Complaints against taxi drivers in city rise as 109 miss training
THE NUMBER of complaints about taxi drivers in a Yorkshire city increased last year, new statistics have revealed.
A report presented to Leeds City Council members yesterday showed that 658 complaints against the taxi and private hire licensed trade were received in 2017, up from 576 in 2016.
Customers’ main concern was about the standard of driving – in most cases speeding and using mobile phones – which prompted 174 complaints overall.
Some 136 complaints were lodged about driver conduct, which accounts for concerns not covered in the other 23 categories, for example drivers playing music too loudly.
The report states that 143 drivers were suspended in 2017, up from 110 in 2016. Three licences were revoked for sexual reasons, with 19 licences also suspended due to sexual offence allegations, according to the report. The number of complaints about inappropriate sexual behaviour dropped to 22 in 2017 from 29 in 2016.
The statistics make up all the complaints received in the city of Leeds, not just from drivers licensed there. However, while 6,049 of Leeds drivers have attended compulsory safeguarding training, 109 are still to do so.
Andrew White, executive officer for taxi and private hire licensing, said the majority of people who had not taken the training were new drivers, but added: “It’s a bit like ‘the dog ate my homework’, it does feel like an excuse.”
Councillors at the Civic Hall raised concerns about the licensing department’s policy of sending three warning letters to drivers who have not attended the training – some had claimed they had not have received the first ones.
Conservative Coun Billy Flynn told Mr White: “Given the publicity we’ve had, especially in South Yorkshire, I would have thought they would be banging on your door to get this training.”
Mr White added there was a need to be “cautious” about suspending licences, but said anyone who had not taken the course by April could expect suspensions.