Safety drive on cabs

Date published: 08 July 2010

Older and potentially run-down taxis and private-hire cars are to be targeted in the latest round of spot safety checks.

Tameside Council licensing enforcement officers will be joined by the police for the operation, to be carried out on Thursday July 8 at various points across the borough.

Vehicles will be brought in to Tame Street Garage, Stalybridge, where they will undergo testing and checks by Vehicle MOT testers.

The council issues private hire and hackney carriage licenses to vehicles that are thoroughly tested and passed as being safe to carry passengers. This test is more rigorous than the typical MOT test.

Taxis and private hire cars over three years of age have a test very six months and those less than three years are tested once every 12 months. However, despite regular testing, vehicles are often found to have faults between tests.

Any vehicles found to have faults which deem them to be unroadworthy will have their licence plates removed.

Tameside Council Executive Member for Environmental Services Cllr Catherine Piddington said: “This type of operation is vital to ensure our licensed vehicles are kept to the required standards and are safe for passengers to be transported in. It also provides a reminder for taxi and private hire cab owners that we will act on, deal with and not tolerate poorly maintained vehicles.

“We will be particularly targeting vehicles which may have been reported to us for being in bad repair or which are older and more likely to develop faults between tests.”