Taxis stopped during operation to ensure public safety
Archived press release
Date Published: 09/12/09
Random safety checks on a small number of Aylesbury Vale’s licensed taxis resulted in four vehicles being taken off the road.
Aylesbury Vale District Council, Thames Valley Police and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) joined forces to clamp down on taxis in the district that are not roadworthy, or do not meet the conditions of their licence.
Out of 15 taxis inspected at the police’s testing bay, four were suspended with immediate effect for vehicle defects. Seven vehicles were found to have minor faults ranging from cracks in wing mirrors to brake pads running low.
The latest spot checks showed a considerable improvement compared with a similar exercise in September when 10 out of the 11 vehicles inspected had their licence plates removed. The majority of the vehicles were taken off the road immediately due to the seriousness of the defects found.
Councillor Judy Brandis, Chairman of Aylesbury Vale District Council’s Licensing Committee, said: “It was reassuring to see that the condition of taxis has improved from the previous check carried out in September. It appears taxi operators understand how serious we are about enforcing the regulations around taxis and they are making efforts to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy.
“However, there is still room for improvement. We plan to make changes to our general policies on taxis and private hire vehicles in the New Year and I hope that this will have a positive impact.”
It is the taxi driver’s responsibility to check their vehicle is in a roadworthy state before they start to drive it. The owner and operators must also check them on a regular basis to ensure they are safe.
Aylesbury Roads Policing Sgt Beth Walton said: “This was a worthwhile and productive multi agency check. The taxi drivers we stopped were very compliant and took on board the advice given. We will continue to conduct such checks and seek to prevent the use of un-roadworthy public service vehicles.”