SWOOP CENTRAL
WARNING ISSUED AFTER WOLVERHAMPTON PH DRIVER PULLED OVER BY POLICE IN MANCHESTER
Police found a private hire vehicle with bald tyres when on patrol in Manchester - before the driver then claimed he had checked them just last month. Officers on a joint operation with Wolverhampton Council’s Com- pliance Officers on Saturday night, 24 February, stopped the driver of the black Ford before the tyres were checked. Pictures shared to social media showed police inspecting the tyres before the cab was suspended due to being driven with the heavily worn, illegal tyre. In defence, the driver then claimed the tyre had been checked just the
night with Greater Manchester Police. One vehicle suspended for an illegal tyre, also vehicle prohibited by police. “Driver - ‘I checked tyre last month’ ... Really!? Check your vehicle before every shift!” The legal tyre depth for
previous month. The council's spokesperson then issued a reminder to drivers on the importance of checking vehicles. A City of Wolverhampton Council Licensing spokesperson said: “Compliance Officers patrolled around Greater Manchester last
cars in the UK and Europe is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre. Anything under this could be illegal. The consequences of driving with illegal tyres could cost drivers three penalty points on their licence, as well as a fine of up to £2,500 per tyre.
NEW PENDLE TAXI SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS AFTER LATEST SPOT CHECK FAILURES
New steps to improve taxi safety in Pendle are being recommended, after more spot-checks revealed problems including mechanical faults. A new report to borough’s
the taxi licensing com-
mittee describes ‘unacceptably high failure rates’ in recent checks. Councillors are being advised to back 13 recommendations, in- cluding a mobile phone app for checks when they start a shift, vehicle maintenance
training,
penalty points and licence reviews for breaches and extra facilities to check taxis to cut waiting times. Any taxi driver who has lied or been ‘untruthful ‘about checks will have their licence reviewed by the committee. Council officers believe the
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recommendations will reward good drivers and reduce failings. Safety checks have been the focus at recent meetings with previous checks resulting in high failure rates. More than 90 per cent of taxis failed in one past session. Former committee chairman Con. Cllr Kieran McGladdery, has accused the taxi trade of being reluctant to adopt new ways of checking vehicles using an app. But others such as Lab. Cllr Faraz Ahmad, have said the council must avoid an ‘aggressive’ approach and instead work with taxi drivers and firms to encourage changes. Some cabbies say more people are becoming PH drivers due to economic pressures. But there are too many PHVs, not enough
customers and perhaps pressures to save money or delay car repairs, some drivers believe. In checks last November in Nelson, five cabs passed but 11 failed. The taxis which failed were taken off the road and had to have four- monthly safety tests. Checks in January resulted in ten taxis passing but another ten failed. A traditional system requiring drivers to record safety checks on paper forms is open to abuse and does not ensure vehicles are physically checked, some councillors have argued. Instead mobile phone apps would force the driver to physically check different parts but members of the trade have
disagreed over prospective changes. MARCH 2024 PHTM
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