BLACKBURN WITH DARWEN: MOTS FAILED FOR ‘RIDICULOUS’ REASONS
ROUND THE COUNCILS MELTON:
FIRST FARE REVIEW IN SEVEN YEARS
Blackburn with Darwen Council has responded to accusa- tions that cabbies are being ‘targeted’ after a taxi driver said a council-run MoT centre is failing drivers for ‘ridiculous’ indiscretions. According to the Lancashire Telegraph, Soyeb Abid, who has been a cabbie for 16 years and drives a Toyota Prius, says he was baffled as to why he was told his front headlight was ‘loose’ at a recent MoT test. Mr Abid said: “It is just ridiculous. I got told that the front headlight on the driver’s side was loose. It is exactly the same as the one on the passenger side and it is not loose at all. Then there is a barely noticeable scuff mark on a bumper and this was brought up. Nobody made an issue about it the last two times the taxi was passed. I was also told to fix the ball joints dust cover. “I think we are being unfairly targeted by the MoT test cen- tre. I am also concerned we are having to pay over the odds for an MoT test every six months.” Tony Watson, head of environment at the council, said: “Mr Abid was shown the broken headlamp but it was not possi- ble to show the failure under the vehicle, on grounds of health and safety concerns for people under a raised vehicle. “In relation to the MoT failures, it was explained to Mr Abid that if a driver is not happy with the results of an MoT, then the procedure is for the driver to go online and fill out a complaints form and submit it to the DVSA. “It was also explained to Mr Abid that if he was not happy with the tester’s opinion, then he could address the body- work with the licensing section. “No section of drivers is targeted in any way by the council. All of the council’s MoT testers have an unblemished testing record with no DVSA sanctions against their name. “We are always happy to discuss failures further with the driver at the time of the test, should they so wish. We also have the option for the driver to approach the office at the testing facility with any concerns regarding the actions of our staff or the testing process or outcome. Going forward, we will be encouraging this with every driver.” Cllr Altaf Patel, a taxi driver himself, said: “We need private MoT centres for taxi drivers. A lot of drivers are being failed on the first attempt and this is just getting ridiculous. I have heard of so many complaints from drivers who think they are being unfairly targeted. “Other councils in the area have private MoT centres which cost £30 and the retest is free. Here drivers are paying £60 more if they fail the first test. This is taking advantage of cab drivers and profiteering.” He added: “We also have 1,200 drivers and there are only two ramps at the MoT Centre. The waiting times are just too long.”
JUNE 2021
Melton Borough Council has reviewed taxi fares for the first time in seven years and ran a public consultation on sug- gested new prices. The Melton Times reports that if adopted, the changes would see a 50p increase on the first third of a mile for both daytime and nighttime journeys for up to four passengers. For every mile thereafter, day fares will increase by 20p to £1.80 and night journeys would stay at the current price. Waiting rates would also rise by £5 an hour. Firms will also be able to charge customers up to £100 if their cab is soiled. The proposals also seek the introduction of new extra charges for parties of more than four passengers travelling in Melton taxis on bank holidays, including Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. The first third of a mile would be charged at £7, every mile thereafter £3.20 and a waiting rate of £40 per hour. If no objections are received, the new table of fares will apply from Monday July 26.
EDINBURGH: CABBIES FURIOUS AS BUSY RANK BLOCKED
Struggling taxi drivers feel they hit yet another roadblock on Friday 21 May after discovering a key city centre rank blocked by heavy-duty vehicles. A picture taken of the Market Street rank used to collect customers from Waverley train station, showed the rank congested with various work vehi- cles - including a tractor. According to EdinburghLive, while it is not clear why there were so many vehicles parked in the spot, the Edinburgh cab union feel that Edinburgh City Council should have consult- ed with them first. A Unite the Union representative said: “It’s vitally important because of the financial impact of the pandemic that taxi ranks are kept for taxis. There is nothing we could do, we can’t argue with a 20-ton truck. “Whatever the work, the council didn’t speak to us first and we were never consulted. They were in there for a number of hours at a time where the taxi industry is on its knees.” The frustrated Edinburgh Cab Branch posted the image on Twitter with the caption: “This might mean very little to you but for taxi drivers this is completely unacceptable. Your lack of consultation with the taxi trade does you no favours. Please fix this mess.” “Many locals and cab drivers retweeted the image and shared their frustration. Edinburgh City Council told EdinburghLive that they were investigating the issue.
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