Defective cabs off the road
Council inspection sees private hire vehicles taken out of service for repairs
A number of private hire cabs have been taken off the road following a surprise inspection.
The operation by North Yorkshire Police also involved the county council, Customs and Excise officers and Scarborough Council and took place earlier this month.
The vehicle inspectors primarily looked for defects such as steering systems, brakes, faulty head lights , problems with indicators, illegal tyres and worn handbrakes. Licensing officers also checked vehicles for cleanliness and presentation.
In total, 25 taxi and private hire vehicles were inspected during the exercise, of which nine were found to be completely satisfactory and of a high standard. A further 13 received advisory notices to address de- fects (some being more serious than others, MOT failings, vehicles with multiple defects) which are deemed important issues. A further three private hire cares received warnings for more serious issues and had to be taken off the road.
Although several of the warnings rel ated to vehicle lights, three related to legal but worn tyres. Advice regarding stopping distances was given to drivers.
A couple of drivers received warnings for speeding, smoking in the vehicle and failure to di s pl ay t hei r photographic ID and badges prominently.
The fact that some vehicles were deficient remains a concern and the council is likely to consider legal action.
Borough Cllr Martin Smith, said: “We take the safety of the travelling public very seriously and it is important that licensed drivers adhere to the law with regard to vehicle maintenance, tax and insurance to ensure the safety of all road users.
“We shall be organising more snap inspections in the near future and we will be taking firm action where vehicles are found not to be fully roadworthy.
“The same will apply to those drivers who are found to be non-complaint, particularly where they fail to display the mandatory photographic ID notices or fail to wear ID badges.”
‘We take the safety of the travelling public very seriously’