Taxi Driver Online

Inspectors find problems with 33 Blackburn taxis



A CRACKDOWN on taxis found that the majority had faults and would not pass an MOT.

The investigation from Blackburn with Darwen Council also found that many of the 41 vehicles pulled over for spot checks had serious safety faults.

Problems included dangerous tyres and broken springs.

There were also issues with vehicles needing work to rectify inoperative lights, no water in screen washers, signage and valeting.

Only eight of the private hire and hackney carriage vehicles stopped passed the inspections with no faults.

Coun Dave Harling said: "The results show that there is a need to carry on with the spot checks. The majority of the taxis had faults of one kind or another.

“Safety is paramount and it is crucial that taxi drivers ensure that their vehicles are kept in correct working order. Eight of the taxis passed the safety checks but so should all of them."

The safety operation took place on Friday night. The council said 12 of the cars were immediatley taken off the roads for serious faults which affected public safety.

An additional 21 taxis were given seven day notices for faults and breaches that needed rectifying.

The council, police and an officer from Department of Work and Pensions were involved in the operation which ran from 9pm until 2.30am.

Taxis were stopped and checked by a MOT inspector from the council's transport services division.

source: http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/blackburn/

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Never heard of that one being checked before.

I hope they checked the concentration on those that did have water, because it wouldn't be much use if it was frosty and the water froze

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Caledonian Cabbie

Isn't having no water in the washer bottle an MOT faliure mate?? As for the valeting I think all motors should fail if they are filthy on the inside.

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Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

Believe me, don't get Mercury X2

You are quite right CC, having a front screen washer that isn't working either because there is no water or it is broken is an MOT failure.

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Grandad,

And a road traffic offence.

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Former taxi driver

It will be interesting to see as to where in the tariff league different boroughs are when all these failures arise.Also are these failures on the increase

I know safety is safety, but I would not mind betting that it is being compromised by 1) the tariffs not being high enough, thus not leaving enough money to have a living + maintenance of vehicle, and 2) too many taxi licences issued, again not enough to do the aforementioned.

It needs to be pointed out to these LAs that they too have a duty of care, and participation in safety.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

No water in the washer, you will get 3 points on your driving licence.

And that was still in 30 yrs ago when i got pull over, lucky it was frozen. Got away with it

Why were you 'lucky' that it was frozen?

What is the law regarding the water being frozen?

Is the moral of all this that you should use fresh water thus you'd be less likely to fall foul of the law?

But I suspect empty washers are commonplace, thus why in perhaps thousands of articles on 'clampdowns' on here the issue has never been mentioned before? Or has it?

After all, since they usually seem keen to outline the various faults found (even when they're sometimes not faults at all) then why not this?

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Caledonian Cabbie

The reason I was lucky, because the coppers could not prove it was not working. Frozen water in the pipes or in the bottle. I was only 17 or 18 at the time, but I seem to remember I got away with it. but done me on a tyre, 30 odd yrs ago.

I think the main reason behind it is because Blackburn is such a [edited by admin], and nobody wants to go out in the dump. Is it any wonder their cabbies come flying in Preston?

And no mention of charley

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Lol, I wonder how Blackburn council will take him if he tries to defend some of these death trap drivers?