Killer cabs are still on roads
Taxi drivers continue to flout the law by driving dangerous cabs - just weeks after a sting which showed that two out of five should not be on Worcester's roads.
The spot checks revealed 40 per cent of Worcester cabbies were driving unroadworthy cars on Friday. The figure - two out of every five drivers stopped - was identical to the results of a sting on Friday, January 26. advertisementThe drivers were flagged down or approached at taxi ranks and taken for checks by Worcester City Council, police and the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA).
Coun David Clark, chairman of the licensing committee at the city council, said it may take another 12 sting operations before drivers begin to take notice. He said: "It's more than disappointing - it's diabolical. These people have got to get the safety of the public to the forefront of their minds.
"That 40 per cent need to get their act together or get out of the trade. That's the shame of it all. A responsible taxi driver, knowing the results of that last sting, should make damn sure his vehicle was going to be okay.
"If I wanted a taxi and the taxi looked shabby and the driver looked much the same I would probably think I'm not too sure about the vehicle either." During the January checks 11 drivers out of the 27 were breaking the law compared to 10 out of 25 drivers this time - 40 per cent in both cases.
The results were worse for Hackney carriage drivers than private hire drivers, which Coun Clark blames on the cabs having more than one driver, none of whom take responsibility for faults. There are currently 72 private hire vehicles and 185 Hackney carriages licensed by the city council - 257 in total.
Anne Murphy, a spokesman for the Worcester Taxi Drivers Association, said the results were down to a small minority of drivers. Miss Murphy said: "The city council has ignored taxi drivers for a long time and they are making us look like a bunch of cowboys. "That doesn't do the relationship with us any good. "I'm a responsible taxi driver and my vehicle is in top condition whenever I go out.
"I would make drivers who break the conditions plead for their licences back. "It's scandalous what some members of the trade are allowed to get away with. "When the Government announced that local authorities were taking over the licensing trade, taxi drivers were ignored. "We're the first impression outsiders get of the city and the council have let some real cowboys slip through." Problems included faulty lights, tyres below the legal pressure limit, missing links on anti-roll bars and leaking oil and petrol. Those who were found to have faults will now need to demonstrate to officers that they have been rectified. Six drivers may need to go before the licensing committee for further inspections for a range of breaches, including empty fire extinguishers and not having tariff cards in their cabs. They could receive strict warnings and, ultimately, if problems are not resolved the driver or the taxi may be taken off the road permanently.Coun Clark said the Government had removed restrictions on taxi drivers, making it easier for them to enter the trade.
March 2007 Worcester News