'Cab checks not up to proper standard'Thursday, September 22, 2011A taxi firm boss has accused Brentwood Borough Council of a decade of malpractice during vehicle inspections, putting thousands of lives at risk.
Steve Smith, owner of Treble Twenty Cars and Couriers, also believes up to £250,000 could be reclaimed from the council by taxi firms in the borough.
Mr Smith says he has proof that:
For ten years council checks on taxis were done without appropriate emissions-testing equipment
Up to £250,000 should be paid back to taxi firms and drivers
Brake-testing apparatus used in inspections had not been checked for nine years
Lives of drivers and passengers may have been put at risk
Since 1986 all taxis operating in the borough have been required by the council to be tested at the garage in Warley Road.
Responding to a request under the Freedom of Information Act put in by Mr Smith, the council confirmed it only has records of a full emissions test being undertaken from February 2010 and that from 2001, until that time, they only completed "visual smoke inspections".
The council says it is not required to do emissions testing to MOT standard as they are not a registered MOT centre and that minimum requirements have been met.
However, Mr Smith argues that in February 1994 the council adopted a new taxi inspection procedure which states "I (taxi driver) understand that the inspection will be conducted in a manner which complies with the "Method of Inspection" as contained in Section 6.4 of the MOT Manual for Car and Light Commercial Vehicle Testing".
In 1994 the council was using emissions testing equipment until it become obsolete seven years later and wasn't replaced until last year.
Mr Smith also highlights a meeting of the council's Licensing and Appeals Committee in January 2007, when members resolved "the council adopts the MOT as the criteria for the vehicle inspection, with the addition of checks for cleanliness and conditions of the vehicle, and retains a six-month inspection regime."
In a letter last week to the council's complaints department, Kevin Rowland, a taxi legislation expert hired by Mr Smith to handle the case, wrote: "At the very least officers have, over a period of approximately ten years, failed to undertake the full emissions checks that they should have been completing and at worst have deliberately and systematically overcharged the trade for checks that should have, but were not completed".
Further to the lack to full emissions testing, he also stated that information provided by the council shows their brake-testing equipment at Warley was not calibrated between 2001 and 2009, and it was only checked when the equipment was in need of repair.
As the council has no records to prove otherwise, Mr Smith concludes that it must be assumed that no checks took place.
Mr Smith believes the council has not delivered the vehicle inspection service they should have done over ten years and is calling for a full refund of around £60,000 for the tests carried on Treble Twenty cars during that time.
He added: "It's unacceptable because it's well-documented that the tests through that period should have been carried out to MOT standard and clearly that has not been the case.
"The fact they have not been carrying them out to that standard has possibly put members of the public in Brentwood as risk."
A spokesman for the council said: "Brentwood Borough Council can confirm it has received a complaint from Mr Smith on September 12. It has been acknowledged by the council and will be investigated accordingly."
Source; http://www.thisistotalessex.co.uk/Cab-c ... story.html
Login
Register
FAQ
