Bath & North East Somerset Council and Avon and Somerset
Police have carried out a successful safety check on taxis and
private hire vehicles in Bath.
During the operation, on Wednesday 20 August, 45 vehicles were
stopped at random by the Police and then checked for compliance
with licensing laws by the Council’s Licensing Team. Mechanical
Safety was checked by the Vehicle Operators Service Agency (VOSA)
and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) also collected
drivers’ details to check for any possible benefit fraud.
John Dowding, Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Senior
Licensing Officer, said: "I have been involved in many of these
checks over the years and this was by far the best standard I have
seen. The vehicles and drivers were a credit to themselves and Bath
& North East Somerset Council.
"The drivers were 100% behind the checks and some drivers even
attended the operation voluntarily without being stopped by the
Police. Disruption to the drivers was kept to a minimum and all
drivers were a pleasure to deal with and the operation was carried
out with good humour from all. The Council’s Licensing Team would
like to thank all drivers and vehicle owners who were
involved."
Cllr Charles Gerrish, Bath & North East Somerset Council's
Cabinet Member for Customer Services, said: "Bath & North East
Somerset Council is delighted at the success of this initiative. As
a Council we are committed to ensuring our residents feel safe and
secure - we work very closely with the police on many initiatives
towards this aim."
Of the 45 vehicles checked, one had a tyre slightly below the
legal limit and so the vehicle license was suspended immediately
and the vehicle was prohibited from use by VOSA. Another was found
to have a frayed driver’s seatbelt and the driver was given a
delayed notice of prohibition - this did not take him off the road
but allows him time to rectify the defect.
