Nearly three-quarters of Coventry taxis tested were faulty
November 2, 2010
A police operation examining the safety of Coventry taxis found more than 70 per cent of the vehicles tested were defective.
Inspectors discovered faulty steering and brakes and even an adjustable spanner attached to a steering system, which a mechanic had forgotten to remove from one cab, during the operation on Friday night.
From 6.30pm to 10.30pm two police motorcyclists trawled the city on the lookout for Hackney Carriage and private hire cars and escorted them back to a MOT test centre, where a team from VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) examined the vehicles for mechanical defects.
Council staff were also on hand to check the drivers were adhering to their taxi licence and staff from the council’s Benefit Investigation Team were also on hand to interview the drivers. As a result, seven benefits investigations have been launched.
While the interviews were taking place, customs officers dipped the fuel tanks to ensure the vehicles were running on the correct fuel and not trying to evade tax running on red diesel.
Of the 39 taxis stopped and tested, five were taken off the road immediately for serious defects, such as defective tyres, steering, brakes, and suspension.
Out of 39 taxis checked by officers, only 11 were given a clean bill of health.
PC Dean Wainwright, of West Midlands Police, said: “These operation have been running since January 2007. To date 836 vehicles have been examined and 45 per cent of those have had a defect of some sort."
“These figures are not improving and the drivers and owners of the taxis are not getting the message."
Source; http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/c ... 7584009/2/
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