Taxi Driver Online

Bucks Herald

July 31, 2007

Council gets tough on town's taxi companies

A NEW crackdown on private hire and taxi drivers in Aylesbury was launched this week.

Licensing officers from Aylesbury Vale District Council are operating in the town centre throughout the summer as part of a series of overt and covert operations to check that drivers are not putting passengers in danger.

The enforcement team is working until the early hours most weekends to check that taxis are clean and roadworthy, that drivers are properly licensed, and that they have the correct plates and door signs displayed. The team also aims to clampdown on drivers who ply for hire illegally by carrying out test purchases of taxi and private hire journeys.

In addition to making spot checks and test purchases, licensing officers will be on hand to direct revellers to taxi ranks in the town centre and offer advice to help ensure people have a safe journey home.

Any driver found not to be complying with the conditions of their licence, for example private hire drivers who pick up passengers who have not booked in advance, will risk being prosecuted and face the possibility of having their licence suspended, or even revoked.

Aylesbury Vale has more than 900 licensed taxi drivers, 89 private hire operators and 500 vehicles in use as private hire and hackney carriages.

Cllr Judy Brandis, chairman of the licensing committee, said: "The presence of this enforcement team is good both for passengers and for licensed taxi drivers. The travelling public have a right to book a private hire vehicle or hail a taxi in the knowledge that it's safe, well-maintained and properly insured and that it's going to be driven by a driver who has been thoroughly vetted. Clamping down on drivers who ply for hire illegally will also allow legitimate taxi drivers to run their own high quality regulated service without unfair competition."

For more information on licensed vehicles in Aylesbury Vale, visit the council's website at www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk or call 01296 585150.
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