Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Testing times for cabbies
A DUNDEE taxi driver has called for rules to be changed to allow cashstrapped cabbies back on the road.
Taxi tests can only be carried out at Dundee City Council’s garage but, due to it being closed during lockdown, Chris Elder, Dundee taxi representative at Unite, says many drivers are losing income.
One driver from Tele Taxis said he lost £5,500 in wages because his new car has not been tested yet.
Chris said: “I feel we should be able to go to any garage we want rather than just the council one.
“All garages have the same standards. The only things that are different in the taxi test is checking the paintwork, the taxi meter and the roof sign.
“Taxis need checked regularly because they do more miles than an ordinary car.
“We have no option but to go to the council garage, which we think is wrong. Going elsewhere would benefit taxi drivers and it would give the garages in the city more work.”
An MOT and taxi test is often done at the same time at the council-run garage, but staff there can’t always do the necessary fixes, meaning the cabbies have to take them to other mechanics and then re-sit the test.
Chris said the MOT and taxi test cost around £90 and a further £18 for a retest, and booking a retest can take a few days, leaving taxi drivers without a wage.
“It is a major problem for us and lockdown has highlighted that – one guy phoned me to say he had been off the road for three-and-ahalf months because he is waiting for the garage to open.
“But this is a money-making thing for the council, so for the time being we are stuck.”
A spokesman for Dundee City Council said tests carried out at council-run garages ensured fairness and impartiality.
He added: “All taxis operating at the start of lockdown had their test dates extended by six months.
“If a replacement vehicle was in use as a taxi at the start of lockdown, then it could be used because the licensing committee allowed the test certificate for any taxi to be transferred to a new owner for the period left on the certificate.
“Replacement vehicles which were not in use as taxis at the start of the lockdown which did not have a current certificate at that time would not be able to take advantage of this.”