Taxi drivers in Blackburn face license suspension for operating vehicles with serious MOT failures.
Right now, drivers can promise to fix issues. The council trusted them to do this quickly, however, some drivers kept driving without fixing problems. The council saw this as a breach of trust. Unsafe taxis were then driving people around.
The council requires taxis pass a standard MOT test. This takes place at Davyfield Road testing station. A taxi test there costs £62 now. Retests cost either £46 or £32, depending on the time needed.
The council is telling drivers about the update. If a test finds big or dangerous faults, they will suspend the license and remove the taxi’s number plate. The taxi cannot work until it passes retesting, nor can drivers use it for private hire.
The council says drivers were not fixing faults and kept working with unsafe vehicles. This made the council change its policy to ensure compliance.
One driver thinks this change will hurt earnings. Fixing the car and retesting takes time and booking a retest can take several days. Drivers may lose work for almost a week.
The council wants to remove dangerous vehicles. Martin Eden spoke about the new change coming, stating any car failing its MOT with big faults will have the license suspended. This ensures taxis get fixed before working.
He states drivers were risking passenger safety. They kept driving with vehicle problems. Drivers need to maintain safe taxis, helping them pass vehicle inspections.