Taxi Licensing officers from Milton Keynes recently carried out checks on taxi drivers on an evening of positive enforcement action.
On Friday, 27 January 2017 licensed vehicles were stopped and checked on the roads of Milton Keynes during Operation India, which targeted Hackney Carriage and Private Hire vehicles with suspected defects/breaches. The aim of the operation was to proactively tackle vehicle defects found among taxis in the city.
As a result of Operation India 12 vehicles were stopped and checked at the roadside. Of the 12 vehicles stopped 9 were identified as having suspected/confirmed defects and were suspended and then sent to the Council’s Testing Station for inspection by vehicle inspectors.
All 9 vehicles were then thoroughly inspected by the examiners with a variety of faults including bald tyres, defective lights, no fire extinguisher and bodywork damage. Of the 9 vehicles that failed five were licensed by Milton Keynes Council and four were licensed by Aylesbury Vale District Council.
Cllr Catriona Morris, Chair of the Council’s Regulatory (Taxi) Committee said: “This is the first safety operation conducted with Thames Valley Police this year with the aim of ensuring that Taxis and Private Hire vehicles operating in Milton Keynes are safe to use.
“It is vital that people have absolute confidence in the safety of licensed vehicles and this operation was designed to highlight those who do not maintain their vehicles.
“We will continue to work with Thames Valley Police to ensure the safety of the public when using these services. We will also be writing to Private Hire Operators so they can also bring these defective vehicles to the attention of their proprietors and drivers.”
In order to prevent a recurrence of defective vehicles council officers will take further action against vehicle proprietors and operators in accordance with the council’s taxi policy.
Further action may include penalty points, suspension or revocation of licence.
