety wrote:
It really is time the Council took a much harder line with Pendle's taxi operators. Some of them run cars that have gone round the clock more than twice (200k miles +) and clearly skimp on maintenance. There are too many cars chasing the business and corners are cut to keep cars on the road earning money. It's no good giving the Operators chance after chance. Just take failed cars off the road permanently to show the rules are there to be complied with. I for one do not wish to be driven in some potential death trap. By the way, given the standard of driving exhibited by many drivers, have they passed a UK driving test and if not why not?
Its about time Hyndburn Council took the same action as Pendle,
[quote][p][bold]elfnsafety[/bold] wrote: It really is time the Council took a much harder line with Pendle's taxi operators. Some of them run cars that have gone round the clock more than twice (200k miles +) and clearly skimp on maintenance. There are too many cars chasing the business and corners are cut to keep cars on the road earning money. It's no good giving the Operators chance after chance. Just take failed cars off the road permanently to show the rules are there to be complied with. I for one do not wish to be driven in some potential death trap. By the way, given the standard of driving exhibited by many drivers, have they passed a UK driving test and if not why not?[/p][/quote]Its about time Hyndburn Council took the same action as Pendle, Steve4x4

9:41am Tue 22 Jan 13

hi everyone says...

it don't matter how many miles it has done as long as it is kept roadworthy
it don't matter how many miles it has done as long as it is kept roadworthy hi everyone

10:01am Tue 22 Jan 13

TONY WALES says...

What's wrong with these taxi's.
Cannot you not publish the reason they have failed?
It may be a very small reason such as a rear brake light not working.

If the public knew the reason why they failed they could then judge for themselves, whether they wished to use them in the future.
What's wrong with these taxi's. Cannot you not publish the reason they have failed? It may be a very small reason such as a rear brake light not working. If the public knew the reason why they failed they could then judge for themselves, whether they wished to use them in the future. TONY WALES

10:58am Tue 22 Jan 13

jaffa90 says...

Good game this,when is it going to stop?
The owner/driver of the vehicle is responsible for it`s condition so don`t renew their hackey licences.
Good game this,when is it going to stop? The owner/driver of the vehicle is responsible for it`s condition so don`t renew their hackey licences. jaffa90

11:25am Tue 22 Jan 13

TONY WALES says...

jaffa90 wrote:
Good game this,when is it going to stop?
The owner/driver of the vehicle is responsible for it`s condition so don`t renew their hackey licences.
An Asian council member who may be responsible for granting a licence to the taxi drivers, is hardly likely to stop a mate of his, from driving is he?

The next thing he would feel is the end of a baseball bat.
Far better to receive a big brown envelope, and buy a couple of plane tickets for a family holiday in Pakistan.
Why not let the police supervise and say if the taxi.is safe.
Hopefully they could subject the vehicle to a proper inspection?
[quote][p][bold]jaffa90[/bold] wrote: Good game this,when is it going to stop? The owner/driver of the vehicle is responsible for it`s condition so don`t renew their hackey licences.[/p][/quote]An Asian council member who may be responsible for granting a licence to the taxi drivers, is hardly likely to stop a mate of his, from driving is he? The next thing he would feel is the end of a baseball bat. Far better to receive a big brown envelope, and buy a couple of plane tickets for a family holiday in Pakistan. Why not let the police supervise and say if the taxi.is safe. Hopefully they could subject the vehicle to a proper inspection? TONY WALES

2:03pm Tue 22 Jan 13

The World Is Yours says...

This is a shocking statistic indeed. How hard can it be for the owners to have a set budget for maintenance of their fleet of cars. The bosses need to stop being so stingy and cherishing their property.

Saying this it also tarnishes the reputation of good taxi bases out there that go out of their way to ensure their cars are kept in pristine condition.

If these results were named and shamed it could lead to a drastic decrease of revenue for these companies leading to potential job losses. The bosses really need to get a grip and sort it out. I could only imagine there being daily spot checks on taxis for a certain period of time would ascertain the extent of the problem.
This is a shocking statistic indeed. How hard can it be for the owners to have a set budget for maintenance of their fleet of cars. The bosses need to stop being so stingy and cherishing their property. Saying this it also tarnishes the reputation of good taxi bases out there that go out of their way to ensure their cars are kept in pristine condition. If these results were named and shamed it could lead to a drastic decrease of revenue for these companies leading to potential job losses. The bosses really need to get a grip and sort it out. I could only imagine there being daily spot checks on taxis for a certain period of time would ascertain the extent of the problem. The World Is Yours

5:00pm Tue 22 Jan 13

coates warder says...

as an ex-cabbie pendle,s taxi fleet need dragging into the 21st century.first all taxi's should be 6 years old or less no exceptions second. should be dressed appropriately .which means trousers, shirt, shoes. no t-shirts football tops ,traditional dress etc. all drivers not smoking in their taxi,s which does happen.no talking or taking jobs over mobile phones while driving.there's a lot of area,s that could improve but the guys on the taxi committee ie owners will not have it . its their way or no way. well its time pendle council got tough with them and take their licences off them if they dont comply and also name and shame these companies would make them keep on top of their taxi's.
as an ex-cabbie pendle,s taxi fleet need dragging into the 21st century.first all taxi's should be 6 years old or less no exceptions second. should be dressed appropriately .which means trousers, shirt, shoes. no t-shirts football tops ,traditional dress etc. all drivers not smoking in their taxi,s which does happen.no talking or taking jobs over mobile phones while driving.there's a lot of area,s that could improve but the guys on the taxi committee ie owners will not have it . its their way or no way. well its time pendle council got tough with them and take their licences off them if they dont comply and also name and shame these companies would make them keep on top of their taxi's. coates warder

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